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Tactical Deception	By : SmilesforSai Category: Naruto AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 1316 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I am not making any profit from the creation of this story. But you know, I thought that'd be kind of obvious...

Chapter List
- 1-Tactical Deception
- 2-A Wild Goose Chase
- 1
- 2
Tactical Deception

Chapter One: Enter: Nagisa Uchiha!
For reference: I’ve updated some things in this chapter, as they were incorrect. Nagisa’s age is nineteen, Itachi is twenty-five since it has been four years since the war and (somehow; to be explained later) he is still alive. I figure since he was twenty-one when he died, four years later should make him twenty-five. There is a five year difference between Sasuke and Itachi, so this would make the younger brother twenty. I could have made Nagisa the same age, but for some reason I’ve just decided not to.
Summary: More buttons needed pushing, and more chaos needed stirring. The idea of comfort in Konoha was always an illusion, but Sasuke was sure that his latest pain of a companion was very real.

A/N: REVAMP! Wow, is it great to be back! I've been on FF.net! I’ve managed to get past the wall that kept me from finishing this story earlier in the year. After vamping it up and correcting errors, it’s back up and I’m ready to complete it. I’ll be bouncing back and forth between What Matters Most and Tactical Deception until one of them is complete. Most likely, it will be this one first. Oh, AFF doesn't know about that, but I will post them here as well. Oh, goodness has my writing style changed! Anyway, let us get down to business, shall we?
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xXx
She stood atop the hill overlooking Konoha with a grin on her face and the tails of her coat waving in the wind.

She decided then that she would make the best of her stay.

"So this is the Leaf village, huh?" the woman asked, crossing her arms over her chest wrapped down to her mid-drift in black fishnet. She slid her hands down, finding a more comfortable position with them resting against her curvaceous hips.

Two garnet eyes shifted rather reluctantly from her long, slender legs and onto the circular red and white fanned emblem on the back of her coat. "Yes," said the voice, which belonged to the one with the same pair of eyes. A black-nailed hand moved to run his fingers through the swaying lengths of raven-colored hair. Catching a glimpse of him doing so, the woman turned and raised two fingers in the man’s direction.

He looked great, of course and the impressionable gleam in her eyes was enough to tell him that.

A breath of a laugh came from under a rather garish looking hat on the male Sharingan wielder’s head, riddled with bells and trinkets who’s purpose could only serve to attract as much attention as the pair's unmasked chakra signatures. With a thin line one could mistake for a smile spreading over his full lips, the woman's male partner lifted his hand and snatched the strange garment, bells jingling obnoxiously as he tossed the blasted thing away in the wind. A small hoot and a whistle came from the dark eyed girl as a way of expressing her approval.

“Oh, sensei. You don’t look a day over twenty!” she insisted, though truth be told her teacher was in his mid twenties.

"That's enough, Nagisa," the man's voice came in reply. Her chipper behavior easily dissolved under the weight of his admonishing tone and she ran and hand through the back of her dishelved jet locks. Her round, dark eyes settled on the man nearby her, looking up at him eagerly from under long lashes.

The man's eyes rested on his first and only student, taking in the very essence of her right down to the very chakra points in her body. He found himself recalling countless nights of the previous years where he had trained this girl and prepared her for the mission she was meant to go on today. He'd wordlessly suffered through every one of her childish tantrums, pushing her along through an amount of relentless training that, up until this moment had gone on for an impressive and memorable twelve years. Despite her lack of confidence, Itachi had made it clear that there was no other person he thought capable of doing what he meant for her to do. Every technique and every training session they went through was all for this day; all for this chance. The proud, capable woman standing so sure before him, so bright and radiating with energy and youth was not the same weak girl he had spared somewhere on a night of slaughter and betrayal so long ago.

The meaning behind her afforded existence was a testament to someone precious he could not thoroughly save on his own. It was not a thing that meant his redemption and he was long since done praying to be saved, but the sentiment behind the deed still brought a small smile to his lips.

