For a whole day, Naruto had been wondering just how to strike up a conversation with Kurotsuchi.
He never had known the girl well.
They fought together, even once they'd argued over tactics a day before one of the battles but he'd never sat down and had a conversation with the girl.
There'd never been any time for that.
But generally, his impression of the girl, both then and now were thus.
Pissed off, proud, stand-offish, likes sticking pointy things into people she finds annoying.
And right now, being the only Iwa native in a group consisting entirely from Hi-no Kuni, Iwa's most hated enemy, she was probably even more pissed off and stand-offish.
So, all n all, he had no idea how to actually breach a conversation with her.
So he did what he normally did when uncertain how to approach a problem.
Bull-rushing it head on.
"Hi, I'm Naruto. What's your name."
"None of your business." she snarled after turning to him, growling as she waited for the men to finish setting up the camp.
"That's a weird name." He persisted, hoping the tried and true tactic of persistence would serve him well enough here.
Only Sakura had been immune in his experience.
Kurotsuchi's lip curled and he has the distinct impression that if she had a knife on her, she would have made him infinitely more familiar with it.
She all but jabs her hand into his chest, pushing him back with every harsh blow as she hisses out her words. "Look leaf. You're not my friend. I don't want you to be my friend. Get the hell away from me and stay away!"
She turns and stalks off, leaving Naruto to rub his chest in phantom pain, looking sadly at the girls back.
"People need a friend when they're so far from home." He muttered to himself, knowing it to be true.
He'd try again tomorrow. Any more today and it might just piss her off even more.
-0-
The message came to them in the dead of night, the wings of the owl were almost silent, the woosh of air brushed against Roshi's face as he raised his arm, the beast landing there, allowing him to unfurl the message attached to its talons.
The beast flew away letting the old man's eyes pass over the scratched words on the parchment.
Han said nothing.
"Our orders have changed it seems." He drawled.
The armored man grunted.
-0-
"How will you proceed?" Koharu asked, staring at his back.
"If the Uchiha want a battle then the best thing to do is let them spring their little coup." Homura interjected. "Now that we know they're coming, we can prepare adequately and cut down the co-conspirators publicly."
"Such bloodshed would be too costly." Sarutobi hummed where he stood at the window "Too many injured. Too many dead. The rumors of our vulnerability will escalate beyond the point of our control. Few villages can quietly bear the loss of so many no matter what we might feel for the Uchiha."
"That and their position as the police force does aid in Konoha's internal stability to a degree." Danzo drawled, bandaged and solemn.
"So again, what are you going to do Hiruzen?" Koharu demanded.
The old monkey breathed in the smoke of his pipe. "We still have a handful of days before Magojiro-dono is set to arrive and even more time before he leaves. They will not move until after he's goneit will give Okami time to investigate their dealings and how far deep the treachery goes. From there we'll see just how deep we must bury the knife in our own flesh to cut out the cancer of treachery."
The other three were quiet for a moment before-
"What of Itachi?" Danzo drawled.
"What of her?"
"She is the tip of the Uchiha's intended spear. Kill her and that spear is splintered."
Hiruzen breathed out the smoke in his lungs. "I will not repay loyalty, with treachery. She brought us the information that lets us sit here and plan now."
"At the very least she should be hidden away. Removed so the Uchiha can't use her and don't attack nearly so early." Koharu suggested.
"Both those suggestions might tip our hands." Homura put forward.
"We could always give concessions."
The words made all three advisers pause turning to look at Sarutobi's back as though a head was growing out from between his shoulder blades.
"Concessions?" Danzo spat. "Under the threat of rebellion...you want to give concessions? What's next?" The man spat. "You'll give your title if they just ask nicely?"
Hiruzen turned, dumping out the tobacco leaves into an ash tray with three quick taps of his pipe. "Fugaku wishes for more of his clansmen to be out in the field. Why not? We are short handed as it is. He wishes for some lands to expand the district and the possibility of opening up certain parts of their district to the public. Why not?" He shrugged. "Seems these are all minor concessions that save me plenty of headache."
Homura's eyes narrowed. "Have you forgotten what Tobirama sensei always warned us of? How Madara Uchiha tried to kill both him and Hashirama-sama several times, how the Uchiha had to be kept in line in order to ensure the stability of the village. If you allow them to gain too much influence they'll seek to control the village in a perversion of Hashirama's ideal."
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