[FFML] [Naruto] One Hundred Weeks - Chapter Three: The Invisible Hand

[Aaron Nowack]

The prior story and the previous chapters of this story can be found on
Fanfiction.net:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2663204/1/One_Hundred_Days
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6942340/1/One_Hundred_Weeks

As always, I appreciate any and all C&C.

One Hundred Weeks
A Naruto Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack

Chapter 3: The Invisible Hand

***********************************************************************
Disclaimer:  Contrary to its status in several improbable alternate
universes, Naruto does not belong to me.  It belongs to Kishimoto
Masashi; I'm just borrowing it without permission.  However, the blame
for the actual text of this fanfiction is mine.  Also, squash.
***********************************************************************

[Week Six]

        In most towns or cities in the world, it would have been an
unusual sight.  That a young man might stand on the roof of a low
building was not strange, particularly in the Wind Country where most
houses were built with rooftop access.  It was somewhat weirder that he
stood with a massive bird of prey perched on his arm, and it gained the
full measure of oddness when one realized that the bird was mechanical,
a puppet.  Such a creation was something the average peasant might live
their entire life without seeing.

        In the Hidden Village of Sand, famed across the world for its
unique puppetry techniques, it was a sight hardly worth noticing.
However, even there, it was odd that the man was holding a conversation
with the device.  Puppeteers did not talk to their puppets - or at least
did not talk and expect an answer - unless they were extremely
disturbed.  If an observer knew that this man was Yuura, one of the
youngest members of the Sand's ruling council and not a master of
puppetry, the strange conversation would have become interesting indeed.

        There was no one to listen in, however, as Yuura spoke.  "Chiyo-
sama immediately petitioned again to perform the extraction, of course.
Otokaze and Satetsu are blocking her, though.  Neither of them wants
that, and almost no one else is backing the motion.  Even Ebizou-sama is
against it."  The Sand ninja chuckled darkly.  "It seems that with less
than two years of good behavior Gaara-kun's already gotten us to forget
that we hated and feared him.  He's subtler than he appears."

        The mechanical bird's head turned, one painted, unmoving eye
staring at the man.  Its mouth did not open, but a quiet voice emerged
despite that.  "You did well arranging this incident, Yuura.  This may
work out better than if you'd succeeded in getting the container sent
out after my partner," the bird said.  "If the extraction is performed,
I can steal and replace the vessel at my convenience, and it could be a
decade or more before anyone knows Shukaku is lost."

        "Chiyo-sama has vowed never to perform the sealing again," Yuura
agreed, "and she's taken no apprentice to learn her art."  He paused.
"I can't switch to support her in this, though, not without raising
suspicion from Otokaze.  It wouldn't make a difference, in any case,
Master."

        "What of the Leaf?" the bird asked.

        The man made a frustrated sound.  "They aren't pushing for
anything yet, any more than they retaliated when Gaara nearly attacked
them when they first showed up," he said.  "They've locked themselves in
their guest house and aren't taking visitors.  They didn't even take the
Hokage's apprentice, the one Gaara-kun has the grudge against, to the
hospital.  I'm not sure what to make of it.  Gaara-kun has provoked them
enough that there should have been a reaction."

        "The Rock?" the bird proposed.

        "I suppose, Master," Yuura said, "but it isn't like the Leaf to
ignore an attack on one of them, even if they are scared of driving us
away from the alliance."  He paused.  "The genin taking the exam
returned this evening," he added.  "The Toad Hermit was with them.  I
suppose it was too much to hope that those rumors he spread that he was
leaving were true."

        "So long as his gaze is focused on his boy, he won't be a
concern to me," the bird stated.

        "As you say, Master."

        The bird was silent for several minutes, but Yuura waited
patiently until it was ready.  "These are your orders, Yuura.  Push the
council to approve the extraction by any means necessary.  We will
arrange to remove the opposition."  There was a whirring sound, and the
puppet's breast opened up.  The exposed innards moved, and slowly a
glass vial filled with a dark liquid emerged, held by a metal prong.
Several more vials, holding different-colored fluids, were visible
inside the bird.

        Yuura took the offered vial with his free hand.  "Master?"

        "Use that on the container if the council still won't move on
its own," the bird ordered as its insides moved again and its breast
closed.  "That poison will take a week or so to kill it.  They'll have
no choice but to extract before it's too late.  The blame will point at
the Leaf."

        "Yes, Master."

        "My partner will come to the village to oversee the operation,"
the bird continued.  "A sacrifice will be required.  A jounin
preferably, but a strong chuunin will do.  You will have one prepared in
three days, when I will contact you again."

        "Yes, Master."  Yuura's voice did not show any sign at
discomfort with that order.

        "You've done well so far, Yuura," the puppet said.  "Continue to
serve me well, and the rewards will be great."

        "Thank you, Master Sasori."  Yuura bowed awkwardly to bird
perched on his outstretched arm.

        With a faint whirring sound, the puppet bird extended its wings.
They began to beat slowly, and the wooden creature took off.  An instant
later, a transformation occurred, the puppet taking on the semblance of
a living bird, no different than the messengers used by the Sand ninja.

        Yuura bowed again, more deeply, as he watched the disguised
puppet fly off.  Then he straightened, and vanished in a swirl of sand.
He had much work to do.

***********************************************************************


        The Hidden Village of Sand was situated in an immense bowl,
surrounded by high cliffs which descended just as steeply down to the
surrounding desert a few hundred yards further out.  The formation was
not natural, having been created to protect the new village by the First
Kazekage, whose mastery of earth element ninjutsu was second only to his
unrivaled wind techniques.  In the generations since then, the Sand had
improved on their founder's gift.  They dug secret caves and passages
and carved massive terraces on both sides of the mountainous wall.  On
the outer terraces, they built defensive fortifications.  The village
expanded to use the space provided on the inner face.

        Uzumaki Naruto ran straight up the side of one of those
terraces, a small one which contained a medium-sized training ground.
He made no attempt at stealth, but no one stopped him until he reached
the top of the terrace.  There, a man in the uniform of a Sand chuunin
waited, standing by a flickering electric lamp atop a post.  Naruto
paused after climbing over the guard rail.

        "Sorry, but you don't want to use this area tonight," the
chuunin said.  "It's being used by -"

        "Out of my way," the boy growled.  For just an instant, there
was a barest flash of red chakra in the air around him.

        The Sand ninja's eyes widened.  "You're Leaf!"  he exclaimed,
his eyes focusing on Naruto's forehead protector.  "You aren't cleared
for this area!"

        "I don't care," Naruto said.  He didn't move forward, but his
body shook with contained energy.  The man started to form a seal with
one hand, and in an instant Naruto was inside his guard, his smaller
hand closing around the half-formed seal.  "No alarms."  Something
flashed in his eyes.  "I'm here to have a talk with him."  A sense of
pressure and power filled the air around him.

        "I can't just let you in," the Sand ninja stammered.

        In the shadows on the edge of the lamp's reach, something
stirred.  Sand rose up into an approximation of human shape.  "It's
fine," a soft voice said from the darkness.  "He can take care of
himself."  The sand crumbled into small pile.

        "All... all right," the Sand ninja said nervously.  After a
moment, Naruto released his grip on the man's hand.  He backed away,
turning and breaking into a run once he was out of Naruto's reach.

        The Leaf genin ignored the fleeing ninja, stalking into the
training ground.  His eyes quickly adjusted the darkness.  The dim
moonlight was enough for him to see his target.

        In the middle of the training ground, Gaara of the Desert sat
cross-legged in a small bowl of sand that floated several feet off the
ground.  As Naruto approached, the sand sank back down to the earth, and
the other boy stood.  "Naruto-kun," Gaara stated calmly in greeting.

        Naruto didn't reply, stalking forward until he stood within
arm's reach of Gaara.  Then Naruto punched him in the face.  Sand
blocked the strike.  In a blur of motion, Naruto was behind Gaara,
spinning into a powerful kick.  More sand stopped him, inches from
Gaara's back.

        "The sand defends me without my will," Gaara said, not turning
to face his attacker.  "I'm sorry."

         At that, Naruto calmed somewhat.  He fell back into a ready
stance, and now Gaara turned around.  It was hard to tell in the
darkness, but for just a moment Naruto's eyes flashed red and turned
inhuman.  "You hurt Sakura-chan," he said.  This time, the crimson
chakra that flared around him hung in the air for several seconds.

        "I did," Gaara agreed.  "It will not happen again."

        "No, it won't," Naruto said, the promise of violence heavy in
his simple statement.

        "Threats are unnecessary," Gaara said.  "I had no desire to hurt
anyone yesterday."

        "Didn't seem to stop you," Naruto replied.  One of his fists
clenched, lengthening nails almost drawing blood.  With visible effort,
he forced the hand open.

        Gaara's green eyes flickered closed.  "I will not make excuses,"
he declared as his eyes reopened.  "It is my power, and my
responsibility to control it."  He paused.  "You are making it...
difficult."

        Naruto glanced down, and saw the sand under his feet roiling.
The blond took a deep breath.  "You didn't want to hurt anyone," he
said.

        "Yes."  Gaara's voice was still calm.

        Naruto breathed again, closing his own eyes briefly.  The wind
stirred, and when his eyes reopened the air felt different.  A terrible,
heavy pressure was lifted.  The moving sand stilled.

        Gaara nodded.  "We both know it is never easy," he said.  "Even
as we must make it appear so."

        Naruto's mouth quirked into a slight smile.  "At least I can get
a decent night's sleep," he said, his voice forcibly light.

        Gaara seemed to accept the change of topic.  "On occasion, with
appropriate preparations, I sleep.  There are dreams.  It is...
unpleasant."

        "Dreams," Naruto said.  "I've had a few of those kind," he
admitted.  For just a moment, images filled his head, of a labyrinthine,
humid sewer, where every path ultimately lead to the same terrible
destination.  He forced them away.

        "It is never easy," Gaara repeated himself.  "It is an existence
fated for darkness.  But you showed me a better way.  Thank you."

        Naruto winced.  "I was just trying to protect my friends," he
said.  "If I'd had to, I would have killed you."

        "I know," Gaara said, "but I would have killed you even if I
didn't have to, for a foolish reason."  He paused.  "Because of you, I
have a brother and a sister."  He glanced out past Naruto, over the
village that spread out below the small terrace they stood on.  "It is
never easy," he said again, "but even this village is now more than a
collection of buildings to me.  Even if you did not intend it, it was
your example that gave me all this.

        "I am sorry I repaid you in such poor fashion yesterday."

        Naruto grimaced, but the terrible power did not return.  "What
happened?" he asked.  One of his hands went to his stomach.  "If you
don't mind."

        "The sand priests," Gaara answered slowly, "exerted their power
where they should not have, and woke Mother.  I was unprepared, and she
struck at them.  Sakura-san and others tried to protect them, rousing
her further, and I was not able to regain control."

        "Why do you call... it your mother?" Naruto asked.  "I saw it,
when we fought."

        Gaara hesitated.  "Do not tell my sister or my brother," he
said.  "They believe it an old delusion of mine, a cruel trick of the
demon, and I see no purpose in disturbing their belief."

        Naruto swallowed.  "What do you mean?"

        "I do not know what you know of my seal," Gaara said.  "I myself
do not know if it was required or an accident, but a sacrifice was made
in the sealing."  His eyes closed.  "My mother died birthing me, and her
hatred, her pain, and her rage live on inside of me, between me and the
demon.  Perhaps she is part of it now."

        "I," Naruto began, but his voice faltered.  "That's just...
fucked up," he said.  "I'm sorry I asked."

        "Do not be," Gaara said.  He smiled slightly.  "Even when she
rages, it is her will that powers the shield of sand.  I did not
understand, for a long time, but now I choose to believe that her love
lives on as well."

        Naruto turned away, and for a moment the two looked out over the
Sand Village in silence.  "You're really amazing, Gaara."  The other boy
shook his head, but Naruto pressed on.  "I'm not... I don't know if I'm
as strong as you think I am," he said.  "I grew up... I was alone, and
it hurt.  I thought it hurt worse than anything, and I didn't know why I
was alone.

        "But you were worse than alone, weren't you?  And you were told
why from the start.  I don't know, if I had grown up like you, and if I
had met someone like me... I don't know if I could have turned from that
path the way you have."  His hands clenched.  "There have been times
when I've lost control too," he said.  "I've been training with Ero-
sennin, working on meditation techniques and more, but even after that,
if I have to call upon that power..."  Naruto trailed off.

        "It is never easy," Gaara said one more time.

        "It never is," Naruto agreed.  He paused.  "I need to apologize
to your sister," he said.  "I had to threaten her a little to find out
where you were."

        Gaara shrugged.  "She is used to it," he said simply.

        Naruto let out a laugh.  "They'll never believe me back home if
I tell them you make jokes now."  His face turned serious.  "There was
something else I needed to talk to you about, Gaara," he said.

        "What is it?"

        "There's a girl, taking the exams," Naruto said.  "Hinata-chan -
do you remember her?"  Gaara nodded, and Naruto continued, "She can see
things with her eyes."  He snorted.  "You know what I mean."

        "I do."  Gaara paused.  "What did she see about this girl?"

        "Hinata-chan thinks she... thinks she's like us," Naruto said.

        Gaara stiffened.  "Who?" he said, his voice tight.

        "From Waterfall," Naruto said.  "Her name is Fuu, and she's
maybe three or four years younger than we are."

        "I have not met her," Gaara said.

        "I tried to talk to her," Naruto said, "but she wouldn't let me.
I think... I think she sees herself as a weapon, and nothing more."  His
eyes closed as he remembered another ninja he had met, years ago in Wave
Country, who had felt that way and died for it.  "She almost killed a
ninja from Snow Country," he said, "in the preliminaries.  She thought
he had hurt her teammate."

        "There are worse reasons," Gaara said.

        Whatever Naruto might have said to that was lost as someone
coughed behind them.  They turned around.  "You shouldn't be here,
Naruto-kun," Otokaze of the Explosion said.  "Gaara-kun is in isolation
following yesterday's incident."

        Naruto shrugged.  "I needed to talk to him."

        Another man appeared beside Otokaze.  His eyes glanced between
the two boys.  "I was afraid I was going to have to break up a fight,"
Baki said.  "That's the last thing we need now, with Chiyo on the
warpath."

        "We are not going to fight, Baki-sensei." Gaara said calmly.
"Our discussion was productive."

        Baki grunted.  "Then good," he said.  His gaze turned to Naruto
again.  "You should get out of here, boy," he said, "before she shows
up."

        "Who's Chiyo?" Naruto asked.

        "A member of the Sand's council," Otokaze explained.  "An enemy
of your village."

        "She wishes to perform an extraction on me," Gaara stated
simply.

        It took Naruto a moment to understand what Gaara meant.  "She
can do that?" he asked, a little awed.  He had never imagined that was
possible.  "Then why not..."

        "The extraction," Baki interjected dryly, "invariably results in
the destruction of the container."

        Naruto blinked.  "Oh."

        Otokaze glanced between the Leaf ninja and Baki.  "I suppose I
shouldn't be surprised that you know about Gaara, all things
considered."

        Naruto stilled.  Otokaze seemed nice enough, and Jiraiya seemed
to trust him, but Naruto was never comfortable when someone he didn't
really know hinted at knowing his secret.  "I should go, then," he said
after a moment.

        "Thank you," Gaara whispered, "for talking with me."

        "It's nothing," Naruto said awkwardly, and then he left, this
time taking the long stairs down to the village.

***********************************************************************


        Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin was not amused.  Under ordinary
circumstances, he quite enjoyed having unrestricted access to a young
woman's sleeping chambers.  These were not those circumstances, not when
the woman in question was in truth still a girl, nor when she was
Tsunade's apprentice and his apprentice's teammate, and particularly not
when the reason for that access was that she was injured and Jiraiya was
the closest thing available to a medical ninja that could be trusted.

