Inside the Hokage's Office
Tsunade stood by her desk, cluttered with the endless paperwork of a village in mid-reconstruction after the attack. She had just finished securing the storage scroll containing the bodies of the Sound Four... a necessary prize for her future plans. Slipping the scroll into a secure drawer, she glanced toward the window in the direction of the hospital.
"Naruto had finally woken up. He should be throwing quite a tantrum right about now," she thought, bracing herself for the inevitable headache.
Before she could dwell on it, the office doors creaked open. Might Guy strode in, his usual blinding youth... behind him stepped Kimimaro. The youth looked profoundly uncomfortable, tugging subtly at the collar of the vibrant green bodysuit. It was a bit too loose on his frail frame, contrasting sharply with his pale skin.
Tsunade watched Kimimaro's clothes, then shifted her gaze to Guy. A quiet sense of relief washed over her. "Excellently done, Guy," she thought. "So he actually managed to reach this kid. I won't have to worry about constantly monitoring his actions for a while if he's under Guy's watch."
"Lady Tsunade!" Guy announced, stepping aside and placing a heavy hand on Kimimaro's shoulder. "Allow me to introduce my newest student. Kimimaro!"
Kimimaro shifted his shoulder, attempting to nudge Guy's hand away with a polite gesture to the one who made him enlighten his new technique. "Mr. Guy, I would appreciate it if you didn't..."
"Call me Guy-sensei!" Guy interjected, flashing a trademark grin with its usual spark of teeth.
Tsunade cut through the looming bickering, leaning against her desk. "Team Guy will have Kimimaro as an additional member. Until I decree otherwise," she turned her eyes directly to the young Kaguya, "you will go on missions exclusively with Team Guy. Furthermore, the next weekly dose of your medical treatment will be administered directly through Guy."
Kimimaro stared back, with a flicker of disdain. "Hokage Tsunade, I am better off working on my own. A bunch of Genin are only going to get in my way. My skills would be put to far better use performing direct, high-level tasks for your village."
"You don't need to worry about that," Tsunade replied coolly. "In Konoha's current vulnerable state, Team Guy will be staying within the village perimeter to assist with the rebuilding efforts. Since Neji and Rock Lee were severely injured and recovering, we need every hand we can get. She mainly needs Guy in the village.
As she spoke, Tsunade kept her deeper reasoning to herself. "I could easily throw Kimimaro into the ANBU," she mused. "He has the lethality for high-risk assassination missions. But if he is ever going to form a genuine attachment to this village, he needs to see more than just blood and orders. Helping to rebuild, witnessing the normal civilians and their everyday grief and resilience... that will teach him their is a life beyond Orochimaru."
Reaching into her drawer, Tsunade pulled out a metal plate fastened to a long blue fabric band. She slid it across the desk. "Kimimaro, here is your headband. You are officially a Genin of the Hidden Leaf."
Kimimaro looked down at the symbol of the swirling leaf. "Do I really need to wear that? I don't see any point in putting it on."
"Well, you have to," Tsunade pushed, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You represent Konoha now, when you go out on missions."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Kimimaro picked up the fabric. He wrapped it tightly around his left upper arm, knotting it securely.
Guy practically vibrated with excitement, throwing his arms up. "A spectacular start! We are absolutely celebrating your promotion to Genin! I knew you could make it!"
Kimimaro merely sighed.
"You both are dismissed," Tsunade said, waving them out.
~~
The hallway has the fresh cracks in the wall where someone had clearly thrown a fit. Tsunade pushed open the door to Naruto's room. Inside, the space was crowded. Jiraiya leaned against the back wall, Kakashi stood quietly by the corner, and the Three Sand Siblings... Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro... stood near the foot of the bed.
Naruto was already sitting up, despite the heavy bandages wrapping his shoulders and knees. The moment he saw her, he practically shouted, "Granny Tsunade! Any news on Sasuke and where did he went to?"
"You are in no position to be going after anyone," Tsunade said firmly. "I have already dispatched highly qualified tracking teams to pursue Sasuke. Right now, your only job is to focus on your recovery and getting stronger."
She looked over his freshly dressed wounds, noting the severe bruising. "How did he sustain these injuries?"
Before Naruto could complain, Gaara spoke up, his voice low. "It was Kimimaro. What I fail to understand, Hokage, is why that criminal is currently walking free through your halls instead of being locked down in a maximum-security cell."
Tsunade's gaze hardened as she turned to the young Sand shinobi. "This is an internal Konoha matter, Gaara."
"And I am saying that Konoha is not doing a great job handling it," Gaara retorted, his green eyes locked onto hers.
Tsunade began rolling up her sleeves, a dangerous spark in her eye. "Oh? And whose fault is it that our forces are stretched so thin?"
"Tsunade, enough," Jiraiya interjected, stepping forward to break the tension. "We have far more pressing matters to attend to right now. And frankly, I want the Suna shinobi to hear this too."
The room quieted down. "There is a criminal organization called the Akatsuki. They are actively targeting Tailed Beasts. We have already encountered two of their operatives: Itachi Uchiha, a rogue from our own village, and Kisame Hoshigaki, a rogue from the Hidden Mist."
Jiraiya shifted his gaze, focusing on the kanji for love carved into Gaara's forehead. "They are hunting the Jinchuriki. Which means they could very well be coming after you, Gaara. It's highly likely there are rogue shinobi from your own village involved in this Akatsuki as well."
Leaning in, Jiraiya made his pitch. "So, I propose an intelligence exchange. If you have any information on high-level Suna missing-nin, we need to know."
Gaara closed his eyes briefly. "None that I am personally aware of."
Beside him, a cold sweat broke out on Kankuro's forehead. He shifted uncomfortably before speaking up. "Actually... there is one rogue shinobi I know of. His name is Sasori of the Red Sand. He assassinated our Third Kazekage at the mere age of eighteen. It was one of the most shameful, heavily buried incidents in Suna's history so it was never spoken about."
Kankuro looked toward Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-san, since you took the liberty of sharing information about a rogue from your own home, I'm sharing this in the hope it might save lives. Though, to be honest, I don't know for certain if he has joined this Akatsuki that you're speaking of."
Temari let out a breath she seemed to have been holding, looking at her brother. "You might have just saved our brother's life by bringing that up." She turned to the Leaf ninja. "We would like to exchange any information regarding the abilities of the Akatsuki members you've encountered so far."
Gaara was surprised but not shocked as he was never made aware of such things... even though he was a child of the previous Kazekage.
Amidst the heavy political talk and the looming threat of Akatsuki, Naruto didn't say a word. He didn't care about the criminal organization, and he didn't care about the history of the Sand Village.
He just turned his head, staring blankly out the window. "Where are you, Sasuke?" he thought, clenching his jaw.
~~
you can support me @ patreon.com/aizenDuchiha0