"Sensei!" Nagisa exclaimed, her bubbly behavior shaking Itachi’s pendulous thoughts. His smile faded again into a shapeless, unmoving line. "Sensei, you said that the Leaf Village has a brand new Hokage. They're calling him Orenji, right? Kaze no Orenji! Like an orange whirlwind! But why does he get such a title?"

Since the start of their traverse to Konohagakure, Nagisa had been eager to learn everything she could about the village from her master, a former resident of the area himself. Her mission required no specific knowledge of it, however, and so Itachi was very vague in briefing her on the history of the land. He told her to seek out and befriend a certain man, while keeping a steady but distant eye on another. Both of those men, he'd said, were extremely important to the Leaf Village. Any potential changes involving the future of the village, as well as the world itself would all reflect on the actions of these two people.

…The seventh Hokage and his rivaling best friend.

Nagisa understood her reason for needing to become close to the Hokage. He was the center and the strength of the village. Her master hadn't told her this, but she figured he'd neglected because it was common knowledge. As for the Hokage's best friend, Itachi had said that she would not need to know the specifics. “You'll meet him as soon as you encounter the Hokage” Itachi had said. Either that or the man would come seeking her out, himself. It was an understatement to say that Nagisa's new mission hardly made any sense to her. Whatever reason her master had in sending her out for something so vague, she expected to learn after its completion. She would start out with what she thought would be the simplest task in all of this; finding the Hokage and earning his trust.

With his eyes roaming among the various colored buildings of the Leaf Village, Itachi took only a brief moment to consider the answer to his student's question. Of course, he knew the answer. Thinking about it even replaced the previously lost smile on his lips; hearing the faint laughter of children echoing somewhere further down into the streets of the village brought on an unexpected ache of nostalgia.

“Kaze no Orenji. Orenji Senpu," the man said quietly, allowing the words to blend in with the sound of the whirling breeze. Hearing her master say something softly, the young woman turned to where he now stood at a distance from her side.

"Huh?” Nagisa frowned. Her head tilted and her dark hues caught in the sunlight to reveal two deep pools of blue.

Itachi made no incentive to move, only allowing his senses to expand to his surroundings, including one that craftily combined all of them into one. Lifting his view from the unsuspecting little village, two carmine eyes adorned with three revolving black tear drops settled on the clear blue sky. Seconds before the large white clouds could reflect onto the orbs, with their tomoes spinning, the image was pulled inside. Evidently, nothing could withstand the ground-shaking awe of the Sharingan. With a power as rare and seemingly limitless as this, Itachi would initially find himself relishing the dumbstruck countenances of various past opponents. He did not feel compelled to project the illusion of death with any normal form of genjutsu, but instead drew them inside to witness it themselves. It was fun for a short time, but over the years of repetitive tact, it had begun to grow tiresome and the effectiveness of the sport began to wear away.

Finally deciding that her master was not going to answer, the younger Uchiha sighed and crossed her arms over her chest again. "If you aren't going to tell me anything else, can I go now? I'm starving and I've already located every restaurant in town,"

Itachi turned his eyes slowly upon his student with a dark brow raised. "You've done all that?" he asked, only showing half the amount of surprise he was feeling. His student nodded once.

“If you have done all of that, then I can assume you've already spotted the location of the Hokage's current whereabouts," Itachi's eyes slid half closed, turning again to give a side glance to his student; it was less of a question than anything else.

"Right, Nagisa?"

Nagisa's eyes were busily roaming the various planes of her master's toned upper body, only hidden in slight by the fishnet shirt that he wore. An open black coat lined in red and decorated with familiar, ominous red clouds waved out from both sides in the wind, giving her vision more access to the sun-kissed skin concealed beneath it. Whether he'd seemed to notice her oogling, he wouldn’t let on.