        Right now, at six in the morning after a night of no sleep, he
was waiting for the girl lying in her bed to wake up from the induced
sleep he had been keeping her in.  He wasn't a fully trained medic, but
he hadn't been Tsunade's teammate for more than a decade without picking
up more than his fair share of medical ninjutsu.  Her cracked and broken
ribs, he could set on the path to healing in a week or so of bedrest.
It was the rest of the damage that was beyond him, and left him needing
to find out just what had caused it.

        He didn't breathe a sigh of relief when Haruno Sakura's eyes
opened.  Her gaze was unfocused as she looked about.  "My head feels
funny," she said slowly, slurring the words.  "And I can't feel my arm."

        "Both of those would be my fault," Jiraiya said.  "Give me a
moment."

        Sakura looked at him.  "What're... you doing in my room,
pervert?" she asked.

        Jiraiya sighed, forming seals and then laying one hand on the
girl's forehead.  When he withdrew his hand, Sakura shook her head,
blinking rapidly.  Then she looked at Jiraiya, her eyes now clear.
"Jiraiya-sama?" she asked.  "What happened?"

        "I was hoping you could tell me the details," Jiraiya said.  He
offered her a crooked smile that probably didn't seem forced.  "Just
because all these Sand think you've fought Gaara doesn't mean you had to
go and do it."

        "He... his demon was going to hurt Aya-san and Hiroto-san."
Sakura shrugged one shoulder - the arm Jiraiya hadn't numbed.  "You said
to watch out for them."

        "I didn't mean for you to get yourself killed," Jiraiya said.
"Tsunade-hime would kill me."  His face darkened.  "Trust me, I'm going
to have a long talk with those two idiots."  And probably ship them back
to Nori as soon as he could.

        "Is everyone okay?" Sakura asked.

        Jiraiya nodded.  "You did good," he said, as comfortingly as he
could.  "Nobody died, and your injuries were the worst."  He smiled
again.  "I think that reputation of yours probably grew another two
sizes.  The Sand rumor mill is saying that you forced Gaara down single-
handedly."

        Sakura winced in her bed.  "I wasn't alone," she said.  "Temari-
san, and that Rock jounin..."

        "I know," Jiraiya said.  "Sarutobi-san told me what he could."
He knew his face hardened at the mention of that name.  At least the
sand priests had the excuse of being children.  Sarutobi Asuma was an
elite jounin and should have been more than capable of ensuring that
Sakura had never been in a position to get hurt like this.

        Sakura glanced around her bedroom again.  "Not the hospital,"
she said.  "Security?"

        Jiraiya nodded.  "I'm not going to trust the Sand with your
life," he told her.  "We still think someone tried to kill you, after
all."

        "How long was I out?"

        "Only a day," Jiraiya said.  "Naruto and I returned earlier
this... well, yesterday evening now."

        Sakura winced again.  "Naruto didn't do anything... rash, did
he?"

        "Not too rash," Jiraiya said.  "Before I call everyone in and
tell them you're okay, though..."  He trailed off, then tapped the
heavily bandaged arm that lay numb and useless at Sakura's side.  Sakura
glanced at it, and winced again.  "What rash thing did you do, Sakura-
chan?"

        "I..." Sakura hesitated.  "I needed something to penetrate his
defense," she said.

        "And?" Jiraiya prompted.

        "You're familiar with Shishou's strength enhancement technique?"

        Jiraiya nodded.  "Use precise chakra control to flood your limb
with chakra and bolster your strength at the moment of impact," he said,
"without undo strain on the muscles."  He stressed the last words.

        "I... haven't quite mastered that part," Sakura said weakly.

        Jiraiya snorted.  "That might explain the torn muscle and broken
bones, but it wasn't what burned your arm and damaged the chakra coils
in it."

        "Fire Dragon Fist Style," Sakura said after a moment.

        Jiraiya searched his memory.  "Anko-chan's taijutsu style,
right?" he asked.  Sakura nodded.  "I don't recall the details," Jiraiya
admitted.

        "It utilizes a secret fire element ninjutsu," Sakura said.  "To
take the natural flow of chakra in the lower arms, automatically aspect
it to fire element, and use it to generate an aura of flame."  She
paused before continuing.  "I combined the two."

        "That was stupid."  Jiraiya sighed.  That would explain the
pattern of damage, though.  Anko's technique wouldn't be designed to
handle the sudden, massive flow of chakra.  The aura of fire would
become a firestorm focused on the user's arm.  Unsafe amounts of fire-
natured chakra would be left pooling in the chakra coils of the arm.
There maybe were the basics of a technique there, with a lot of work,
but improvised and unpracticed...  "That was really stupid," he said,
"to try something like that on the fly."

        "I didn't see a lot of options," Sakura said, "and I was pretty
sure it would work."  She paused.  "I'd practiced with lower power a
little."

        "I'm surprised Tsunade let you."

        "She... err... didn't," Sakura said weakly.  "When I explained
the idea to her she said it was too dangerous."

        Jiraiya sighed, but he didn't bother to ask the kunoichi why
she'd disobeyed.  He didn't know the pink-haired girl particularly well,
but he knew enough to guess at the reason.  Naruto had the Rasengan, and
Sasuke had Kakashi's Raikiri.  It probably wouldn't do any more good for
him to tell her to stop working on it than it had Tsunade.  "I suppose
you have a name for this... technique?" he asked.

        "Not really," Sakura said.  "Everything I thought of just
sounded stupid.  I figured maybe I'd come up with something once I
completed the technique."

        There was a light tapping on the door, and Jiraiya glanced at
it.  "I guess you can come in, Sarutobi-san," he said sourly.

        His teacher's son slipped inside, shutting the door quietly
behind him.  "Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Asuma asked.

        Sakura just glanced at Jiraiya.  "I think you'll be fine,"
Jiraiya said carefully, "eventually.  I'm doing what I can.  Once
Shizune-chan gets here, she can take a look at that arm."

        "Shizune-sama is coming here?" Sakura asked.

        "I've sent a message asking Tsunade for her," Jiraiya answered.
"I expect she'll be on her way as soon as possible."  He paused.  "What
do you want, Sarutobi-san?"

        "I need to make my report to my commander," the jounin said.

        Jiraiya could feel the sheer force of the girl's embarrassment
without even having to look at her.  "Is this really necessary right
now?" he asked Asuma, letting a little more of his irritation at the
other man into his voice.

        "I think it is," Asuma said.

        Jiraiya heard Sakura take a deep breath, and he glanced at her.
"All right," she said.  "Report."

        "Two of our teams passed the second exam," he said.  "Suzume
Namida's team and Yuuhi Kurenai's."  Jiraiya deliberately let out an
annoyed grunt, but Asuma didn't respond, continuing his pointless
report.  "Namiashi Honzo from Uzuki Yuugao's team was injured in the
second exam.  Uzuki-san requested to be released from her mission here
to return home with her team.  Yuuhi-san was willing to replace her, so
I took the liberty of allowing it."

        Jiraiya could tell that the jounin was hiding something there,
but he doubted Sakura could and honestly he didn't care what it was.
"What's the point of this?" Jiraiya snapped.  He was tired and he did
not have time for Asuma to get around to whatever he was actually trying
to do.  "If all you're going to do is play act at being her subordinate,
Sarutobi, we all have better things to be doing."

        Sakura raised her good hand to her forehead.  "This is about why
you sent a shadow replication with me, isn't it, Asuma-sensei?"

        The jounin hesitated, then answered.  "Ah, damn it.  Yes, it is.
I'm sorry, Sakura-chan.  I took a stupid risk and messed up, and you
paid for it."

        Sakura shook her head.  "There wasn't any reason to expect any
trouble your replication couldn't handle."  Jiraiya decided not to
comment that she was being too kind.  At least Asuma did seem to realize
just how badly he'd failed.  Given that, there was no need to pile on
the guilt.

        "Yes there was," Asuma replied.  "We knew someone had tried
before to set up a fatal confrontation between you and Gaara.  I'm not
convinced this wasn't a second attempt.  That would explain why it took
the Sand so long to intervene."

        "I'm sure whatever you were up to was important," Sakura said.
Asuma opened his mouth, but the girl stopped him with a weak gesture of
her good arm.  "I'm also sure I shouldn't know what it was," she said.

        "You're probably right," Asuma agreed after a second's
hesitation.

        The door to Sakura's bedroom swung open widely, banging loudly
against the wall.  "Is Sakura-chan awake?" Naruto asked.

        The girl averted her eyes.  "Yes, Naruto," she said.

        Jiraiya hid his smirk by scratching his chin.  "Maybe you should
have put some pants on first, brat," he offered.  He'd certainly found
that showing up in a young girl's sleeping chambers in your boxers,
while efficient, was not always appreciated.

        Naruto glanced downward, then scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry, Sakura-chan," he said.  "I just heard talking and wanted to make
sure you were okay."

        "I thought you went to bed," Asuma stated.

        The boy shrugged.  "Couldn't sleep."

        Jiraiya could hear people stirring about the guest house.  "And
now no one can with the racket you're making."

        "Sorry," the boy muttered, stepping inside and shutting the door
behind him.  He looked at Sakura.  "You're going to be okay, right?" he
asked.

        Sakura glanced at Jiraiya.  "I guess it looks that way?"

        "You'll probably be stuck in this bed until Shizune gets here to
finish the job," Jiraiya said, standing, "but it doesn't look like you
did any serious damage."  He looked between his student and his
teammate.  "I think I'll let you two talk a bit," he said, "and get
myself some food.  Then I'll have to put you under again while I do some
work on your arm, now that I know what you did to it."

        Sakura nodded.  "Okay."

        Jiraiya turned to leave.  As he passed Naruto, he reached out
and ruffled the boy's hair, ignoring his futile effort to dodge.  "Once
you're done talking, you should get some sleep, boy.  When I'm done
working on her, we'll start training again."  He glanced at Asuma.
"Come with me, Sarutobi," he ordered.  "I think we need to have a talk
while I eat."

        "Yes, sir."

***********************************************************************


        Hinata found herself idly wondering if anyone in the Hyuuga Clan
had considered asking an Akimichi or two to serve as training dummies
for children learning the Gentle Fist.  Even with the Byakugan, tenketsu
were small and hard to target in the heat of combat.  With Chouji
swollen to almost three times his natural size, though, Hinata almost
felt like she could see his tenketsu with her eyes relaxed.

        The kunoichi forced herself to rein in her wandering thoughts as
Kurenai said, "Begin."  A spar wasn't real combat, but not paying
attention during one was still a good way to get hurt.

        One of Chouji's arms grew further, until his hand was larger
than Hinata.  It came at her quickly, but she danced out of the way, her
own hands darting out to touch the tenketsu on the back of the boys hand
before it shrunk.  She frowned to herself, realizing that they were only
partially closed.  It must take more chakra to affect them when they
were so huge, she decided.

        Even as the first shrank back, Chouji's other arm rocketed
toward her.  This time, Hinata jumped backward, her hands forming seals
in midair.  "Katon: Fireball Technique!" she announced, breathing out a
ball of fire that grew to be twice the size of her head.  She put enough
chakra in the attack to singe, but not enough to hurt even if he took
the full force.  That was a lesson Kurenai had forced into her team
before she'd let them use any elemental ninjutsu in spars.

        Chouji sunk into the ground before the attack reached him.
Hinata landed and immediately jumped into the air a second time.  She
refocused all her perception on the ground of the training area, until
she spotted her opponent moving through the sandy earth, back to his
normal size.  Could he not maintain the Multi-Size Technique while
underground?

        Hinata landed on top of one of the boulders scattered about the
training ground, next to Kurenai.  The jounin smiled at her, then
vanished in a swirl of wind to reappear on a more distant boulder.
Hinata kept her attention on Chouji, but for the moment he seemed
content to stay underground, slowly spiraling in on her new position.
How was he tracking her?  Vibrations through the earth?

        She was going to need to force him back to the surface.  She
knew Naruto could do the same thing, and probably would when they fought
in the finals.  Something quivered inside her at the thought, but she
ruthlessly forced it back.  Even if her opponent was him, Naruto would
want her to do her best and never give up.  Maybe that would even be
enough for her to pass, and her father couldn't complain, not when even
Neji had also -

        Hinata snarled at herself, jumping to another boulder seconds
before Chouji used the Fire Blossom Technique Kurenai had taught him to
strike where she'd been perched with a jet of flame.  Hadn't she just
been reminding herself to keep her attention on the fight?

        The Hyuuga heiress took a moment to search her pack for the
right equipment and grab a soldier pill.  Kurenai would scold her for
using one in a spar, but she still needed it for this technique.  As she
jumped again, ahead of Chouji's next attack, she formed seals, summoning
a shadow replication beneath her.  She kicked off of her clone to change
direction, sending it down to the ground while she headed for another
boulder.

        They both landed, and she took a breath of relief when Chouji
took the bait, heading for her shadow replication.  It was all out of
her hands, now.  When Chouji drew nearer the surface to use the Fire
Blossom Technique, Hinata's replication detonated the dud explosive tags
she was carrying, and dismissed itself.  Chouji stopped, doubtless
wondering what the loud noise had been.

        An instant later, Kurenai landed where the clone had stood,
kneeling down and tapping the ground with one finger.  "Come on out,
Chouji-kun," she ordered, and the boy obeyed.  At a gesture from her
teacher, Hinata joined them in the center of the training ground.
Before relaxing her eyes, she spared a bit of attention for the guest
house where the remaining Leaf ninja were staying.  Naruto was in
Sakura's room again, talking with the other girl.  Hinata wondered
whether she could learn to read lips through walls.

        "Shadow replication?" Chouji asked.  When Hinata nodded, he
continued.  "You must have made it in midair."  She just nodded again.

        "That was clever," Kurenai said, "but you need to stop using
those soldier pills when you don't really need them."  Hinata smiled
faintly.  After two years, her teacher really was predictable sometimes.

        Chouji grunted in agreement.  "There's always a price," he said.

        Hinata knew she'd be feeling it in a couple hours, but it wasn't
like she had anything better to do than rest then.  Sharing a single
training ground with another team and your first round opponent meant a
lot of downtime.  "I didn't have anything else to hit you underground,"
she said in explanation.

        "I'm thinking about that," Kurenai told her.  "The best ways are
all earth element, though."  Hinata wasn't very good with that element,
even compared to her limited talent with fire manipulation.

        "Do you know whether we've heard from the village about whether
our families will be able to send someone to help us train?" Chouji
asked.  "Not that you and Asuma-sensei aren't excellent teachers,
but..." He trailed off.

        "Nothing yet," Kurenai said.  "But if they don't I'll work with
both of you the whole month, since Asuma's usually busy," she promised.
"You're on opposite sides of the bracket, so it isn't much of a conflict
of interest."

        The boy nodded.  "Thank you."

        "We've got to give up the training ground now," Kurenai
continued, "so Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-kun can use it.  Get some rest
and some food, and then we'll meet up and I'll tell you what I've spied
out about the other teams."  She smiled slyly.  "And if you want to do
some of your own spying and take a few looks back here while you eat,
Hinata-chan, I won't tell."

        Hinata's cheeks warmed.  "I w-wouldn't," she began.

        "You should," Chouji rumbled.  "If the Rock weren't... well, the
Rock, I'd be spying on this Mako girl I'm fighting first all I could."

        "Information-gathering is part of being a ninja," Kurenai
reminded her student.

        Hinata just shrugged, and the three of them headed back into the
house.  The other team was lounging in the kitchen over the remnants of
their lunch, discussing strategy.

        "If you can close quickly with that fan user, Ami-chan," Inuzuka
Shinta was saying, but he trailed off as Hinata, Chouji, and Kurenai
came inside.

        Seated beside him, Uzuki Ami grunted.  "I know that," she said
irritably.  "You don't need to tell me the obvious fifteen times."

        Her female teammate, Mitokado Fuki, muttered under her breath,
"Except for when he does."

        "I heard that," Ami complained.

        Hinata tried to remember who the three were fighting while
everyone exchanged pleasantries.  Fuki and Ami were both going up
against Sand ninja, she thought.  She remembered Shinta was fighting the
kunoichi from Waterfall who wasn't Fuu.  Maya, that was her name.