"Uh...right," she mumbled abashedly, forcing her eyes away from Itachi to settle on the town again. Her dark blue hues began to dim then, narrowing slightly as they scanned several large and different colored buildings and then taking on a garnet gleam. The familiar, tell-tale tomoes revolving around the dot of her pupil spun slowly and began their task. Nagisa figured that simply finding the Hokage would be an easy enough task. He was the leader of the village, and therefore most likely held the strongest chakra signature in the area.

"Do you see what you are looking for?" Itachi’s voice slipped through her concentrating thoughts. He slid his hands into the pockets of his black pants and lazed against the tree behind him.

Nagisa shortly glanced his way and did a double take, eyes widening at the large amount of blue chakra glowing within his very core. Her eyes could see his every chakra point, glowing like tiny dots among the narrow, intricate paths throughout his body. Trying to follow them was like trying to solve her way out of a maze with only her eyes. It was enough to make her head spin.

"Nagisa," Itachi’s warning tone came, snapping her out of her gaze. "Do not look at the paths, only the points on your target."

"Right…" she mumbled, feeling a little foolish for having become entranced by him again. That was just what he did to her, even quite literally with the very fibers of his being. To the core, she thought he was marvelous and beautiful; so intricate and so fascinating. One couldn’t help but notice the way those onyx eyes stared across the glowing afternoon horizon with a gaze of unknown longing, and how even his strides and gestures exuded mystery. His auras were maleficent and while it made her understand the initial discomfort in all of his opponents, it was something completely foreign to her and it didn’t ring true.

Sharingan or not, Nagisa saw nothing but kindness and a subtle hint of the past burdens he carried without complaint or expressing distress. She was grateful to have such a master who seemed to care for her unconditionally. This person was her savior among the tainted walls and the battered bodies of her memories...

And of all the times she had let him down; Itachi had never walked away from her. He'd said she had a special purpose.

He was never giving up on her.

With such thoughts still racing around in her mind, Nagisa turned her attention back to the town ahead, teardrops revolving slowly to a stop as she studied the various tiny dots of chakra cores in the area. While some were clearly stronger than others, this only led her to assume that these were the signatures of adults and younger shinobi. None of them were large enough to rival that of a Hokage's. With a frustrated frown, the young Uchiha let out a small sigh.

This was taking longer than she thought. She hoped Itachi wasn't disappointed.

"Look to the center of the village in the largest building," her sensei said, and as if on cue she saw it. The sight of it made her wonder how she hadn’t. Its density and its size were larger than anything she’d ever encountered. It made her wonder how anything that dangerous could also mean to be something protective. The sphere of steadily flowing chakra glowed and burned, so alive and powerful like a roaring orange fire. The signature, of course, was completely foreign to her, but she didn't need to understand it much right now.

A chakra glowing orange like fire… The Seventh Hokage, Orenji.

"It's so huge..." she said, her shoulders becoming lax from tension and her eyes to reverting to their normal ocean of navy blue. Itachi remained unmoved and she realized that he must have still been observing it as well. It was only after she saw the slight, muscular frame of his body relax that she knew that his concentration had been broken. He turned an onyx gaze upon her, orbs slid half open in a calm way that made the rest of his expression appear almost fatigued. Nagisa stared back at him, an owlish look on her face as she awaited his next words.

"You may go now," he finally said.

Nagisa stared at him a moment longer, wishing for him to say something more. This was it? That was all? Her master wasn't one for farewells or goodbyes. Had it been any of her previous missions, she would have set out shortly after brief instruction and a pat on her dishelved hair. Any other mission before this had been okay to procrastinate on, waste a little time.

But this mission...Itachi's behavior had never appeared so utterly serious to her before.

Nagisa's eyes trained on Itachi, watching him uncertainly as he retreated from the edge of the hill, leaving her to stand there on her own. He was going to leave. He was going to walk away as he had on every mission she'd ventured on, with the only hope being that she would return safely. It would be a while until they saw each other again; most likely longer than usual, considering the details of the mission.

Watching him walk passed her made something within her begin to cave. Was she sad that she wouldn't be able to see him for a little longer than usual?

No, the sentiment seemed to run deeper than that...

He was walking away from her without another word, leaving her with the odd memory of a brief instant where he had gazed at her with those kind, but stern eyes of his. Why did he look at her that way? Why didn't he at least tell her where she could contact him in case things got out of hand?

Something was wrong... Something—

"Sensei!" Nagisa whirled around just in time to see Itachi disappearing into the bushes. She heard no sound after this, but she knew that he couldn't already be gone. Abandoning the edge of the hill, the young woman sprinted across the short distance, pushing past the leafy shrubs and ignoring the pricking of the thorns that poked holes or snagged at the tails of her coat. Her eyes had been squeezed shut through the passing of the troubling greenery, but once she’d made it to the other side they were wide and alert, garnet orbs scanning desperately into the depths of the dark forest ahead. His chakra still lingered in the air, and she savored the scent of him still floating on the breeze. She longed for his presence for just a bit more, but she knew that he did not want to be followed.

Uneasiness stirred inside of Nagisa, as she reluctantly hacked her way through the clingy greenery tearing free of any thorny branches threatening to ensnare her; Stupid branches, stupid thorns and stupid leaves.

Stupid leaves…

Damnit.

Returning to the edge of the hill again, the kunoichi stared out at the town once again, hands on her hips and a faint smile lined of hope on her mouth. The long sides of her navy coat danced against the breeze and the emblem on her back seemed to shine under the rays of sunlight. This is it she told herself, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the large star. With a nod of resolve, the last surviving female of the Uchiha clan took a step forward, initiating her mission in the village hidden in the leaves.

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xXx

“Oh, no!”

The blond spikes poking out from the top of a shaking head whipped back and forth. Cerulean blue eyes moved across the room in an anxious manner from one familiar body to the next, their aged faces smiled at him eagerly. Whether they were genuine signs of happiness or maybe just a downright lie, Naruto Uzumaki generally didn't like the looks that the foursome before him was giving him.

He wasn't sure what to do.

"Come on, Naruto!" the soft voice of a pink haired woman pleaded green eyes tense and knowing they'd get their way. Oh, man...they’re all giving me those eyes! The blond groaned with disdain, worrying his lip between his teeth. He tried not to look too closely into each face within the small crowd in front of his desk.

They were all here; all of them. Their faces were so much more mature now, with that subtle hint of near adultness that the Rokudaime just couldn't overlook. His eyes roamed swiftly over the small trio, especially avoiding the face of his childhood crush. Even without having looked at him once, another pair of dark eyes stared holes into Naruto, almost willing them to look in their direction.

"Naruto!"

He couldn't resist anymore.

Naruto's eyes turned back to the newly formed team. Moegi was on the left, still sporting giant orange pigtails. She stood with her hands on her hips; a similar posture Naruto noticed that she'd adopted from her pink-haired sensei. To the right was Udon, still tired looking and still drippy-nosed. Naruto nearly rolled his eyes as genin gave an audible sniffle. Seriously, after all these years, one would have thought the boy would have learned the concept of a tissue by now!

Finally, and almost reluctantly, the Hokage's blue orbs turned to rest on the dark haired male in front of him. The boy took on a scowl as their eyes met, brows knitting in apparent frustration. Naruto couldn't even remember seeing him grow up this fast. Though, with all that had happened over the years, he supposed it made sense; both he and his younger rival had been so submersed in attending to their own separate duties. Naruto cracked a smile as he stared down at Konohamaru, who in turn gave a rather large grin of his own while stabbing his thumb out in Naruto's direction. It was in that very moment, that Naruto knew he had lost the debate.

The three of them would attend the C-ranked mission he had available for them along with their medic sense.

No ifs, ands or buts about it.