        "Hinata-chan?" Kurenai asked.  "Could you go tell Naruto-kun and
Jiraiya-sama that we're done with the training ground?"

        Hinata nodded, and started heading for the stairs.  Chouji
followed her.  She glanced at him, and he shrugged.  "I want to see how
Sakura is doing," he said, a slight hint of worry in his voice.  The
pink-haired girl was still bedridden and spent most of the time asleep,
even half a week after her injury.  Jiraiya had reassured everyone that
she wasn't in any real danger, but it was still a little concerning.

        Then again, if she'd really fought Gaara, she'd gotten off easy,
Hinata thought.  She remembered him from her first Chuunin Exams, and it
wasn't a pleasant memory.  He might have been like Naruto in one way,
but in others he was nothing like him.  Behind her and Chouji, someone
stood.

        "Ami-chan," Shinta said warningly.  Hinata glanced back at the
purple-haired girl

        "I'm not going to challenge her to a fight," Ami said sourly to
her teammate.  "You two don't mind if I tag along, do you?"  Hinata did,
actually - even if she hadn't caught the bulk of it, she remembered
Ami's bullying in the academy well enough - but she wasn't rude enough
to say so.

        "Why do you want to come?" Chouji asked suspiciously, apparently
less concerned with politeness.

        "That idiot Naruto won't let me in when I come by myself," Ami
replied.  Hinata almost reflexively protested, but decided it wasn't
worth it.  "And I want to remind forehead girl that she has to get
better so she can see me kick ass in the finals."

        Chouji snorted in amusement, and Hinata glanced at him.  "It's
nothing," he said.  Ami looked puzzled for a moment, then turned bright
red.  Hinata frowned, and Chouji made the sign for "later" with one hand
where the other girl couldn't see.  "You might as well come up, then,"
he stated.  "But if you do something stupid..."

        "I won't," Ami promised, and the three of them headed up the
stairs.

        They met Jiraiya in the upstairs hallway.  "Done with the
training ground?" he asked.  Hinata nodded.  "Let's go get the brat
then."  He turned around and headed for Sakura's bedroom, throwing the
door open.  Everyone else followed him inside.

        Naruto was sitting in a chair by Sakura's bed, but he stood up
as they entered.  "Time for training?" he asked Jiraiya after nodding to
Hinata and Chouji.  He ignored Ami, and Hinata guessed that he must
remember her from the academy also, though it wasn't like him to hold a
grudge.

        "Hello, everyone," Sakura said, waving weakly with her good arm.
Hinata quietly activated her eyes, studying her injured arm.  Chakra was
still not flowing normally through it.

        "Are you doing okay?" Chouji asked her, stepping forward.  Ami
followed him, but Hinata stayed by the door.

        Jiraiya glanced at her.  "Do you see something?" he asked
quietly as Sakura answered Chouji.

        Hinata shrugged and relaxed her eyes.  "I'm not a medical
ninja," she said.

        Naruto came over to them.  "Are you training hard, Hinata-chan?"
he asked.

        "Y-yes," she stammered out.

        Naruto grinned widely.  "I'm looking forward to seeing what you
can do," he said.  Then he glanced backward,  "I'll talk to you more
later, Sakura-chan!" he said with a wave, interrupting her conversation
with Chouji.  Then he slipped past Hinata and Jiraiya.

        The Sannin chuckled.  "I guess I'd better go with him," he said.
"Sakura-chan, if you can I want you to try pushing chakra through your
arm a few times before you take your afternoon nap.  Stop when it starts
to hurt."

        "Yes, sir," the pink-haired girl said, and Jiraiya left.

        "We should probably go get lunch," Chouji said.

        Ami, who had stayed quiet, suddenly spoke.  "You really fought
that kid with all the sand, from the exams before the invasion?"

        Sakura glanced at her.  "Yes."

        Ami's face took on an expression that Hinata was sure even Neji
wouldn't have claimed to be able to interpret, and she was silent for a
moment.  "Get better soon, forehead girl," she finally said, and then
turned for the exit.  Sakura frowned, but she didn't say anything, and
after a minute more Hinata and Chouji left her to rest.

***********************************************************************

[Week Seven]

        Over the past week, life in the Leaf ninja's guest house had
settled into something approximating a routine.  The cycle of the day
was, so far as Sakura could tell from her relatively constrained
perspective, built around the schedule Jiraiya, Kurenai, and Namida -
the jounin of Ami and Fuki's team - had worked out for the training
ground behind the house.  Sakura understood that Asuma, who had taken
over her duties interfacing with the Sand, had turned down their hosts'
offer of the use of other training grounds.  Sakura thought he might be
overly paranoid, but better safe than sorry.

        The sand priests had left yesterday, escorted back to their
tribe by a Sand team Jiraiya had hired.  Both of them had largely
avoided Sakura, although Hiroto had actually stopped by to thank her for
saving him and apologize for provoking Gaara.  He hadn't used those
words, of course, but the attempt had been clear enough even if the
young boy wasn't quite capable of admitting it out loud.

        "If you're feeling up to it," Jiraiya said, finishing his daily
examination of her, "it might be a good idea for you to get a little
exercise."

        Sakura couldn't stop her grin at that.  "I'm sick of this stupid
room anyway," she said, "and I've already read all the books Naruto
bought for me twice."

        Jiraiya chuckled.  "I could use someone to go over the latest
draft of my next book if you're bored," he offered.  "Ice-Cold Icha
Icha."

        The pink-haired girl flushed.  "No, thank you," she murmured.

        "Come on," the legendary ninja pleaded.  "It's got a new set of
characters, so you don't need to have read the earlier books!  And my
editor is after me to appeal to the female demographic!"

        Sakura blinked.  "You're kidding."

        "I wish," Jiraiya said sourly.  "Apparently that 'For Girls'
spinoff I let them hire some hack to do a few years back finally came
out in Earth Country and sold really well there.  Now they want me to
bring those readers into the main series.  Somehow."  He sighed.  "I
asked Tsunade-hime for advice and she just sent me back a voucher good
for one full-strength punch the next time I was back in the Leaf
Village."

        Sakura laughed, then winced as that caused her still-healing
injury to her side to ache.  "Ow," she said.  "Stop being funny,
Jiraiya-sama."

        He smiled.  "Here," he said, "let me help you up," he said, and
for the next several minutes he helped Sakura walk around the upstairs,
before bringing her back to her room and settling her into a comfortable
armchair.  "Sitting up for a while will be good for you, too."

        "Probably," Sakura agreed.  "Could you fetch me that history of
the Sand's founding over by the bed?"

        Jiraiya wandered over and found the hardcover book, frowning as
he flipped through it.  "This looks like a propagandistic piece of
trash," he said.

        "I know," Sakura said.  "But it's entertainingly written trash."

        Jiraiya tossed the book at her, and she caught it with her good
hand.  Then the door opened, and Naruto came inside.  "It's our turn for
the training ground, Ero-sennin," he said.  He glanced toward the bed,
then found Sakura seated in the chair.  "You're moving around, Sakura-
chan?  That's great!"

        "A little," Sakura said.  She grimaced.  "Not enough."

        Jiraiya frowned.  "I wish Shizune would get here.  I'm sure she
could have you up and moving in no time at all, and I was actually
hoping to have some training time with you too this month."

        "Huh?" Naruto asked.

        Sakura blinked.  "With me?"

        Jiraiya sighed.  "It isn't like you really need more of my
training for these exams, Naruto," he explained.  "We're just doing
mostly the same things we'd be doing anyway."  He frowned, his eyes
suddenly distant.  "I don't really care what happens in the finals in a
few weeks.  I'm concerned with what happens in a year and a half or so."

        Sakura paled.  "Oh," she said.  It was so easy, to... well not
to forget, but to get used to the ultimate goal that hung over them, the
reason for all her struggles.  Weeks would go by without her giving it a
single active thought.

        "Sasuke," Naruto breathed, apparently just as struck by the
reminder.

        "And it would help if we had a chance to train together some
before we try again, wouldn't it?" Sakura asked.  Damn it, she had
picked an awful time to get injured, hadn't she?

        Naruto smiled weakly.  "Don't worry, Sakura-chan.  It worked out
pretty well last time, didn't it?" he said.  "We just need to work on
the part where that bastard Kabuto shows up."

        Sakura forced herself to smile back at him.  "I could do without
the part where we get caught in a genjutsu and Ino and Anko-sensei have
to rescue us, too."  She couldn't stop from shuddering as she remembered
the nightmare Sasuke had plunged her into.  She'd never bothered to ask
Naruto what he had seen; she didn't want to share her experience and
didn't imagine he felt any differently.

        Jiraiya snorted.  "Don't worry about it.  By the time Tsunade-
hime and I are done with you two, that little Uchiha won't know what hit
him."  He put one hand on Naruto's shoulder.  "Let's get going, brat."

        Sakura frowned as a thought occurred to her.  "Wait," she said.
"Is it safe for me to use a ninjutsu?"

        Jiraiya frowned.  "So long as it isn't fire... ah, I see.  Yes,
that should be fine."

        "Huh?" Naruto said.

        "Just a moment," Sakura said, clumsily forcing her hands through
seals.  "Shadow Replication Technique," she said.

        And then Sakura's clone was standing in front of the real her.
A brief shudder ran through her at the sudden sense of vertigo.  She
hated this moment, when she realized she was just a copy.  The real
Sakura smiled up at her.  "Have fun," she said, a trace of irrational
jealousy that she couldn't hide from herself in her voice.

        "You've got it," the clone replied, stretching what would have
been her bad arm.  The real Sakura hadn't been certain whether the
injury would be replicated on the clone, but fortunately she didn't feel
any weakness.

        "I wish you'd mentioned you knew that technique earlier,"
Jiraiya groaned.  He grinned.  "You should probably change, though."

        Sakura's clone glanced down at her nightgown.  "Probably," she
agreed, forming a seal.  "Transform!"  There was a puff of smoke, and
she was wearing one of her normal training outfits, and red shirt and
black shorts, complete with practice weapons hidden about her person,
just as real as she was.  Tsunade had once tried to explain to her the
theory behind how the Transformation Technique and the Shadow
Replication Technique interacted.  That had been one of the few times in
her life that Sakura had felt too stupid to understand something.

        Jiraiya was staring at something, and both Sakura followed his
eyes to the dark snake tattoo winding around the clone's arm.  The clone
reflexively covered it with her other hand.  "Sorry," the Sannin said.
"That mark just brings back... bad memories."

        Naruto let out a short laugh.  "I think it looks cool," he said.
"Not really your thing, Sakura-chan, but still cool."

        Jiraiya smiled, whatever demons that haunted him apparently
vanished.  "I'm surprised Anko-chan didn't suffer any permanent injury
when Tsunade-hime found out about that, though," he said.

        Sakura's clone shrugged, and the real one answered.  "I don't
know," Sakura said.  "Tsunade-shishou's never really complained about it
to me.  I'm actually sort of glad, though."  The real Sakura shuddered
theatrically.  "Slugs?" she stage-whispered.  "Don't tell Shishou, but
they're kind of gross."

        Naruto laughed again, and Jiraiya grinned.  "They're nicer than
the snakes, though," the old ninja offered.

        Sakura's clone glanced at the real her to see if she'd had the
same reaction.  Stupid, since there was only a minute or so's difference
between them.  "Don't insult my summons," the real Sakura said.
"They're all perfectly nice."

        "Really?" Jiraiya asked curiously.  "Even back... before, the
ones I met were kind of unpleasant.  And Anko-chan's complained often
enough."

        The real Sakura let the clone respond to that.  "I think that's
because I might be the first snake summoner to know the words 'please'
and 'thank you,'" she said.

        Jiraiya stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.  "I
almost wish you had the chakra to summon Manda, girl," he said.  "Just
to see that old snake's reaction to that."  He shook his head.  "Come
on, you two," he said, gesturing at Naruto and Sakura's clone.  "We're
wasting time."

        A few minutes later, the three of them were out on the training
ground.  "So what's Tsunade been teaching you, Sakura-chan, that left
her too busy to pound the sense to not pick a fight with someone like
Gaara into you?"

        "Umm... lots?" Sakura's clone - now that they were separated it
was probably simpler for her to think of herself as just Sakura -
answered.  "Battle tactics, strength enhancement, a lot of work building
up my chakra reserves and stamina."  She paused.  "Shizune-sama works
with me on first aid and basic medical techniques.  Anko-sensei teaches
me fire element ninjutsu, and I've been working with Shimura-sensei on
genjutsu."

        Jiraiya blinked.  "Shimura-sensei?  You don't mean Shimura
Danzo, do you?"

        Sakura nodded.  "That's him."

        "Who's he?" Naruto asked curiously.

        "An old bastard."  Jiraiya snorted.  "He and that crone Chiyo
would make quite a pair."  He shook his head.  "I don't know what is
more surprising, that he came out of retirement or that Tsunade let him
get his claws into her apprentice."

        "His claws?" Sakura asked, a little irritated.  "Don't be so
rude."

        Jiraiya sighed.  "I guess if Tsunade is trusting him, I'll just
have to trust her judgment.  Maybe he's turned over a new leaf in
retirement."  He let out a grunt.  "Maybe Shizune-chan's pet will learn
to fly, too."

        "So what are we going to do?" Naruto asked.

        "Hmm."  Jiraiya rubbed as his chin.  "Normally I'd start you two
off with a spar, but Sakura-chan might get a little annoyed if she has
to keep making new replications."

        Sakura smiled at that.  "Probably.  I... she can only make a few
before we run out of chakra, too."

        "How many are you up to?" Jiraiya asked.

        "Only three replications at once," Sakura said, "and one is
really the maximum if I want to be using any other techniques."

        "Only three?" Jiraiya asked, stressing the first word.  "I think
your scale is a little off thanks to this freak of nature over here."
He waved a hand at Naruto, who made a not particularly sincere-seeming
pout.  "Three shadow replications is really impressive for a chuunin."

        Sakura smiled at the praise, but then her face darkened.
"Really impressive for a chuunin isn't going to be good enough, though.
Is it, Jiraiya-sama?"

        "Don't worry, Sakura-chan," Naruto said.  "We'll get him back."
He stated the words as though they were a simple, inevitable fact.

        Sakura almost believed that he could make it so through sheer
force of will, sometimes, but that wasn't good enough.  It had been her
promise to Naruto, and to herself, after Sasuke had... left.  Next time,
they'd do it together.  She wasn't ever going to be left behind or a
burden again.

        Jiraiya glanced between the two of them, then about the training
ground.  "I guess this is big enough, if Naruto can keep things under
control," he said, half to himself.

        "Big enough for what?" Naruto asked.

        Jiraiya smiled widely.  "You two are going to learn what can
happen a wind element user and a fire element user cooperate," he said.

        Sakura thought back to her lessons on elemental ninjutsu, and
then she smiled as well.  This should be interesting.

***********************************************************************


        Matsuri of the Bleeding Crow sent her weapon flying away to the
left of the three targets set up a half-dozen paces ahead of her.  The
hooks of the metal dart passed inches from the closest target,
tantalizing close to a hit.  She imagined a taunting smirk on her
opponent's face at the near miss.

        She smiled herself as her hand gently twitched, channeling
chakra through the long handle.  At the far end of the metal-braided
rope, the pronged dart changed direction, swinging around with a sudden
burst of speed to strike the rightmost target from behind.  Instants
before the moment of impact, her free hand formed a seal.  "Raiton:
Shocking Strike," she whispered, a pulse of lightning-natured chakra
speeding down the rope.  When her weapon struck, electricity arced
around the target, knocking it from its perch.

        Her smile widening, Matsuri twitched her hand again, recalling
her weapon.  Fresh out of the academy, she had chosen the jouhyou to
specialize in due to its suitability for non-lethal restraint.  A three-
month tour of duty in Rain Country had changed her mind about the
reasons, but not her appreciation of the unusual weapon.

        Her father clapped twice behind her.  "Very good, Matsuri-chan,"
he said.

        The girl was proud that she didn't flush at the praise, but she
did take a moment to smile a bit more widely before smoothing her
expression and turning to face her father.  "Thank you," she said
calmly.

        "You've come so far in the past year," her father continued.
"I'm proud of you, no matter what happens in two weeks."

        Matsuri just bowed quietly.  Out of the corner of her eye, she
spotted her mother leaning out the back window of their house a moment
before the woman spoke.  "You're supposed to save that for the end of
the month, Satetsu," she said.  "Now she's just going to slack off when
I'm training her tomorrow."

        "I won't!" Matsuri protested, but she was drowned out by her
father's deep laugh.

        "Don't be cruel to her, Kanon," Satetsu said lightly.  "She's
been working hard.  That Leaf girl won't be any match for her."  Matsuri
wished she were so confident.  Mitokado Fuki hadn't fought in the
preliminaries, and they hadn't met in the second exam.  She had no idea
what her abilities were, and direct spying was out of the question for
political reasons.

        Matsuri's mother smirked.  "I know," she said.  "By the way,
you're going to be late for that joint training you arranged with
Kurotsuchi-san."

        Satetsu glanced up at the sun, and his mouth twitched.  "You're
right," he said.

        "I always am."

        Satetsu shook his head with another laugh, then turned to
Matsuri.  "Come along," he ordered, jumping on top of the rear fence of
their backyard, and Matsuri followed him over the fence and through the
streets of her home village.  She frowned slightly.  Hopefully the Rock
team wouldn't have a grudge over the outcome of the preliminary round.

        Only a few minutes before they would have indeed been late, they
arrived at the training ground near the academy.  Matsuri was familiar
with it, as the academy classes used it quite often.  It was split in
two by a shallow, if steep and wide, fissure.  Most of the time, a trio
wooden boards crossed it, although Matsuri noted that today one was
missing.  Likely it had broken during the Rock ninja's earlier training.

        The jounin, Kurotsuchi, was the only one of the Rock apparent
when Matsuri and her father arrived.  She stood to one side of the
training ground, intent on a stopwatch held in one hand.  She didn't
turn to meet the two Sand, instead just giving a wave with her other
hand.  "Howdy, Satetsu," she said easily.

        Matsuri stiffened, but tried not to show her burst of anger any
other way.  Her father was a member of the Sand's Council of Elders, the
leading candidate to become the next Kazekage.  He deserved respect.

        "Kurotsuchi," her father said just as informally.  Then his face
hardened.  "I apologize again for the unpleasantness with Gaara-kun last
week."

        "No apology needed," the Rock woman replied.  "It was fun, and I
got to see Haruno-san in action.  Tell him we should do it again
sometime."  Matsuri blinked.  She wasn't... terrified of Gaara, at least
not after her time in Rain, but that was a level of casualness she
couldn't even begin to comprehend.

        "All right," Satetsu said.  He glanced at the ground.  "You
trying to kill your team?"

        The jounin shrugged, hitting the button on her stopwatch and
kicking at the ground.  "You three can come on out now."

        The Rock genin melted out of the ground.  The kunoichi - Akiyama
Mako, Matsuri reminded herself - almost instantly collapsed, lying down
on her back.  "Man, it's hard staying under that long, Kurotsuchi-
sensei."

        The jounin shrugged.  "Builds character, Mako-chan," she said.

        One of the boys - the one Matsuri had knocked out of the
preliminary round, Gonkuro - helped his teammate stand.  Matsuri glanced
at the bandages still wrapped on his shoulder.  "I hope you are healing
well, Gonkuro-san," she offered.

        The other boy - Yamakita Akira - slapped him on the back, right
next to the injured shoulder.  Matsuri wasn't able to completely hide
her sympathetic wince.  "He's fine," Akira said.  "Aren't you?"

        Gonkuro rolled his eyes.  "I am well, Matsuri-san.  Thank you
for your concern."  He bowed slightly.

        Matsuri returned the gesture, and Akira laughed.  "You two make
a cute pair," he said.  Mako just giggled.

        Matsuri could feel her cheeks heat.  "Don't be stupid," Gonkuro
told his teammate, shaking his hand from his shoulder.

        "Hey," Akira said.  "Who you calling stupid?  At least I made it
to the final round!"  Gonkuro just grunted, rolling his eyes again.

        Matsuri glanced at her father, not sure what to make of the
display, to find him deep in whispered conversation with Kurotsuchi.
The two adults noticed her attention, and looked up at the genin.  "I
suppose we should get them started," Satetsu said.

        "I suppose," Kurotsuchi said.  She waved one hand.  "Have fun;
knock yourselves out," she declared.  "Don't do anything permanent, and
if you hit me I'll hit you back."  Matsuri's father snorted, but he let
himself be drawn back into his conversation with her.

        Matsuri just stared at the three Rock genin for a moment.  Mako
giggled again.  "Kurotsuchi-sensei is always like that," she said.

        "Hey," Akira said, as though something had just occurred to him.
"Do you know anything about this Yahiko of the White Stone I'm supposed
to fight?"  Both Rock in the finals were on the opposite side of the
bracket from Matsuri.

        She shrugged.  "Not a lot," she said.  "We were in different
classes."

        "Oh, okay," Akira said.  "You want to spar or something?"

        "Idiot," Gonkuro said.  "That's what she's here for."

***********************************************************************


        "The Leaf are still isolating themselves," Temari reported.
"Otokaze-sama offered again to send them a trusted medic to look at
Sakura-san, and Sarutobi-san refused again."  She tapped her fingers on
her teacher's desk.  "Sorry, Baki-sensei, but it is making it really
hard to do my job."

        "Sakura-san is recovering well," Gaara interjected from where he
stood, leaning on the wall next to door to Baki's office.  "They expect
she will be fully recovered once the medic the Hokage is sending
arrives.  Naruto-kun has been training with Jiraiya-sama for the exam
finals."

        Perched on a stool next to Temari, Kankuro looked back at his
younger brother.  "How'd you find that out?"

        "I talked with Naruto-kun," Gaara stated simply.

        Temari sighed.  "You're making me look bad, Gaara," she
complained.  Then she shrugged.  "I'd probably be able to get something
out of Sakura-san if I could talk to her, but she isn't going anywhere
for the obvious reasons."

        "She has started using shadow replications to train with Naruto-
kun," Gaara commented.

        "Oh."  That was that weird solid clone technique Naruto used,
wasn't it?  They could operate that independently?  That was kind of
creepy.

        Kankuro chuckled.  "Too bad that lazy kid isn't here," he said.
"I'm sure you could get plenty out of him."

        Temari stared at him.  "Don't be stupid."

        Baki leaned forward, folding his hands in front of his face.
"That's enough of that," he said firmly.  "What about the Rock,
Kankuro?"

        The puppet user sighed, giving Temari a look that she knew meant
further teasing later.  Seriously, where had he gotten the idea that she
and that annoying Shikamaru kid were in any sort of relationship?  Did
he think she secretly had some sort of messenger weasel summon ferrying
love letters back and forth?

        "Nothing new on that front," Kankuro began his report.
"Kurotsuchi-san is training the two on her team in the finals hard.
They had a joint training session with Satetsu's kid a couple days ago.
That's about the most interesting thing they've been up to.
Fortunately, she doesn't seem to care one way or another what happens to
Gaara."

        The younger boy didn't say anything, so Temari asked for him.
"Has Chiyo-sama budged at all, Baki-sensei?"

        "No," Baki said sourly.  "She's a stubborn old bitch, and we
have to humor her on this because she is our best sealing expert."

        "I will not allow the extraction," Gaara said, "on her whim
alone."

        Kankuro grunted.  "We weren't about to let her get close enough
to try," he said.

        "It's not something we need to worry about," Baki said, "at
least so long as there aren't any more... incidents.  Otokaze and
Satetsu are both against it, neither the Rock or the Leaf are pushing,
and Chiyo can't even get her own brother to commit to supporting her on
an extraction."

        Temari grimaced.  "Not because he's on our side, I'm sure."

        "I suspect that Ebizou's objection, and that of the rest of
Chiyo's faction, is that they want Gaara's power available in case the
war expands," Baki said.  "Even if Chiyo was willing to perform another
sealing, it would be a decade before the new container was usable."

        Temari frowned.  "That's a person you're talking about, not a
weapon," she complained.  "Well, a hypothetical person."

        Baki sighed.  "You know I don't feel that way, Temari, but they
do."

        There was silence.  "We need a Kazekage," Gaara said after a
while.

        "That would help," Baki said, "but the council is still
deadlocked."

        Temari grunted.  "After all this mess, I wouldn't want any of
those three to take the job."

        "I was feeling like that half a year ago," Kankuro said with a
snort.

        "Who else?" Gaara asked simply.

        Temari glanced at her other brother, then the two of them turned
to look at Baki.  "No," their teacher replied.  "I'm not interested or
qualified."

        "If you say so," Kankuro said.  Before anyone else could say
anything, the whole building shook.  "An explosion?" Kankuro asked.

        Temari almost leaped from her stool, racing over to the window
opposite the door, beside Baki's desk.  A pillar of smoke rose over the
Sand Village, only a few blocks away from the council building, and
Temari tried to figure out the source.

        Baki cursed.  "That's Satetsu's house!"

        "I'm going," Gaara said.  Temari glanced back just in time to
see the swirl of sand dissipating.  There was a gust of wind, and Baki
was gone also.  It was disgusting how much chakra those two had.

        "Come on," she snapped at her other brother, jumping out of the
window.  She landed in a crouch on the street and broke into a run, not
bothering to see if Kankuro followed.

        She reached the pile of rubble that had been Satetsu's home only
a minute later, in time to catch the tail end of the fight.  Gaara stood
with his arms crossed in the middle of the street, sending sand crashing
down from all directions at a cloaked figure.

        There was a loud band, and the sand scattered, freeing the man,
who jumped up onto a nearby rooftop.  Temari wasn't able to stop from
gasping.  "Otokaze-sama?" she asked in disbelief.  She wasn't sure he'd
be a good Kazekage, but she couldn't imagine him stooping to this.  She
readied her fan.

        Before she could strike, her teacher appeared behind the other
man.  "Blade of Wind," he intoned.  His hand chopped at Otokaze's neck.

        Otokaze laughed.  "You're too late, Baki," he said, and then his
form wavered for an instant before vanishing completely.

        "Genjutsu," Baki snarled, jumping down to stand beside Gaara.
Temari walked up to them, followed a second later by Kankuro.

        "After he escaped my sand," Gaara said, then he turned his
attention to the smoldering ruin, sending sand pouring into it,
displacing piles of rubble.  A few moments later, he pulled out a still
form.

        Temari paled as she saw the broken remains of Satetsu.  This was
incredibly bad.  Baki knelt down as Gaara gently deposited the corpse on
the ground, reaching out to close the eyes.  "Ancestors watch over you,"
he whispered, then he stood.  "Are there any survivors trapped in there,
Gaara?" he asked loudly.

        More ninja were starting to gather, attracted by the commotion.

        "I am looking," Gaara said.  Sand continued to pour through the
rubble, snuffing out the small fires.

        There was a slight thud, and Temari looked back to see Yuura
landing behind her and Kankuro.  "What happened, Baki?" the young
council member asked.  Then he seemed to notice Satetsu.  "Ancestors,
no," he said, his voice sick.

        "I'm afraid so."  Baki frowned, but before he could say
anything, Gaara spoke.

        "There."  A hand of sand formed, lifting and pushing aside a
large section of roof.

        A woman stood, cradling a smaller form.  More sand wrapped
around her, picking the two up and bringing them out safely to the
street.

        "Kanon!" Yuura exclaimed.  "You're safe!"  The dark-haired woman
nodded.

        "Is Matsuri-chan," Baki began, looking at the girl in her arms.

        "I put her to sleep with a genjutsu," Kanon said softly.  "To
help hide from him."

        "I'm so sorry, Kanon," Yuura said.  "I... Otokaze had said some
things, but I didn't think... I'm sorry."  Temari swallowed.  He'd been
Otokaze's biggest supporter on the council, hadn't he?

        Kanon glanced down at her husband's body, visibly steeling
herself.  "I'm sure you would have stopped him if you'd known."

        Baki nodded firmly.  "Yuura," he said commandingly.  "Get to the
gates and seal them.  Send teams to all the secret entrances.  We don't
want Otokaze getting away."

        "Of course," Yuura said, and then he was gone.

        Kanon placed her daughter on the ground, then knelt beside her
husband, her eyes wet with unshed tears.  "Why?" she asked.

        "Damn," Kankuro said quietly.

        "I don't know," Baki said.  "It doesn't make any sense."

        Kanon stood, her eyes suddenly dry.  "I don't understand why
Yuura would be working to frame Otokaze."

        Temari blinked.  "Wait, what?"

        The woman gave her a look like this was the academy and Temari
was a slow student.  "Otokaze and Satetsu are..."  She paused for a
moment, and Temari winced in sympathy.  "They were close friends.  He
would never have done this.  Even if things had secretly gotten that
bad, he's far too smart to do something this counterproductive."  She
paused again.  "And he would never have tried to kill me or Matsuri.
Never."

        "I know," Baki rumbled.  "Damn it, what's Yuura up to?"

        "Umm... not to doubt your expertise," Kankuro said, "but those
sure looked like Otokaze's techniques."

        Kanon grimaced.  "That I can't explain," she said.  "But it
wasn't him."

        Baki nodded to himself.  "I think I know who.  Temari, Kankuro,
Gaara."

        "Sir?" Temari asked, standing up straighter.

        "One of you get to Otokaze's apartment.  Quickly, before anyone
else thinks to look there.  Chiyo is going to play stupid and push this
for all its worth, damn her.  Find him, get him hidden.  I don't care
where.  Then get me Jiraiya.  I don't care what Sarutobi-san says, get
him.  And someone get a protective detail on the Rock in case someone
decides to stir up more trouble."

        "Yes, sir," Kankuro said, breaking into a run.  "I'll hit the
Rock."

        "Otokaze," Gaara said, vanishing in a whirl of sand.

        Temari took a deep breath before racing off in the direction of
the Leaf's guest house.  When she took a look back, she saw Kanon
breaking down, Baki awkwardly placing a hand on her shoulder.  Temari's
face hardened, and she increased her speed.  She wanted some answers
herself.


***********************************************************************

[Week Eight]

        Sakura was woken from her morning nap by a loud knocking on the
door to her bedroom.  Yawning, she rubbed at her eyes with her good
hand, then said, "Come in!"

        The door opened and Shizune stepped inside.  "Hello, Sakura-
chan," she said calmly as Hinata followed her into the room.  "I hear
you got into a bit of trouble."

        "Shizune-sama!" Sakura exclaimed.  "I didn't know you were
coming today."  She nodded her head at Hinata.  "Hinata-san."  The
Hyuuga heiress nodded back.

        "I just arrived not ten minutes ago.  Sorry for taking so long,"
Shizune said.  "I was on a mission when Jiraiya-sama's message arrived,
and it took a while longer to arrange everything."  She walked up to
Sakura's bedside and pulled the covers aside.

        "Did Hokage-sama say whether... my father would be able to
come?" Hinata asked as Shizune started to examine Sakura.

        "With the situation as it is, he didn't feel that was wise,"
Shizune answered.  She probed Sakura's stomach, and the younger woman
barely flinched.  "Jiraiya-sama did a good job with this," Shizune said,
"but let's finish it up, shall we?"  Her hands glowed green for a
moment.

        Sakura shivered, then took a deep, pain free breath.  She had
almost forgotten what that felt like.  "Thank you, Shizune-sama," she
said.

        Shizune smiled and lightly hit the top of her head.  "I've told
you before, there's no need to call me that.  We're both Tsunade-sama's
students."

        Sakura flushed.  "Yes, Shizune-sempai," she said, and Shizune's
smile widened a moment before vanishing.

        "Now the arm," she said, lifting up Sakura's injured arm.
"Hinata-chan, if you don't mind."