Restacking the mission reports on the desk in front of him, Naruto couldn't help but think of a time where he had played the same role as Konohamaru. Begging and pleading the Third for better, higher ranked missions and ending up getting more than he'd bargained for. Even after the Third had passed, there was always nagging the Fifth. The Fifth, however, had not been one to tolerate his complaints.

Ah, the Fifth. Granny Tsunade… He would certainly miss—

"Naruto!"

The sudden slam of the office door nearly knocking it off its hinges shortly followed after the feminine growl of his name. Instinctively, the blond wiggled from behind the wooden desk, bracing himself as a pair of liquid amber eyes glared daggers at him from across the room.

"Um, yeah Baa-chan?" Naruto squeaked, despite the lower octave of his masculine voice. There she stood, cheeks flaring up in anger like Naruto hadn't recalled seeing in such a long time. Still beautiful, and still ageless though having long ago passed on her title as Hokage, Tsunade the Fifth was very much still alive. The fact that she was now seething with unadulterated rage was proof of this.

"Lady Tsunade…" Sakura urged, turning around to see her former shishou. She twisted the hem of her mauve apron rather nervously between her fingers. "What's wrong?"

The woman continued to glare at the blond across the room, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out just what the hell he'd done wrong.

And hello? This was his office now, which meant from now on, every karate chopped desk, every broken window and every door ripped off its hinges would now be paid to be replaced with his own money. While under her name it had taken quite a beating, but most of the damage it had taken in the past had been the result of her angry fists, and other various things she could find to toss at them. After having once suffered her wrath and ending up in the hospital for one very long week, Naruto had taken care to avoid causing anything to flare up her storm of a temper.

So, what was it now?

"Naruto..." the blonde woman ground out between clenched teeth. The young Hokage was beginning to grow rather wary of her advance. Before the Sannin could come any closer, however, the coral-haired kunoichi stood up, daring to throw herself before the wrath of her sensei.

"Lady Tsunade, now just wait a moment! Please calm down and tell us what's wrong," Sakura pleaded, holding her hands up in a defensive manner. Sure, she was equally matched now with the woman whose strength was that of a hundred shinobi men, but even Sakura didn't want to risk being thrown out of an office window.

Tsunade stared intently at the girl standing before her and blockading her path. It seemed as though she were heavily contemplating on shoving her former apprentice aside to give the blond a good beating.

Finally, the remains of Tsunade's furious countenance dissolved and she righted herself, straightening up and crossing her arms.

"This morning, I went to my pool and found a pair of binoculars sitting by the edge of the step down," the woman explained slowly, her eyes narrowing in clear accusation.

So that was it, huh? Naruto's blue orbs lowered, graciously avoiding the angry glare of now both Tsunade and his former team mate. It was one thing to have the older woman looking at him so viciously; but Sakura too? He fought the urge to shake his head in disbelief; just like old times.

The trembling figure the blonde’s eyes slowly fell onto seemed to somehow physically minimize under his scrutinizing gaze. He knew his culprit was right under his nose, but the difficult decision was to come out and bust him. Naruto could recall without effort the amount of foolishly stupid things he had done to earn the same whooping Konohamaru was about to receive from the retired Godaime; still, he felt a rock of pity fall heavily into the bottom of his stomach.

Letting his face fall into his hands, blond fringe slipping through his fingers, the seventh Hokage knew what had to be done.

"Konohamaru..." Naruto's voice came out slightly muffled through his hand. "Did you...were you peeping at Baa-chan?"

"N-no…" came the small, corresponding reply.

"Idiot!" Sakura screamed, slamming her fist down onto her dark haired student's head. "Just what the hell were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Baa-chan, please don't throw me out the window!" Konohamaru cried, falling to his knees and clasping his hands together. "I was gonna, but I swear I didn't! It was just too embarrassing!"

"Embarrassing, huh?" Tsunade's left eye twitched. Konohamaru nodded quickly. "And you were gonna do it, huh?"