        The other girl formed a seal.  "Byakugan!"  She paused.  "It...
it looks better than before, I think.  Maybe it is healing on its own?"
She fiddled with her hands.  "I'm not a medical ninja."

        "So long as you don't see any fire chakra still pooled in it,"
Shizune said.  "That would be bad."  Hinata shook her head, and Shizune
laid Sakura's bad arm back down on the bed.  She pointed at a spot on
Sakura's forearm.  "Is this where the damage is worst?"

        Hinata hesitated.  "I... think so?"

        Shizune nodded.  "This is going to hurt, Sakura-chan," she
stated.  Sakura steeled herself, then gave Shizune a slight nod.  The
older woman placed her hands on Sakura's arm.  They began to glow a
deep, bright green that hurt to look at.

        Then Sakura was biting back a scream, and her vision wavered
from pain.  It hurt worse than she'd hurt injuring her arm in the first
place, and it seemed to last forever.  Then Shizune briefly flooded the
arm with cool, soothing chakra, before removing her hands.  "There," she
said, wiping sweat from her brow.  "Hinata-chan, if you'd confirm for
me?"

        "It... it looks normal now, Shizune-sama," Hinata said, a little
awe in her voice.  She relaxed her eyes.

        Sakura flexed the arm, making a fist.  She felt a little sore,
but otherwise normal.  "Thank you, Shizune-sempai," she said.

        Shizune smiled.  "You won't be thanking me once I pass on
Tsunade-sama's lecture," she warned.  "Hold off on using fire element
techniques for another day or so, but you're otherwise good to go.  It
was already healed most of the way, thanks to time and Jiraiya-sama."

        Sakura nodded, but the mention of Tsunade's reaction made her
pale.  Her teacher was not going to pleased that Sakura had kept trying
to develop a technique she had rejected as too dangerous, much less that
Sakura had actually tried to use it in combat.  Maybe her anger would
die down before Sakura made it back to the Leaf Village.  Maybe.

        "All right," Shizune said.  "We're going to leave you to get
dressed.  Join us downstairs as soon as you can; we've got a lot to talk
about."

        Sakura nodded again, and as soon as Shizune and Hinata left she
almost leaped out of bed.  She had the blurry, fragmented memories of
the shadow replications she'd made to train with Naruto, but that was
different than actually getting to move about on her own.  She found her
uniform neatly folded away in her dresser and quickly clothed herself.
When she stepped out the door, putting on her fingerless gloves, she
found Naruto waiting outside in the hallway.

        He grinned at her.  "Now we can really get started with
training," he said.

        Sakura snorted.  "Give me a little while first, idiot.  I still
need to take it kind of easy."

        "Come on," Naruto said, heading for the stairs.  "Everyone's
waiting."

        Everyone was indeed gathered in the front room.  Jiraiya glanced
up at Sakura as she came down the stairs.  "I told you Shizune-chan
would have you fixed in no time," he said cheerfully.

        Chouji smiled at her from where he sat on the couch next to
Asuma, who snuffed out his cigarette.  "Good to see you well, Sakura-
chan," he said.  Leaning on the wall, Kurenai just gave her a slight
nod.

        Someone had pulled the chairs from the kitchen into the room,
and Sakura and Naruto sat down on two of them.  Unfortunately, this put
Sakura next to Ami, but the purple-haired girl thankfully didn't say
anything.

        Standing at the front of the room, Shizune coughed, getting
everyone's attention.  "First things first," she said briskly.  "By
order of Hokage-sama, I am taking over as her representative for the
Chuunin Exams and taking command of this mission."  She paused, glancing
at Sakura.  "This isn't any sort of judgment on you, Sakura-chan," she
said, "it's just that -"

        Sakura cut her off with a wave of her healed hand, a slight
thrill passing through her at the easy movement.  "I understand,
Shizune-sama," she said.  "The situation is much more volatile than we
expected."

        "Yes, about that," Shizune said.  "Anyone want to explain why
the Sand have the whole village on lock-down and wouldn't let my ANBU
escorts into the country?  I didn't think things were that bad."

        Everyone shifted, and Sakura realized they were all looking at
her.  "Damn it," she said, "I was in bed when it happened, even if I was
technically in command.  You report it, Asuma-sensei.  I'm not taking
responsibility for this mess."

        Kurenai chuckled, and Asuma sighed.  "This doesn't sound good,"
Shizune said worriedly.

        Jiraiya stood.  "I'll explain," he said shortly.  He ignored
Asuma's muttered thanks.  "You're familiar with what we've reported
regarding the three factions at work here, Shizune-chan?"

        "Of course," Shizune said.  "Otokaze of the Explosion leads a
faction favoring a strengthening of the Sand's alliance with us.
Satetsu of the Bleeding Crow favors an alliance with the Rock.  And
Chiyo of the Red Sand opposes both alliances."

        "Good enough," Jiraiya said.  "Until a few days ago."

        "What happened?" Shizune asked.

        "Satetsu of the Bleeding Crow was assassinated," Jiraiya said
shortly, "by a man witnesses identified as Otokaze of the Explosion."

        Shizune cursed.  "Why was he so stupid?"

        Jiraiya sighed.  "Come on out," he commanded.  There was
suddenly a new presence in the kitchen that Sakura hadn't felt before,
and Otokaze walked into the front room.

        "I apologize for the inconvenience," he said, bowing slightly to
Shizune.  "I am Otokaze."

        Shizune stared at him.  "I can see why no one wanted to take
responsibility," she said angrily.  "Why the hell are you idiots hiding
him?"

        "Easy, easy, Shizune-chan," Jiraiya began.

        "It was not me that killed Satetsu," Otokaze explained.  "He was
my friend."

        "It doesn't matter," Shizune snapped.  "If you're found here -"

        "Nothing will happen," Jiraiya said.  "We're keeping him here at
the request of the head of the Sand's Council of Elders.  I agreed to it
under my authority."

        "Why?" Shizune asked.  Sakura leaned forward curiously.  She
hadn't gotten a straight answer from him about that.

        Jiraiya glanced around.  "There's too many people here," he
said.  "Let's deal with anything else public first."

        Shizune nodded.  "That's all for now, unless someone else has
some bombshells to drop on me."

        Suzume Namida stood from where she had been sitting quietly.
"Ami-chan, Fuki-chan, Shinta-kun," she said to her team.  "We have the
training ground this morning.  Let's go use it."

        As they trooped out, Jiraiya looked around.  "Okay," he said.
"Akimichi-kun, Hyuuga-kun," he said.  "I'm afraid I need to ask you to
leave us for a few minutes.  This isn't something you need to know
about."

        Kurenai stood away from the wall.  "Asuma-san will inform me if
you say anything new," she said.  "Hinata-chan, Chouji-kun.  We can't
use the training ground, but I can work with you on genjutsu defenses
upstairs."  She led the two genin out of the room.

        Jiraiya sighed as he looked around, then sat on the couch next
to Asuma.  Otokaze gave Naruto and Sakura a look.  "Should those two be
here?" he asked

        "Naruto deserves to know, and he'd just tell Sakura-chan,"
Jiraiya explained.  He glanced at Shizune and the Sand ninja.  "Have a
seat, you two."  He smiled suddenly.  "There's another reason for
Sakura-chan to be here, anyway.  If you don't mind?" he asked the pink-
haired girl.  It took her a moment to figure out what he meant, then she
formed seals and activated her anti-eavesdropping genjutsu.

        "All right," Shizune said as she sat down next to Sakura.
"What's this about?  It isn't like you to get unnecessarily involved in
this kind of mess, Jiraiya-sama."

        "I don't think this assassination was about Sand politics,"
Jiraiya said simply.  "It was probably Akatsuki."

        Naruto stirred.  "What?"

        "Why do you think that?" Shizune asked.

        Otokaze answered her.  "The assassin was able to imitate my
distinctive explosive techniques," he said.  "Jiraiya-sama and I briefly
fought a member of that organization who used similar techniques."

        "I was there too," Naruto interjected.  "That guy... Deidara?"

        Otokaze nodded.  "Indeed."

        Shizune buried her face in her hand.  "That's just what I need,"
she said.  She looked at Naruto, then at Jiraiya.

        "If Otokaze-kun doesn't know by now, he's stupid," Jiraiya said.

        Otokaze glanced at Naruto.  "I assume I am in the presence of
the host of the demon fox Kyuubi."

        Naruto shifted uncomfortably, and unthinkingly Sakura reached
out and grabbed his hand.  He gave her a weak smile before answering.
"Right," he said.

        "Why are you still here?" Shizune asked Jiraiya bluntly.  "If
they're poking around looking for Naruto, you should never have entered
these exams in the first place."

        "Because I don't think they are after Naruto this time," Jiraiya
answered.  "At least not this Deidara."  He glanced at Sakura.  "You
look like you want to say something."

        Sakura hesitated before asking her question.  "I... I haven't
been fully briefed on... on Akatsuki," she said.  "I know they're
after... they're after Naruto, but not much else.  What motive would
they have to get involved in the power struggle here?" she asked.

        Otokaze nodded to her.  "I suspect that the target this time is
Gaara of the Desert," he said.  "Or rather, Shukaku."

        At Sakura's blank look, Naruto whispered to her, "That's the
name of... the demon," he said.  Sakura nodded in understanding.

        Otokaze continued.  "Thanks to... certain incidents, Chiyo has
been advocating extracting the demon from Gaara-kun," he said, "but
Satetsu and I had been blocking her."  He grimaced.  "Now we are both
out of the picture," he continued.  "I expect that Akatsuki plans to
take the demon once it is extracted and stored in its vessel."

        "Vessel?" Naruto asked.

        Jiraiya sighed.  "A tea kettle," he said simply.  "Don't ask."

        "Is there any immediate danger to Gaara-kun?" Shizune asked.

        Otokaze shook his head.  "Baki tells me Chiyo's backed off
some," he said.  "She isn't interested in dancing to anyone's tune, and
she's too smart not to realize a new player is manipulating things."

        Shizune frowned.  "It sounds like it's still Akatsuki's move,"
she said unhappily.  "You're keeping Otokaze hidden so they won't
realize we're on to them, but we don't have any leads."

        "We know, or at least suspect," Jiraiya said, "that this Deidara
is active in the Sand Village," he said, "and we have a lead on someone
we think is their agent on the Sand's council."

        Otokaze grimaced.  "I can't believe Yuura would be a traitor."

        "You'll have to explain how you know that later," Shizune said.
"I begged off to see to Sakura-chan, but I need to go meet with the
council myself as soon as possible to formally take over as Tsunade-
sama's representative for the exams."

        Jiraiya nodded.  "Have fun, Shizune-chan," he said cheerfully.

        "Watch out for Chiyo, Shizune-sempai," Sakura added.  "She's
holding some sort of grudge against Shishou."

        "Thanks for the warning," Shizune said, standing.  She sighed.
"I can already tell I'm going to have to earn this A-rank pay, aren't
I?"

***********************************************************************


        "Did we really just do that?" Sakura asked Naruto, her voice
shaking a little.

        Naruto laughed.  "That's not even the biggest one we've made,"
he said happily.  "Don't you remember the time we almost hit Ero-
sennin?"  Jiraiya had made him spend the whole next day working on
reducing the strength of his wind techniques, but it had totally been
worth it.

        "Oh yeah," Sakura said.  "I guess I do."  She shook her head.
"Shadow replications are weird.  How did you wind up learning a
technique like that before we were genin, anyway?"

        Naruto blinked.  He never had told anyone about what had
happened with Mizuki after he'd failed the graduation exam, had he?
"Eh, it's sort of a long story," he said.  "I'll tell you some other
time."

        "Okay," Sakura said easily.  "Again?" she asked Jiraiya,
watching them safely from behind.

        The legendary ninja frowned.  "It took you two four tries to get
the timing right," he said, "and we're not really making much progress
on control.  I was hoping more of the training we did with your
replications would carry over."

        "Sorry," Sakura said.  "It's... I remember, but it's not the
same."

        "Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan," Naruto said.  "We'll have
this down again in no time."

        "It's fine," Jiraiya agreed.  "Like you said, Sakura-chan,
shadow replications are weird.  Useful, but weird."  He smirked.  "You
should have seen this idiot when he tried to use them to train on five
different things in one day."

        "Ero-sennin!" Naruto protested, wincing at the reminder of that.
Thanks to mixed-up memories, he'd tried performing the Fireball
Technique with earth-natured chakra, which turned out to fail in a
particularly embarrassing way.  Sometimes he thought that incident was
why he'd never really succeeded in learning fire element ninjutsu.

        The back door to the guest house creaked open, and Asuma stuck
his head through.  "Is it safe to come out?" he asked.  "Or are they
still making uncontrolled firestorms?"

        "What do you want, Sarutobi?" Jiraiya asked bluntly.

        "We have... guests, Jiraiya-sama," Asuma said.  "I would have
turned them away, but they mentioned a certain organization and said
they had word for you."

        "Who?" Jiraiya asked.

        "Kitakami Ichizo and Rui," Asuma replied.  "From Snow Country."
Naruto blinked.  He'd almost forgotten they were in the Sand Village for
the exams, with everything that had been going on since the second exam.
Why were they talking to Jiraiya about Akatsuki?

        "Send them on back here," Jiraiya said.

        Asuma nodded and left, and a few minutes later the two ninja
from the Snow Country entered the training ground.  Naruto waved at
them.  "Ichizo-san, Rui-san!"

        The girl nodded back at Naruto, but her brother had eyes only
for Jiraiya.  "I've received word back from the clan, Jiraiya-sama," he
said without any introduction.  "We've confirmed that it isn't just an
agent.  There's an Akatsuki member active in Snow Country, or at least
someone wearing their cloak."

        "Either way, someone to be concerned about," Jiraiya said.
"Who?"

        "We don't know," Ichizo said with a grimace.  "He's not one of
the three we met; second-hand reports are that he wears a marred Rain
forehead protector.  We don't have a good description yet,
unfortunately."

        "Do you have any description at all?" Jiraiya asked.  "You must
have something if you know what sign he wears."

        Ichizo pulled out a scroll and handed it to Jiraiya, but Naruto
was distracted from his initial impulse to go over for a look when Rui
walked up to him and Sakura.  He smiled at the girl in the white kimono,
and she smiled back.  "Naruto-san, it's good to see you again."  She
nodded to Sakura.  "You too, Sakura-san."  Sakura gave the other girl a
polite smile, but didn't say anything.

        "Are you training hard for the finals?" Naruto asked her.  "Who
are you fighting anyway?  I forgot."

        Rui smirked.  "I am somehow unsurprised," she said, drawing a
glower from Naruto.  She laughed.  "I am fighting Tomari-san from the
Sand, and then either you or Hyuuga-san from your village in the second
round."

        "We do have plenty of copies of the tournament bracket, Naruto,"
Sakura reminded him.

        "Eh, whatever," Naruto said with a shrug.

        "So, what kind of training have you been doing?" Rui asked.

        "Sakura-chan and I have been working on using my wind element
ninjutsu to power up her fire element," Naruto explained happily.  "You
should have seen it!"

        Sakura sighed.  "You realize that she's trying to get an
advantage if you fight," she said.

        Naruto looked her.  "Well, yeah," he said.  "But our training
really doesn't matter for that.  It's not like you can fight with me in
the finals."

        "I suppose not," Sakura said.  She suddenly snickered.  "Unless
I transformed my shadow replication into a dog and we convinced them you
were secretly an Inuzuka."

        Naruto laughed.  "That'd be hilarious!"

        Rui smiled slightly, but then her face turned serious.  "So you
use wind element techniques?"  When Naruto nodded, she continued.  "I
seem to recall that your uncle... err, Jiraiya-sama, was teaching you
water element techniques when you traveled with us."

        "That's right," Naruto said with another nod.  "I'm not super-
good at them, but I know a couple."

        Rui nodded herself, glancing back at where her brother and
Jiraiya were talking quietly.  "I'm guessing that there is a chance that
you and Jiraiya-sama may be returning with us to Snow Country after the
exams," she said.  "If that is so... I, we owe you a great debt, Naruto-
san.  If you are interested, I may be able to arrange for you to receive
training in ice element techniques while you are in our country."

        Naruto's eyes widened.  "That'd be awesome!" he said.  "Thanks!"

        He suddenly stumbled forward as Sakura lightly punched the back
of his head.  "Be more polite," she said.  "That's an extremely generous
offer."  She looked at Rui.  "Exceedingly generous."

        "I owe Naruto-san a lot," Rui said weakly.  "Our whole country
does."

        Naruto could feel his cheeks heating.  "It wasn't that big a
deal," he muttered.  "I was just trying to get back together with Ero-
sennin."

        "And in the process you helped me defeat the missing ninja who
destroyed the Snow Village," Rui stated.  Naruto just shuffled his feet
at that.  Anyone would have done that.

        "Rui-san," Sakura said, "speaking of ice element techniques...
there's a question that's been bothering me for a while, since I learned
more about elemental ninjutsu."  She paused.  "Don't feel like you have
to answer."

        "I understand," Rui said.  "Ask.  I won't be offended."

        "From what I've read," Sakura said, "elements beyond the common
five are extremely difficult to master, barring special cases like
Bloodline Limits.  It takes jounin-level stamina and chakra control.
But from my understanding of the history, the entire Snow Village was
specialized in ice element techniques."  She paused.  "Based on Naruto's
story," she said quietly, "you must have been extremely skilled."

        "Rui-san's ice techniques are awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.

        "They were," Rui said darkly.

        Naruto blinked.  "Rui-san?" he asked.  "What's wrong?"

        She sighed.  "I suppose Jiraiya-sama never told you what I
explained to him," she said.  "I can no longer use ice element
techniques."

        Naruto swallowed.  "Why not?"

        "It is... tied up in the answer to Sakura-san's question," Rui
answered hesitatingly, "which is... was... will be a secret of the
Hidden Snow Village."

        "I apologize for asking, then," Sakura said.

        Rui shook her head.  "Do not," she said.  "And Naruto-san
already knows the answer, anyway."

        "I do?"  Naruto searched his memory.  "Oh, the thing with the
snow maidens."

        "The thing?" Sakura asked.

        Rui snickered.  "The Snow Village signed a contract with the
snow maidens," she said.  "Under that, they granted all of the Snow
ninja the ability to easily use ice element ninjutsu."  Her face turned
dark.  "When that contract was broken, so was the strength of the Snow
Village."

        "I see," Sakura said.

        "To answer your question, Naruto-san," Rui continued.  "Part of
the price of my own contract with the snow maidens was that, once my
grandmother was dead, I would lose all ability to use ice element
techniques."

        "Oh," Naruto said.  "I'm sorry."

        "Don't be," Rui replied.  "I made the contract with both eyes
open."

        Jiraiya and Ichizo seemed to be finishing their discussion.
"Those are the things I think he might be looking for," Jiraiya was
saying, "and all of them are troublesome."

        "Tell me about it," Ichizo said.  "Any help I can provide, I
will give."  His hand went up to brush the hilt of the massive sword
strapped to his back.  "You may recall that the Kitakami are good at
holding grudges."

        Jiraiya nodded.  "You know how dangerous this organization is,
Ichizo-san.  Don't take stupid risks."

        Ichizo nodded.  "Thank you for seeing me, and sharing what you
know."

        "Likewise," Jiraiya replied.

        Rui smiled at Naruto and Sakura.  "I should be going, then," she
said.  "Good luck with your training."

        "You too!" Naruto replied.

        "I'll see you two out," Jiraiya said, and he lead the two ninja
from Snow back into the guest house.

        "Should we try that technique again?" Sakura asked Naruto.

        His mind was on something else.  "You know, Sakura-chan," he
said, "I hadn't really thought about it, since I've been busy, but
there's a lot of people we know in the exams that I haven't really had a
chance to talk to."  He paused.  "Like the team from Rock," he said.
"You met them in Rice Field Country, right?  And we both know the team
from Waterfall too."

        "A little, I guess," Sakura said.

        Naruto paused, then said.  "I'd like to go talk to them.  The
Waterfall in particular, although the Rock also."

        "Why?"

        "The third member of their team," Naruto said.  "Fuu."

        Sakura shuddered.  "I talked to her a little.  She was...
creepy.  And she hurt Rui-san's teammate, didn't she?"

        "Yes," Naruto said.  He hesitated, then added.  "I think she's
like me," he said.  "Or Gaara."

        Sakura's eyes widened.  "Oh."

        "I need to talk to her," Naruto said.  "We should go out to see
them, once we're done training.  And we can go see the Rock too."  He
grinned.  "I want to see if Akira has a chance of making it far enough
that I can beat him up."

        "That's a really, really bad idea," Sakura told Naruto firmly.
"We can't just go running all over the Sand Village.  Even if Jiraiya-
sama went crazy and let you go, Asuma-sensei would have a heart attack
about me."

        Naruto shrugged.  "Shizune-neechan took over, didn't she?
There's no reason for anyone to try to kill you any more."  Right?  "And
if anyone tries I'll beat them up too!"

        "Idiot," Sakura replied.  "Just because... look, there's still
at least three different reasons why whoever it is might still try to
get me.  And you..." she trailed off, glancing around.

        "So what?" Naruto asked.  "I can't stay locked away for the rest
of my life.  I'm not going to be scared of them."

        There was a puff of smoke, and Jiraiya appeared perched on top
of one of the training ground's abused boulders.  "What are you two
arguing about?" he asked.

        "Naruto wants us to go visit his friends in the Rock team,"
Sakura answered, "and the Waterfall."

        "Fuu, huh?" Jiraiya asked.  Naruto nodded, and the legendary
ninja looked thoughtful for a minute.  "Good idea, Naruto," he said.  "I
approve."

        Beside him, Sakura twitched.  "What?" she asked loudly.  "It's
dangerous!  There are... people after him!  He can't just -"

        "And you too," Jiraiya agreed easily with a smile.  "But don't
worry about it.  I'll guard you, and then we can only hope that our
enemies are dumb enough to try something in broad daylight in the heart
of a Hidden Village."  His grin turned nasty.  "And I won't be dumb
enough to just send a shadow replication either."

        "Asuma-sensei," Sakura protested weakly, but Jiraiya interrupted
her again.

        "I'll handle Sarutobi," he replied.  "That young fool is over-
reacting because he wasn't paranoid enough before.  At this point, he's
almost endangering the mission by offending our hosts."

        Less than half an hour later, Naruto was walking with Sakura
down the streets of the Sand Village, heading for the guest house where
the Rock team was staying first, on Jiraiya's advice.  He couldn't feel
his teacher's presence, but he trusted him when he said that he would
follow them.

        Someone came running out of a side street, and it took Naruto
half an instant to recognize her.  "Temari-san," Sakura said in
greeting, and Naruto echoed her a moment later.

        "Uzumaki-san, Sakura-san," the fan user said as she fell in
beside them.  "Is something wrong?"  Her eyes went to the direction they
were traveling in.

        "No," Sakura said.

        "We're just seeing some friends," Naruto added.

        "Friends?  The Rock?" Temari asked.

        "Sure," Naruto replied.

        The Sand kunoichi looked at Sakura.  She sighed.  "It's true,"
the pink-haired girl said.  "Naruto trained with that genin team in
Earth Country."

        "Really?" Temari asked, giving Naruto a strange look.  "That's
unusual."

        "Ero-sennin has lots of friends," Naruto replied.  "I've trained
in Earth Country, and in the Cloud Village, and here in Wind Country
with the Howling Moon Tribe.  And lots of other places too."

        "Somehow I won't be surprised if it turns out you trained with
the Mist too," Temari muttered.

        Naruto shook his head.  "Ero-sennin said that the Mist were
paranoid, xenophobic idiots."

        "Not idiotic enough," Sakura said darkly.

        Temari suddenly slapped her fingers.  "That reminds me," she
said.  "I'd been meaning to ask you, Sakura-san.  After that bingo book
entry from the Rock for you got spread around -" She paused as Sakura
groaned, and Temari grinned.  "Sorry, but I took a look at ours for you
also."

        "Hey," Naruto interjected, "have you got an entry for me?"

        "Nope," Temari said cheerfully.  Then her face stilled, and she
added more seriously.  "Gaara didn't... we didn't spread the details of
your fight."

        Naruto frowned as he considered this.  "I understand," he said
after a moment.  "Thanks."  He felt Sakura place a hand on his shoulder,
and he smiled at her.

        She smiled back and released him.  "You said you had a question
for me?"

        "Yeah," Temari said.  "Your entry referenced the exams where you
passed, and I took a look at those to see who else I know from the...
you know, passed.  The finals had another Haruno in them, listed as from
the Mist.  Was that a mistake, or what?"

        Sakura's face fell, and Naruto winced.  "Haruno Midori.  Not a
mistake," she said simply.

        "Oh," Temari said.  "Missing ninja's kid?"

        Sakura clenched her fists, and now it was Naruto's turn to lay a
comforting hand on her shoulder.  "That would be me.  Sort of," she said
bluntly.  Naruto knew her mother hadn't been a missing ninja, but a Mist
spy.  He could more than understand why Sakura didn't want to go into
that, though.

        "Oh," Temari said.  She opened her mouth as though she was about
to say something, then shook her head and shut it.

        They traveled the rest of the distance in silence, and when they
reached the Rock's guest house, Kankuro was sitting in front of the
door.  "They're training down the street," he said as he stood, leaning
on the head of his wrapped puppet for a moment before slinging it onto
his back.  "I'll lead the way."

        The route passed by the Sand's academy, where Naruto had taken
the first exam, and a short distance away they found the Rock team at a
training ground.  Inside, Gonkuro was sparring with a grim-faced Sand
kunoichi Naruto vaguely remembered from the preliminary fights.  Hadn't
she been the one to eliminate him?

        The Rock jounin was standing with the rest of her team, watching
the fight and conversing with a tall woman wearing a Sand forehead
protector.

        Temari paled as she saw the Sand woman.  "Maybe this wasn't a
great idea," she said, but before anyone else could say anything, one of
the Rock genin turned to see them.

        "Hey, it's Leaf boy," Akira said.  He raised a fist.  "Come to
lose to me?"  Naruto grimaced.  Akira was really, really annoying.

        The Rock jounin nodded to the two Sand escorting Naruto and
Sakura, then turned to the Leaf ninja.  "Haruno-san," she said.  "I'm
glad to see you healed."

        "Thank you," Sakura murmured.  "Your assistance was
appreciated."  In the distance, the spar came to a sudden halt.

        She laughed.  "It was nothing."  She turned to Naruto.  "Uzumaki
Naruto, huh?  I don't think we've formally met, but I think I spied you
a couple times at Hojo's estate, and I've certainly heard enough stories
about you."  She smiled.  "I am Kazu Kurotsuchi."

        "Leaf boy," Mako, the kunoichi on her team," said suddenly.
"You owe me a jacket."

        "Huh?" Naruto asked.

        "My favorite jacket," Mako explained.  "You stole it from me
when you left Hojo-sensei's place, remember?"

        Naruto flushed.  Was everyone going to remind him of that stupid
disguise Jiraiya had made him use?  "Sorry," he muttered.

        The third member of their team walked up behind her and grunted.
"Be polite, Mako-chan," Gonkuro chided, then favored Naruto with a nod.
He'd always been the one paired with Naruto when they'd sparred in two
person teams.  They'd won almost every time, too.

        The Sand woman who had been talking with Kurotsuchi frowned at
Naruto and Sakura.  "What are you doing here?" she asked.

        Sakura stepped forward, glancing at Naruto.  "Naruto is friends
with the Rock genin," she said, "and he wished to visit with them."

        The woman nodded.  "I am Kanon of the Bleeding Crow," she said
simply.

        Sakura winced.  "I am sorry for your loss," she said.

        The woman just shook her head slightly.  "Matsuri and I will be
going," she said to Kurotsuchi, and without further word she lead the
Sand girl who'd been fighting Gonkuro from the training ground.

        Kurotsuchi pulled out a stop watch.  "You all have five minutes
to catch up," she told her team.  "If Uzumaki wants to stay longer,
he'll have to join in the training."

        Sakura gave Naruto a slight shake of her head, and he nodded
back at her.  He wasn't that stupid.  He wound up chatting with the
three Rock genin while Sakura talked about something with Kurotsuchi,
and five minutes later Temari was leading them away, toward where the
Waterfall team was staying.

        "You look upset, Sakura-chan," Naruto commented.

        She looked at him and sighed.  "I guess," she said.  "I just
wish I knew whether that woman really thinks I am some sort of powerful
jounin or is just mocking me."  Temari laughed, and Sakura glared at
her.

        The Waterfall were staying in an apartment on the top floor of a
building a fair distance from the center of the village, which Naruto
didn't really think was fair when the Rock and Leaf had been given guest
houses.  What was up with that?  Temari spoke briefly with a masked Sand
ninja, then lead them to another training ground, smaller than the one
Naruto had been using or the one where they'd just met the Rock.

        The Waterfall team was taking a break, Maya and Ikkei sitting
together and drinking water, but Naruto didn't pay attention to them,
seeking out the third member of their team.  The green-haired girl was
seated, curled up into a ball, in one corner of the small training
ground, staring at her teammates.  Naruto took a step forward, but
before he could go further a man in a Waterfall uniform appeared in
front of them.

        "I believe I recognize you two," he told Naruto and Sakura, "but
I don't recall your names."  It took Naruto a few moments to place him
as the commander of the fort in Waterfall Country he and Jiraiya had
briefly stayed at.  "I am Matsuyo Nissho, jounin of the Hidden
Waterfall."

        Sakura introduced them, and asked, "Have we met?"

        "I don't believe I've been introduced to you, Haruno-san," he
said.  "I was acting as jounin commander for Arata, Maya, and Ikkei in
the exams where Arata-kun and you passed."  He paused.  "What do you two
want?"

        "We just wanted to stop by and say hello," Sakura replied.

        The man nodded and stepped aside.  Maya and Ikkei had stood and
come over, and exchanged greetings with Naruto and Sakura.  "Thanks for
your help in the second exam, Naruto-san," Ikkei said.  "I wonder what
the real way to get those fangs was supposed to be."

        Naruto shrugged.  "Doesn't really matter," he said.  Then he
looked over at where Fuu still sat.  Their eyes met for a moment.  "Hey,
Fuu-san," he called out.  "Come over so I can say hello!"  He didn't
miss the nervous look that passed between Maya and Ikkei, and he guessed
Sakura didn't either, because she took a step closer to him.

        Fuu didn't move, instead looking over Naruto's shoulder.  He
glanced backward in time to see Nissho finishing a short nod.  Fuu stood
and walked over to join the conversation.  "Hello, Fuu-san," Naruto
said, smiling widely.

        Fuu stared at him impassively.  "Hello, Naruto-san," she said in
reply.  Naruto wondered if he should be feeling something from her.
Then again, Gaara really didn't really feel any different from anyone
when he was being... not evil.

        Beside him, Sakura smiled too.  "It is good to see you again,
Fuu-san," she said, although Naruto thought it sounded a little forced.

        A searching expression appeared on Fuu's face.  "Sakura-san,"
she said finally.  "Hello."  She glanced past them again at Nissho.
"They are still allies?"

        "Yes," Maya answered quickly before her teacher could say
anything.

        Fuu nodded and turned to leave.  "Hey, wait," Naruto protested.
She paused.

        "It's fine, Fuu," Nissho said.  "Maya, Ikkei, take her back to
the apartment."

        "What?" Ikkei asked.  "We're still supposed to be training until
-"

        "Go!" Nissho snapped.  Naruto started to say something, but a
look from Sakura stopped him.  When the Waterfall team was gone, Nissho
stepped in front of Naruto and Sakura again.  He could feel Temari stir
from where she'd been waiting outside the training ground.  "Why are you
so interested in Fuu... Jiraiya-sama?" he asked.