Again, the boy nodded; a mistake that he would soon regret.

Naruto, Sakura, and the sudden fraction of team Sakura could almost feel the bones aching in their own backs, as Konohamaru's body was tossed out of the office, slamming so hard into the wall of the hallway that it left a rather impressive indention. The genin groaned, limbs slowly coming away from the dented surface before falling forward and landing face down on the floor. After watching him writher there for about a minute or so, the group's eyes slowly adverted when his body became still.

"L-Lady Tsunade…" Sakura gave a small, nervous laugh. She appeared to be scrambling for a lack of reasonable words. "Shishou, you didn't have to—he’s just a boy…”

Ignoring the pink haired medic and with her countenance betraying no lingering amount of anger, the amber eyed woman brushed past Sakura and leaned over the Hokage's desk with a charming smile. It occurred to him for a moment that the swift change in attitude was a little unnerving, but he was soon too distracted for worry.

"Good afternoon, Naruto! How are things going for you?"

The seventh Hokage bit his lip in an apprehensive manner and scratched the back of his head, where his sunny locks had grown considerably long. Once or twice, he thought about getting a haircut but on a number of occasions, he'd been told how greatly he resembled his father. Overwhelmed at hearing this, Naruto abandoned the idea completely. He admittedly liked his new look, anyway.

Despite the fact that it’d been his life’s dream and something he’d been aiming for, for a very long time, he'd still felt a great amount of shock when he was told he'd become Tsunade's future replacement. He'd undergone apprenticeship status shortly after that, going through the motions with Tsunade teaching what he needed to know. It was all much harder than it appeared to him, but Naruto had resigned himself to carrying through and fulfilling his goal without reconsidering for a second. It was all worth it in the end. He really loved the job, but sometimes…

"Naruto."

Tsunade's voice snapped the blond back into attention. His eyes rose from the stacks of paper on his desk, relieved that they hadn't been roaming anywhere else.

"Huh? Oh, everything's okay here, Baa-chan," Naruto assured, offering one of his famously large grins. His answer seemed to satisfy the woman, as she stood to full height and stepped away from the desk. Her eyes were now on the small team in the room minus one. "Your mission will be delayed until tomorrow," she told Moegi and Udon. The boy looked up at her through a lensed gaze, attempting to wipe his nose. Tsunade sighed in exasperation and reached over to the desk to grab a tissue.

"B-but Lady Tsunade," Sakura's voice mumbled from across the room. She was standing in the door way and examining Konohamaru’s unmoving body. "Sasuke's team has already returned. Shouldn't we be leaving today?"

From behind his desk, Naruto jolted upright and curled his fingers around the underside of his desk, the rest of Sakura’s sentence suddenly lost on him after hearing only one word that left a cold pang in his chest.

Sasuke…

It'd been a while since Naruto had actually seen him. Since he'd been completely freed from prohibition, the Uchiha rarely wandered into town. He instead remained secluded in his new home, which had graciously been given to him solely upon the request of Naruto himself. The council was a little skeptical about not having him within the immediate confines of the village to keep a closer eye on, but the way Naruto saw it, it was only a lesser means of imprisonment. For true liberation, the Uchiha needed a fresh breath of air and to visit his clan’s old compound. He’d chosen a location within its vicinity where a house was built, and within a few months time he settled there.

At the redeemed Uchiha’s initial reappearance in the Leaf Village shortly after the war, there was hardly a single person who wasn’t in favor of his indefinite restriction.

After a lot of private meetings and discussions with the council, the town had decided to confine Sasuke to an entire three years without use of any jutsu. He was sentenced to a special sector in shinobi prison where the use of chakra was ineffective and his blood line limit was sealed. Tsunade had even subjected him to weekly remedial treatment with one of Konoha’s top therapists, hoping it would serve as an outlet for the Uchiha’s extended mental stress for the next couple of three years.