        There was a puff of smoke, and Jiraiya appeared next to Naruto.
"Hmm," he said.  "You're more observant then you were when we met, I
think," he said easily.

        "You let me see you," Nissho said.  "Now, answer me."

        "If she is what I think she is," Jiraiya said, "there are things
in motion you need to know about."

        "I have no idea what you are talking about, Jiraiya-sama," the
Waterfall jounin said firmly, "and I must rejoin my team."  He formed a
seal, and then he was gone.

        "Damn it," Jiraiya said.

        "I barely even got to talk to her," Naruto complained.

        "She doesn't like to talk," Sakura said.  "And they don't seem
inclined to let her learn how to."

        "It's not right," Naruto said.

        "It isn't," Jiraiya agreed.  "Remember that if you ever wonder
why the Third made the decisions he did."  Naruto stared at his feet for
a moment.  Jiraiya sighed.  "I'm sorry, brat," he said.  "It was clear
from the start they weren't going to let you talk to her alone.  I was
hoping maybe I could at least warn them about you know who."

        "You think... they are after her too?" Sakura asked, her voice
sick.

        "It's possible," Jiraiya said.

        "Who are you talking about?" Temari asked as she joined them.

        "Ask your teacher.  Or your brother," Jiraiya said.  "They'll
tell you if you need to know."  He sighed.  "Let's head on back."

        Naruto grimaced as they started to leave.  The whole point of
this trip had been to get to talk to Fuu, and it had failed.  He knew
that she was like him, like he could have been.  She maybe wasn't as bad
as Gaara had been, but she was hurting.  He wanted to help her.  Jiraiya
wanted to help her too.  Why wouldn't they let him?

        He could feel Sakura looking at him, and then she spoke.
"Temari-san," she asked, "before we go back... is there anywhere nearby
that sells ramen?"

        Naruto looked up, and she smiled weakly at him.  He forced a
smile back at her.  Ramen, that was always the answer.  "It better be a
good place," he said, forcing Fuu from his mind for the moment.  "You
won't believe how awful the stuff they call ramen up north is."

***********************************************************************


        At Jiraiya's urging, Shizune allowed Suzume Namida's team to
utilize one of the other training grounds offered by the Sand.  This
greatly improved Sakura's mood, as the mousy-looking jounin kept her
team, and most importantly Ami, out of the guest house almost all day
long.  The training ground attached to the house was still shared
between Jiraiya and Kurenai.  The legendary Sannin used it to train
Sakura and Naruto in the mornings, before he headed off into the village
to do whatever else it was he did.  Sakura preferred not to think about
that.

        Now that Shizune had taken over, Asuma worked with Chouji in the
afternoon.  Kurenai had her turn with Hinata after an early dinner.
Tonight though, she and Asuma were away, guarding Shizune while she
dined with someone it probably would have been Sakura's job to deal with
before.  It really was a relief, not having to worry about the politics
anymore.  Once she was done dealing with the dishes - it was her turn
this evening - Sakura settled down with a biography of the First
Kazekage that Otokaze had recommended, and made her way through a couple
chapters before she thought to wonder what Hinata was doing, since
Kurenai wasn't around to train with her.

        She found Hinata out on the training ground, or rather, she
found two of the Hyuuga heiress there.  One of them stood behind a line
of kunai, plunged into the ground, and was throwing them in a constant
stream at the second.  The target deflected each weapon with an open-
palmed strike, and Sakura thought that she could see flashes of chakra
in the gathering darkness as the second Hinata blocked the first's
attacks.  A variant on the Heavenly Spin?

        Sakura waited at the edge of the training ground, knowing that
the two Hinata could see her even if the other girls didn't turn to face
her.  After a moment, the Hinata that was attacking vanished in a puff
of smoke.  The real Hinata fell to her knees, panting heavily.  "Sakura-
san," she acknowledged once she had caught her breath, though she still
didn't look directly at Sakura.

        "Hinata-san," Sakura replied, stepping into the training ground.
"You're training hard."  Hinata didn't reply.  "What were you working
on?"

        The other girl didn't answer at first, then said shortly,
"Endurance training."  She paused, then added, "I want to be able to use
Shadow Replication Technique well without a soldier pill."

        "It looked like you were working on some sort of defense too,"
Sakura commented.

        Now Hinata turned her head to look at Sakura, her silver eyes
hard.  "N... Naruto-kun doesn't need... your help to beat me."

        Sakura winced.  She'd always felt that Hinata didn't like her
very much, but she didn't think she deserved that sort of suspicion.  "I
wasn't trying to spy on you," Sakura replied, struggling a little to
keep her voice calm.

        "Then what do you want, Sakura-san?  I don't have time to
waste."

        "I just wanted to see if you wanted someone to spar with or
anything," Sakura answered.  "Since Kurenai-sensei had to go with
Shizune-sama this evening."

        Hinata looked away.  "I don't have time to waste getting beaten
up either."

        Sakura blinked.  "What the hell are you talking about?" she
asked.  "I'm not some sort of bully.  I just want to help, if I can."
She paused.  "Besides, the last time we sparred, you trounced me."  That
was not an experience she fondly remembered.

        "And a month later, you almost beat Neji-niisan in the exam
finals," Hinata said quietly.  "And you've kept getting stronger and
stronger since then.  I've watched you train with Jiraiya-sama and
Naruto-kun.

        "I'm not like you, Sakura-san," Hinata continued before Sakura
could reply.  "You managed to change yourself.  You've become so strong,
you train with the Sannin, and... and... Naruto-kun sees you and... I'm
not... I can't..."  She trailed off, and Sakura tried to think of
something to say to that, but before she could Hinata spoke again.
"My... my father asks after you sometimes."

        "What?  Why?" Sakura asked, surprised at both the sudden change
of subject and Hinata's words.  Had she ever even met Hinata's father?
She supposed she must have seen him about the Hokage's office from time
to time, but she didn't think they'd ever been formally introduced.

        "You... you're the Hokage's apprentice," Hinata said, "and
unattached to any clan, and father knows you get along with Neji-niisan
when you work together."  She slowly stood, her fists clenched, but she
still didn't face Sakura.  "You... you are probably someone he would not
mind becoming part of the Hyuuga Clan, if it could be arranged."

        Sakura's mind reeled at that.  A marriage into the Leaf's most
powerful clan?  Ridiculous, even if she thought of Neji like that.
Hinata kept talking, her voice getting louder as she continued.  "But
I'm always too weak," she said.  "No matter how much I change or how
hard I work.  I'm never like Neji-niisan, or Hanabi, or you, or... N-
Naruto-kun.  I'm never good enough.  I'm always the failure."  She
shook.  "I have to do better this time.  Or -"  She cut off.

        "This... this isn't just about the exams," Sakura said after a
moment.  "Is it?"

        Hinata bowed her head.  "No," she said softly.  "You... you know
about the branch family," she said, "and their seal?"

        "Yes," Sakura replied quietly.  She swallowed.  "If... if you
don't pass this time, then..."

        "I think so," Hinata said.  "I've... I've already failed too
many times.  Against Neji-niisan the first time.  Against you and Ino-
san the second.  Against Shino-kun last time, in Grass."  Even though
she didn't turn around, Sakura could almost feel Hinata grimace.  "To
fail as a rookie, against the greatest prodigy the Hyuuga have produced
in generations, is acceptable."  Her voice had changed, and Sakura
thought she might be quoting her father.  "To fail a second time can be
understood.  To fail, publicly, a third time, is a disappointment.  To
fail a fourth time, is unacceptable for the heir to the Hyuuga."  The
last words were almost spat out, an anger alien to Sakura's usual
perception of Hinata as a quiet, polite girl filling them.

        "Hinata-san," Sakura began, but she couldn't find any more words
to say.

        "That's why I have to do better this time," Hinata said.  "I
have to show him that I'm not a failure.  I have to -"  She cut off, her
head snapping up.

        Sakura tensed.  "What is it?"

        "They're back," Hinata said.  "Baki-san is with them.  He's very
upset. Something is going on."  She paused.  "You should go."

        "Hinata-san, I..." Sakura wasn't sure what she should say.

        "Go," Hinata insisted, and Sakura took the excuse and went.  A
few minutes later, the awkward conversation was driven from her mind
when Baki explained what had happened.

        "Gaara's been poisoned," he stated bluntly once the group
concerned with Akatsuki had gathered in the kitchen and Sakura had used
her anti-eavesdropping technique.  "With a fatal Leaf poison, according
to Chiyo-sama.  She's moving to extract immediately, and I'm not going
to be able to hold her off for much longer."

        "What?" Naruto asked.  Leaning against a wall in the corner of
the room next to him, Jiraiya just cursed.

        Otokaze, seated next to Sakura, looked like he wanted to kill
someone.  "She wouldn't go that far, would she?  To force an
extraction?"

        "I don't know if it was her," Baki said, "or Yuura.  Or this
Deidara."  He paused.  "Technically, I don't know if it was any of you,
either."

        "What the hell are you saying?" Naruto demanded.  "Gaara's my
friend.  We wouldn't -"

        "Easy, brat," Jiraiya said, and Naruto calmed himself.

        A thought occurred to Sakura.  "Did... did Chiyo say what the
poison was?"

        "Night lotus extract," Baki answered.  "Why?"

        Asuma snuffed out a cigarette on the countertop.  "That's the
one she asked you about, isn't it, Sakura-chan?" he asked.  "At that
party before the exams started."  Sakura nodded.

        "Night lotus extract?" Shizune asked.  "We haven't used that for
decades."

        "Well, someone is using it," Baki said sourly.  "Do you know the
antidote?"

        "There isn't one," Shizune said.  "At least, not an effective
simple one.  That's part of why we stopped using it.  Too many accidents
on our side that the medical ninja couldn't get to quickly enough.  But
this isn't a battlefield.  If it's night lotus extract, I know the
treatment."

        "Will you help him?" Baki asked.

        "Of course," Shizune said, standing.

        "Good.  Chiyo will bark at us, but I'll handle her.  If you can
save Gaara-kun, it'll shut her up for a while.  I'll take you to where
we're keeping him."

        "There's no time to waste," Shizune said.  "Sakura-chan, with
me."

        The pink-haired girl stood.  "Yes, Shizune-sempai."

***********************************************************************


        Chiyo stared at the ruin of what had been her surgical puppet
with mild annoyance.  It would be the work of weeks to repair the
device, and longer if she decided to reinforce it to better withstand
dangers like the uncontrolled sandstorm raging around the fallen
container.  The sample she'd sacrificed her tool to get was almost as
useless as the wreckage, too, except for identifying the primary poison.
Damn that slug woman and all her work, and that cursed extract most of
all.  She hated that poison enough that she'd sabotage her own desires
and save the container if she could.

        Was that why the Leaf had done this?  She couldn't very well
save its life and then demand that the council let her destroy it a week
later.  Even with Otokaze and Satetsu out of the picture, that would
make her a laughingstock on the council.  A ninja, a Kage, should be
ruthless enough to do what had to be done, even if it meant letting a
patient die, and the container was no innocent patient.  She should
never have let her interest in this poison show to the pink-haired slug
girl.

        She ignored the hiss as the sand struck the sickly green light
of the barrier surrounding the bed that the container was secured on and
the grunts of exertion from the six chuunin maintaining it.  This room
and its seal-work were over a century old, designed by the Second
Kazekage to provide a place where Shukaku's host could safely sleep.
She had no worries that it would suddenly fail.

        What did worry the old woman was sorting out the Leaf's motives.
It didn't make any sense.  They should be eager for the container who
had so provoked them to be out of the picture, and for Shukaku to be
unavailable for years.  The poison was too slow-acting to be an honest
attempt to destroy the container with the demon still inside it.  Either
they were trying to force her to save the container, or they had chosen
a particularly stupid way of helping her muster the votes for the
extraction.  They could have just leaned on Otokaze after the container
had tried to kill the slug girl and she would have held her nose and
cooperated with them to do it.  So that probably wasn't the motive.

        But if they wanted to save the container, why?  They had no
reason to wish that.  Unless... the old Kazekage's children had always
been somewhat evasive about how the container had been defeated during
the failed invasion of the Leaf Village.  Had the Leaf somehow suborned
the container?

        Chiyo glanced through the barrier at the container's shaking
form, horror gnawing at her gut.  If it was obedient to the Leaf, if the
rivalry with the slug girl was a sham or an artifact of some hold she
held over the container... then the Leaf had been keeping the deadliest
of weapons right over the Sand Village's heart for over a year,
patiently waiting for the Sand to try to assert their independence.  If
that was the case, if the container was compromised, the demon had to be
extracted immediately.

        The doors to the chamber opened, and Chiyo felt her face harden
as Baki stormed inside, followed closely behind by the two slug girls.
The young one looked about in a decent imitation of awe.  Chiyo ignored
her, focusing her ire on the temporary head of the council.  "What's the
meaning of this, Baki?" she demanded.

        "Shizune-dono knows the treatment for this night lotus extract,"
Baki answered.  "She has agreed to help Gaara-kun."  His eyes narrowed.
"As the boy's guardian," he said, "and as the head of the Council of
Elders, I have accepted her aid.  Do not interfere."

        "She can tell me the treatment," Chiyo answered, keeping her
voice calm, but her mind was racing.  If the slug girls cured the
container, it would save it for now, but it wouldn't tie her hands like
it would if she was the one to cure it.  What was the meaning of this?
Might the Leaf not be behind the poisoning?  Were they honestly just
trying to save the container?  Nonsense!

        "I am afraid the treatment is too complex to be taught quickly,
Chiyo-dono," the older, dark-haired slug girl answered.  "And it
involves several secret medical techniques of the Leaf Village.  Night
lotus extract is not a trivial poison to treat."

        "I'm well aware of that," Chiyo snapped.  "Do you even know how
many of our ninja I watched die under my care thanks to your master?"
Her only son and his wife, dead before their time, leaving her with her
young grandson.  Her greatest failure.

        "That was then," Shizune replied calmly.  "This is now.  I will
save his life, if I can.  Hokage-sama would do the same if she were
here."  Chiyo let out a disbelieving grunt, but Shizune ignored that.
"Do you have an analysis of the poison?" she asked.  "It has been many
years since the Leaf used night lotus extract, and I am not sure how age
might have effected it."  Implying that it was someone with a captured
sample from the war that did the poisoning.  The slug girl was clever,
to reflect suspicion back on Chiyo.

        The old woman grunted, and gestured at the rickety wooden desk
in a corner of the room, where she'd left her notes.  The slug girls
bowed to her - what arrogant mockery - and walked over to inspect them.
Chiyo grunted and turned back to her ruined puppet.  Let them think she
was ignoring them.

        "Was this you?" Baki asked her sharply, but softly enough that
the Leaf would not hear.

        "Don't be ridiculous," Chiyo replied.  "Unlike some on our
council, it seems, I am no traitor."

        "What do you imply?"

        Chiyo laughed.  "You know my thoughts on Otokaze and Satetsu.
You've warned me about Yuura-kun."  She favored the slug girls with a
glare.  "Sometimes I'm not too sure about you, either."

        Baki grunted.  "We disagree about the best path for Gaara-kun."
His eyes were hard, she noted with approval.  "We do not disagree in our
love for this village, and I'll ask you not to insult me in such a
manner again."

        Chiyo laughed.  "As you wish," she said, and then she returned
her apparent attention to the puppet, and her real attention to the Leaf
pair.

        The pink-haired girl was just watching and asking questions,
while the older one did the work.  Maybe she really didn't know about
night lotus extract, then.  How soft was the slug woman with her
apprentice if she hadn't mastered antidotes to all the Leaf's poisons by
now?

        The older woman straightened and turned back to them.  "Chiyo-
dono," she said, her voice respectful.  "It seems as though the night
lotus extract has been modified from the formula my master developed,
and combined with at least one other poison."

        Chiyo looked up from her puppet.  "I suppose so," she said.
"What of it?"

        "Did you identify the other poison?"