Three years seemed to go by fast in Naruto's eyes, and never once did he have to go a day full of worry over his best friend’s dishelved condition. Much against the Uchiha's desire, his best friend made it a point to visit Sasuke every day up until the time of his release.

But a year had gone by since he had been freed now. Naruto thought it was kind of strange that Sasuke was still isolating himself inside his house, with the exception of missions on his lonesome or with his team.

"I'm sorry," Tsunade’s voice broke cleanly through Naruto's thoughts. "But Konohamaru is no longer in any condition to carry out the mission. He should be fine tomorrow, but if you think you should move forward with the mission, you should send another—“

"Baa-chan," Naruto interrupted quietly, folding his hands into his lap. The room then descended into a wavering silence, and all eyes focused on the man half lazing behind his desk with his piercing blue eyes set with meaning on the medic Sannin. A pretty red colored her cheeks, and shifting with slight discomfort, she crossed her arms around herself and glanced away.

No longer was she in charge of dealing those kinds of orders; sometimes it was hard to remember. The boy whom she had taken in as her own second apprentice was now grown and capable of making decisions that would determine that safety of the people around him. Whatever he decided was what would be the final decision. Fifth Hokage nodded solemnly, indicating that she understood.

"I apologize, Naruto. You're right,"

Naruto offered a smile that came easy, and let his hands unfold as he stretched his arms across the table with a lion-like yawn. "It's no problem, Baa-chan. Old habits die hard, huh?"

Tsunade returned his smile in kind. "Yeah," she said quietly, and then turned to the doorway. "I guess they do..."

The fraction of team Konohamaru, Naruto and Sakura watched Tsunade step out into the hall, briefly disappearing around the corner after picking up the unconscious child on the floor and taking him with her. The tension in the room had finally evaporated, and the seventh Hokage let out a great sigh while smacking his head down onto his desk.

"That lady…" he whispered, half afraid she was still lurking around. From across the room, Sakura also sighed and looked at her remaining two team mates, unsure of what to do since their mission had been preempted. They could all still go, if that was Naruto's decision. Of course, it would take some time for Konohamaru's injuries to heal.

Naruto contemplated the idea of sending another team. Would it make a difference? Not really, though the afternoon was getting late and he would've preferred to have sent them sooner.

Naruto picked his spiky blond head up from his desk and was met with the expectant green-eyed gaze of Haruno Sakura.

Sakura…

So pretty and sweet, though without a doubt still very capable of packing a mean punch. He still found her very attractive, even more so with how she'd matured into such a capable woman over the years. However, he'd given up on the fantasy of ever being with her, and she'd given up on Sasuke just as well. Unfortunately, while he had no other person to lust after, Sakura had...

The sound of the office door opening rather slowly made Naruto perk up in his chair. He had to remember to look presentable, and attractive.

Okay, well maybe not attractive. He could only hope to get by with the first one…

A familiar, pale face slowly peeked into the door way, baring a smile so huge and fake, Naruto found himself crumpling up a recent mission report in both hands. Feeling the heat of anger leave his face after realizing the stupidity that the fleet of jealousy had brought about, he unfolded the paper and attempted to smooth it out again. All better he told himself, and then put on a smile just as fake for the thin, ghostly man who slipped into his office without a sound.

Just like the ANBU nin he was.

And then he took the hand of the girl Naruto used to love.

Just like the jerk he's always been!

"Sai, you're back!" Sakura said brightly, looking up to greet the young artist with a smile. Her fingers curled around the pale hand that held onto her fair one. The blond made a small sound of disgust in the back of his throat, but the couple appeared to be lost on his presence at the moment.

To Naruto, Sakura and Sai seemed completely mismatched. When he found out that they'd started dating, he'd wrestled with the thought in his mind for weeks until he had come to the startling realization that it didn't even matter. At first glance, Sai seemed nothing more than an incredibly pale version of Sasuke. That and the guy would brush off any girl that fawned over him as if they were a speck of dirt on his canvas.

But over time, Sai had begun to surprise everyone. He’d developed something Naruto could moderately call a personality. It would become apparent when he expressed his likes by wearing an honest smile and his dislikes by sporting a fake one. He'd even gone as far as to tell Naruto what he thought of his new hairstyle.

"It's atrocious,” Sai had deadpanned, not even trying to humor him with a smile."You look like a woman. Please seek the appropriate professionals, and correct the problem immediately".

Being the new and improved young man that he was, Naruto had effectively repressed the urge to tell the ANBU he was about to correct the arrangement of his face.

"I would have been back sooner, but I picked up a strange chakra signature on the outskirts of the village," Sai replied, his dark eyes shifting to Naruto. He flashed the Hokage a cheesy smile as if he hadn’t noticed the blond before.

"A strange chakra signature?" Sakura repeated, taking vague consideration in the silent quarrel of facial expressions going on between her two companions. Naruto’s face fell at the new revelation and he leaned forward more attentively at his desk.

"What do you mean? What was it like?"

As of late, the village had been safe and secure. In fact, there had hardly been a single threat to surface since the fourth shinobi war. Since the time of the catastrophe, however, there had been rumors that one of the Akatsuki members still remained alive, though currently dormant as far as associating in the ninja world. These were definitely rumors though, as Naruto had been sure to deal with the majority of the sinister group himself. All of them were, without the slightest doubt in the Hokage’s mind, were dead and gone.

Even so, as the Naruto listened to his former team mate resume his explanation, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of dread.

"It was a strong chakra signature. The shinobi had been considerably reckless, not even bothering to hide it. I did a lap or so around the area, but came to nothing,"

Naruto frowned and tapped two fingers thoughtfully against his lips. From what Sai had described, the threat only appeared to be minimal. And besides that, the shinobi had already left before he could be discovered. Had he sensed Sai following his trail? They couldn't be certain, but he also couldn't let even something this small be passed off as an empty threat.

"Sai," the blond said, threading his fingers together on his desk. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"No Hokage-sama," the pale boy replied. Naruto blinked a couple times, taken for a moment by the honorific Sai had tacked on, and then he righted himself.

"Alright… I'll speak to Kotetsu and Izumo about this. I'm going to ask them if they've seen anything strange."

"But, Naruto…" Sakura spoke up. For a moment, he almost forgotten she was there.

"It’s fine," the blond assured, waving a hand dismissively at the medic. "Just send 'em my way if you happen to see them. Okay?"

Sakura looked reluctant to agree, but she nodded anyway. Being his first assistant, she understood that it was best not to argue.

"Anyway, is there anything else you two need?" Naruto was trying his best to avoid the unsettling topic of the Akatsuki, which seemed to be a place where there conversation might be headed. Sakura shook her head, shortly dismissing herself while taking Udon and Moegi along with her. Sai, however, appeared to have more to say.

A lot more.

"Naruto, I didn't want to say this in front of Sakura, because it might upset her. But there is also...something else I saw,"

The intensity of Sai's dark stare made Naruto's heart beat a little faster in his chest. Whatever Sai was about to say next, he got the feeling that it wasn't good.

TBC

A/N: Gonna be uploading these pretty fast. I’m taking them out of my old AFF account and revising them. I have improved so much since I first started writing there. It’s fun to correct everything, but also a little embarrassing.

Anyway, I’m not really one for OC stories. In fact, I really don’t like them. I think the trouble with these kinds of fan fictions is that every story seems to surround only that character and nothing else ever goes on, and it tires out really quickly. I’m really trying to set a nice solid background story and work in a lot of different little side plots to balance everything out. I want this to feel like a story that has the depth to it that I cannot find in most OC stories.

Anyway, expect to see more chapters up, as it’s all written out and waiting to be revised.

-Smiles
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Tactical Deception