        "Not enough sample remained," Chiyo answered, for the moment
almost forgetting she wasn't working with one of her own students in the
Sand's hospital, "and acquiring another is non-trivial."

        Shizune nodded.  "I believe I have a hunch," she said.  She
glanced at the younger Leaf.  "Do you have the chakra for a summon,
Sakura-chan?"

        The girl nodded.  "I thought that composition looked a little
familiar.  Yes, Shizune-sempai."

        The older woman stepped forward, walking over to Chiyo and Baki.
"With your permission, I will obtain an additional sample.  Will the
wards interfere with a summoning?"

        "If I had my way," Chiyo said, "this whole village would be
warded against your slugs."  The pink-haired girl made an odd face, and
Chiyo frowned.

        "Which means no, it won't," Baki translated.

        Shizune stepped up to the flickering green barrier, watching the
sand beat against it.  "Is this one way?" she asked the chuunin seated
cross-legged next to her.

        He glanced at Baki, who nodded, then answered.  "It's keyed to
Sh... to Gaara-kun's power, ma'am.  It should not affect you or any of
your techniques."

        "Very well."  Shizune straightened, visibly steeling herself.
"This will take just a moment, then."  Chiyo abandoned her pretense of
poking in her surgical puppet's insides to watch, curious what the slug
girl was about to do.

        The woman formed a rapid set of seals, too fast for even Chiyo
to follow, then stuck out one open hand, almost touching the light of
the barrier.  A wound opened on her palm, blood oozing out, slowly at
first, then flying away.  Ribbons of blood danced through the air,
encircling the barrier.  "First-Level Emergency Field Sealing Method,"
Shizune grunted.  "Demon-Banishing Procedure!"

        The blood encircling the barrier formed glowing characters which
pulsed like a heartbeat, then rapidly flew through the sandstorm and
formed chains to bind the container.  There was a pulse of malign power,
then another, weaker one, and then the sand dropped to the ground,
still.  Chiyo's eyes widened slightly, but that was the only sign she
made that she was impressed.

        Shizune wavered, but then stood straight.  She held out a hand.
"Sakura-chan, syringe."  The pink-haired girl pulled one out of a pack
she was wearing on her back, and after taking it Shizune calmly walked
into the barrier, stepping over the sand.  She reached Gaara, took his
blood, and exited the barrier in less than a minute.

        That was almost too long, as mere instants after she passed
through the green light again, a new wave of killing intent leaked from
the container, and the sand resumed its attack on the barrier with
redoubled fury.  Shizune looked almost like she wanted the collapse for
a moment before she hid her weariness.  "Your turn, Sakura-chan," she
said lightly.  Chiyo grimaced.  She hated those damn slugs almost as
much as she hated the slug woman.

        The pink-haired girl nodded, pushing aside the bandages she wore
on her arms to reveal a dark marking.  Chiyo grunted in surprise.  That
couldn't be what it looked like, could it?  The girl bit at her thumb
and smeared blood over the marking, pressing that arm to the stone
floor.  "Summoning Technique."

        She was surrounded by smoke for an instant, and then a large,
gray snake was coiled about her.  A snake summoner?  Tsunade's new
apprentice was a snake summoner?  What madness was this?  Surely the
slug woman hadn't reconciled with her old teammate!

        The snake wore a Leaf forehead protector around its neck like a
collar, and its tongue flicked out once before it spoke in a feminine
voice.  "What is your bidding, my mistress?" it asked.

        Chiyo's eyes widened.  Who was this girl, to have dominated a
member of that notoriously independent spirit court so thoroughly?  The
girl just laughed.  "I've told you a hundred times not to call me that,
Seseki."

        The snake laughed back at its summoner.  "But it makes Anko
squirm so nicely, Sakura," it said lightly.

        "She's upset enough that you agreed to become my personal summon
after you'd been working with her for years," Sakura replied.

        The snake laughed again.  "She never asked," it replied, "and
you said please!"  Chiyo shook her head.  Either this was the strangest
snake spirit ever, or Manda had been letting his standards slip over the
last decades.

        Shizune just chuckled.  "We need your help, Seseki-san," she
said.  "I have a blood sample from a boy that's been poisoned with an
elaborate cocktail.  We think it might be partly snake venom."

        Seseki glanced at the contained sandstorm.  "Him?  Interesting.
Give me a taste."  Shizune handed Sakura the syringe, and she squeezed a
drop of tainted blood onto her summon's outstretched tongue.  The snake
closed its mouth and let out a happy, disturbing noise, before speaking.
"I see," it said.  "There's a lot of other stuff in there, but I think I
recognize the venom."  It hesitated.  "Yes, that's Nure-sama's taste,
all right."

        "Nure-sama?" Sakura asked.

        "She's a nasty old snake, one of Manda's consorts," Seseki
replied.  "I'm not powerful enough to make an anti-venom for her."  The
snake paused, then added, "The only one I know who she has let summon
her is Orochimaru."

        The whole room went silent at that revelation, except for the
hiss of sand beating on the barrier.  Shizune cursed softly.  "That last
thing we need is another player in this game," she said, and Chiyo
didn't think she knew she spoke out loud.

        "Do you need me for anything else?  Maybe to bite someone?"
Seseki asked, and when Sakura shook her head, the snake turned and
licked the girl's cheek with its forked tongue, then vanished in a cloud
of gray smoke.

        Everyone was silent for a moment longer, then Baki spoke.
"Can... can you still help him?" he asked, letting an unseemly amount of
desperation into his voice.

        "I don't know," Shizune said softly.  "Even the night lotus
extract has been modified, without accounting for the other poisons.  I
can definitely prolong his life, and try to develop a treatment, but...
it won't be easy.  I'll need to send the composition of the poison back
to Hokage-sama."

        "You'll have every aid we can give -"

        Chiyo cut Baki off.  "No, she won't."

        "Chiyo," the man almost growled.

        "You've let your attachment to the container consume you, Baki,"
Chiyo said.  "If we don't intend to lose the demon, we need to start the
extraction before the container's chakra coils weaken too much.  We
don't have time to let the slug girl waste weeks failing, even if I
trusted the Leaf enough to let them do that."

        Baki's eyes were hard.  "You don't have the votes."

        Chiyo knew her gaze matched his.  "We shall see."

***********************************************************************


        "She had the votes," Baki said grimly.  "That cold-hearted bitch
called in favors I thought she would save for the final vote to nominate
the next Kazekage, the threat of losing the demon permanently scared her
followers into line, and Yuura swung enough of your faction to support
her, Otokaze."

        "Damn it," the nominal fugitive cursed.  "Maybe I should have
showed up after all."

        "Chiyo would have had you arrested before you could say
'hello,'" Baki said sourly.  "It wouldn't have done any good."

        The kitchen of the Leaf's guest house was once again home to a
meeting that would have been unusual were they not unfortunately
becoming routine.  This time Baki had brought Temari and Kankuro along,
but the two siblings had been quiet, immersed in their own thoughts.

        On the Leaf's side of the room, Shizune cursed loudly.  "I've
been working on a treatment," she said, "but it isn't going to be
something I can just slip in and give Gaara-kun."

        "She's going to kill him?" Naruto asked softly.

        Baki bowed his head.  "I'm afraid so."

        Naruto slammed a fist into the kitchen table.  "I won't let that
happen.  Who do I need to beat up?"

        "Naruto!" Sakura said.  "We can't solve this like that."

        Asuma wasn't smoking for once, as he stood by the door leading
out to the training ground.  "We can't afford to act openly either.  We
have to prioritize preserving the alliance over the boy."

        "Ninja who don't take care of their friends are worse than
trash," Naruto countered angrily.  Sakura looked conflicted for a
moment, but then nodded firmly.

        "It isn't always that simple," Shizune said sadly.  "We have to
think about our friends back home too."

        Jiraiya, who had been quietly watching the conversation, leaning
against the wall opposite Asuma, spoke.  "This isn't our decision," he
said.

        "Ero-sennin!" Naruto protested.

        "Shut up, Naruto," Jiraiya said sharply.  "The boy is your
friend, but he's their brother," he gestured at Temari and Kankuro, "and
Baki-san's student.  This is their village.  If you want to be Hokage,
you have to realize that your desires don't always come first."

        "This isn't about what I want," Naruto protested.  "Gaara
doesn't deserve to die."  He glared at Baki and Otokaze.  "You have to
do something."

        Baki bowed his head.  "I want to," he said softly.  "But I
cannot."

        "Baki-sensei!" Kankuro shouted.  "The annoying brat is right!
We can't just let that bitch kill Gaara.  I'll fucking kill her first."

        "And what will you do then?" Otokaze asked.  "Become missing
ninja?  Defect to the Leaf and restart the war your father wanted?"

        "If this village will let her kill my brother," Temari started,
but then she trailed off.  "But you wouldn't take us, would you?" she
asked Shizune.  "That would start a war between the Sand and Leaf.  As
missing ninja, we'd be killed within a month, or these Akatsuki would
get Gaara anyway."

        Shizune looked away.  "I'm sorry," she said.

        "Let's not get too depressed," Jiraiya said lightly.  "I have no
intention of letting that old crone play right into Akatsuki's hands.
Gaara-kun can defend himself.  A tea kettle is a sitting duck just
waiting for some bastard in a red and black cloak to pick it up, and a
baby would be even worse."  He stepped away from the wall, and for a
moment every vestige of the harmless, playful old pervert he usually
acted as was gone, and the man feared throughout the world as one of the
legendary Sannin shone through.  "Shizune-chan," he said, his voice soft
but no less commanding for the tone.  "What would you need to cure the
boy?  And what are the odds?"

        "I... I'd need a hospital, or at least a well-equipped medical
facility.  I'd need at least a week, possibly more, uninterrupted.  I'd
need access to the Sand's herb gardens for materials."  Shizune
hesitated.  "The odds... no worse than three in five."

        "Better than I feared," Jiraiya said.  His gaze turned to Baki
and Otokaze.  "This is not my decision," he said.  "But if you ask it,
if you can provide Shizune-chan what she needs, we will try to save
him."  None of the Leaf protested.  "I won't tell you the details.  You
don't need to know.

        "But be warned.  My aid does not come without a price."  Naruto
started to protest, but a glare from Jiraiya actually silenced the boy.
"I want full access to every report you have on Akatsuki," he said.  "I
want full copies of every record that crone made of the seal she put on
Gaara and any previous seals that were used on the previous successful
hosts.  I want every bit of research the Sand have on the demon and its
containers."

        "You don't come cheaply," Baki said softly.

        "I'm not done," Jiraiya said.  "I don't intend to have to come
back here every time that boy stubs his toes.  If Chiyo isn't
neutralized to my satisfaction at the end of this, I am taking the boy
with me."

        "Jiraiya-sama," Shizune protested.  "You can't... it would be an
act of war."

        "You're the boy's guardian and the head of this damn village's
council," Jiraiya said to Baki, ignoring Shizune.  "If it comes to that,
you'll approve it as a long-term mission, and make sure that it stays
approved."  He paused.  "And one of you two will be with us when we
rescue the boy to take the fall if things go to hell."

        Baki bowed his head.  "Baki-sensei," Temari said.

        He looked up.  "Otokaze," he said.

        The younger Sand ninja nodded once.  "I'm already wanted for
treason," he said.  "I might as well do something to earn it."

        "Thank you," Baki murmured.  He stood.  "It's a shame the
council does not trust me on to handle this matter, or I would have
informed them that the orders for the extra guards on Gaara's sleeping
chambers expire in two days.  The council might also be concerned that
the secret exit in the reservoir caves will be manned exclusively by
ninja still loyal to Otokaze that same evening.  Or that the medical
safe-house in Sector Three-D outside the village is unmanned, since the
guards have been called away for exam security.  But my hands are tied.

        "Shizune-dono, I regret to inform you that all diplomatic
functions between now and the exam finals have been canceled due to the
situation.  My apologies."  He stood, and without further word stalked
out of the room.  A moment later, they heard the front door of the guest
house slam shut behind him.

        The was silence for a moment, and then Temari bowed deeply to
Jiraiya.  "Please, Jiraiya-sama.  Save Gaara.  Anything I can do..."

        "Anything?" the old ninja asked lecherously, relaxing as he
leaned against the wall.

        "Ero-sennin!" Naruto roared.  Beside him, Sakura buried her face
in her hands.

        Temari looked angry for a moment, but then she laughed.  "Thank
you, Jiraiya-sama," she said.  "The medical safe-house will need to be
prepared," she continued.  "I can take you there as soon as you're
ready, Shizune-sama."  The woman nodded.

        Kankuro grunted.  "I've got access to the herb gardens, to make
my poisons," he said.  "Tell me what you will need."

        "I have a list," Shizune said.

        The puppet-user nodded.  "As for the rest of you, if you happen
to get a chance to kill that old bitch while you're doing this, feel
free."  He smiled angrily.  "Just save any puppets you can and give them
to me."

        "Kankuro," Temari said warningly.

        Jiraiya clapped his hands.  "All right," he said.  "I have a
plan.  I'm going to need four volunteers.  Well, three and Otokaze."  He
smirked.  "If Baki had been stupid and offered to come himself, I'd have
needed to insist on you."  Otokaze nodded slowly.

        "I'm coming," Naruto said.

        Jiraiya sighed.  "I knew it," he said.  "Fine.  You've actually
got more relevant experience than anyone else here."  He glanced at
Asuma.

        The jounin nodded once.  "All right."

        "We'll want a genjutsu user," Jiraiya said.  "I suppose we can
call in Yuuhi-san -"

        "If Naruto is going, I'm going."  Sakura's voice was firm.

        Jiraiya scratched at his head.  "I haven't had time to test you
on genjutsu, girl.  How good does Danzo say you are?"

        Sakura smiled grimly.  "I'm not totally incompetent, on my good
days."

        Jiraiya laughed.  "That's good enough for me, then.  We'll see
if you can learn the genjutsu you need in two days."

        "I might already know it, or a similar one," Sakura asked.
"What do you need?"

        "Something to beef up everyone's chakra presence, so they'll
seem too dangerous to mess with."

        Sakura's hands moved through seals.  "Demonic Illusion -
Murderous Purpose," she intoned, and a wave of obscenely powerful
killing intent swept the room for just an instant.

        Jiraiya nodded.  "You're in, girl," he said.

        "What will you be doing, Jiraiya-sama?" Shizune asked quietly.

        "I'm going to be keeping that old crone busy," he answered.
"She's been aching to get her hands on a copy of Naruto's seal since I
started talking with her."  He smiled grimly.  "I've got some partial
drafts that will keep us talking for a week."

        "So, what's the plan?" Naruto asked.

        "Do you remember how that Kabuto kid lured you away from Hojo's
estate?" Jiraiya asked.  Naruto thought for a moment, and then he
grinned.  "We're going to pin the blame on someone who deserves it, and
maybe focus the Sand council's attention where it needs to go," Jiraiya
continued, and then he began to go over the plan in detail.

***********************************************************************

Author's Random Rambling

1) Originally this chapter was going to cover Week Nine also, letting
the next chapter start with the exam finals.  Then I got a look at the
size of this thing (23,000 words!), and I decided this was a good
stopping point.  It'll help me shore up some problems I was having with
the next chapter, too.

2) Oddly enough, I believe Satetsu may be the first canonical character
I've killed in One Hundred Days/Weeks.  (Yep, he's actually nominally
canonical.  So is Otokaze.  Hooray for bit characters with names.)  I
suppose I did technically kill poor Oonoki, but he wasn't canonical when
I killed him, so I don't think that counts.

3) As always, thanks go to everyone who commented on the draft of this
story on The Fanfiction Forum.

4) Next time, in One Hundred Weeks, Chapter 4: For A Friend, Jiraiya's
plan goes into action.  The fate of Gaara of the Desert and the Hidden
Village of Sand hangs in the balance, and neither Chiyo nor Akatsuki are
going to give up without a fight.  And speaking of fights, the Chuunin
Exam finals are only a week away!

Draft Started: June 14, 2011
Draft Finished: July 10, 2011
Draft Released: July 11, 2011
Final Released: