Utatane Koharu's world had collapsed. There was no other way to describe the events that were unfolding before her and Homura. He stood, much as she did, in the stands of the stadium slack-jawed as the violence raged around them. It was fortunate they were old. They were not important enough for the sound, or Suna to target. Not whilst there were active Konoha shinobi to worry about.

It was how they had been the only ones to notice as Root had shattered the barrier that trapped Hiruzen, Jiraiya and the traitor in with each other. At first, their hearts had soared as Danzou's men had cut down the shinobi that had erected the barrier. There may still have been time to save their old friend.

Betrayal was the bitterest of pills to swallow, made all the worse by the fact that it was, at least partly, one of her own making.

Below them, the chaos shifted, resonating with the events above. Figures all in black weaved through the clamour of battle, unnoticed until their blades met flesh. These new presences were indiscriminate. Konoha shinobi fell, surprised and screaming, as often as their enemies.

"He is eliminating his opposition," Homura said grimly, face hard, and Koharu thought she saw a hint of resignation in his eyes.

"Now that Danzou has chosen this path, he will not allow any fragment of Hiruzen's way to survive. The price of this coup will be steep, paid for by the blood of our own."

Koharu had never been one to wallow in regrets. She had made mistakes aplenty but she had learned from them and then been sure to keep moving forward. Wallowing would not help Konoha. However, she regretted this. Regretted not seeing the seeds of treason in her old teammate. Regretted her part in those seeds germinating.

They hadn't known. But they should have.

Shadows coalesced before them into men, blades gleaming in the mid-afternoon light. Neither she nor Homura moved, even as several more appeared behind them. There was no escape from their fate, both had known it the moment Danzou had driven his sword into Sarutobi's heart. As much as they had agreed with Danzou's criticisms of the Third, he knew they would never abide by his betrayal here.

Koharu raised her head, held her eyes firmly open in the face of death. Behind her killers, upon the rooftop in the distance, a glimmer of white in the sun caught her eye. A white snake, carefully making its way down from the site of Sarutobi's battle with Orochimaru. Danzou had already turned his attention to the fleeing Jiraiya. Nobody besides her had seen it.

Blades fell upon her in a flurry, and Utatane Koharu died knowing that one way or the other, she would be avenged.

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Jiraiya staggered into the clearing, ragged, gasping breaths shattering the tranquillity. If he had the energy, or perhaps if his mind hadn't been a whirlwind of grief and panic and frigid rage, he'd have whistled at the level of destruction that had been wrought here.

Sand covered the area. Jiraiya could see it across plants and bushes, caught between leaves and stuck in every possible crevice available to it. Trees had been torn from the ground and tossed wholly across the forest. Fresh pools of water occupied newly-made craters scattered irregularly throughout and in stark contrast, some isolated trees were engulfed in flame, sending plumes of thick, black smoke reaching to the sky.

He shifted towards his reason for being here, wincing as his ribs reminded him they were broken. Naruto lay on the floor, having clearly passed out on his feet. His opponent, Gaara was several feet away, similarly unconscious but covered in his own blood.

Even in the dire circumstances, the Sannin. couldn't resist a proud grin. The sealing plan had evidently not worked and Naruto had been forced to go toe to toe with an out of control jinchuuriki. And he had won. At any other time in Konoha's history, Jiraiya would be carrying Naruto back to Konoha and to a hero's welcome.

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The smile faded.

Ignoring the pain, Jiraiya knelt next to his apprentice and checked for any wounds. Remarkably, there were none serious enough to require immediate medical attention. Jiraiya raced through some handseals and bit his thumb, channelling what little chakra he could afford to into summoning.

"Kekkai: Gama Hyōrō."

Hyōrō burst into life next to Naruto, snapping to attention as he realised who had summoned him. The crimson toad glanced sideways at Naruto and started, concern flashing across his face.

"Kami Jiraiya-kun. I'd heard the kid had summoned Bunta-sama for a fight-"

Jiraiya raised a hand, cutting off the talkative toad before he could build up a head of steam.

"There's no time, Hyōrō, we need transport to Mt. Myōboku. And fast."

The toad gave him a once-over and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly when he noticed the state of the Sannin.

"Say no more, Jiraiya-kun. I'll have you both there in a flash."

The toad opened his mouth to begin the jutsu that would transport Jiraiya and Naruto into its stomach, but a weak voice halted them.

"Wait."

Jiraiya turned to the source of the noise, the Suna jinchuuriki, and frowned as the boy began to drag himself to his feet.

"Gaara is it? Be very careful. My apprentice here graciously spared your life despite your intention to slaughter his friends and neighbours. I'm in no mood for such mercies."

"I am beaten," the boy said wearily, exhaustion weighing heavily on his voice, "I have no intention of fighting anymore."

"Then what is it you want? Speak quickly!" Jiraiya demanded.

"The demon… this is the first time in a long time… I can't hear it. There is peace in my mind… He mentioned you were a seal-master?"

Jiraiya felt pride well up inside him so explosively he thought he might burst, and he couldn't resist a glance at his sleeping apprentice. Of course you tried to help him, even while he tried to kill you. Fool boy. He turned his attention back to Gaara.

"There has been a coup in Konoha. It's no longer safe for Naruto to be here. Get yourself and your siblings away. You'll have to come find us. It won't be easy and I can't make any promises, but I will do what I can to help you with your burden."

With that, Jiraiya turned back to Naruto and Hyōrō began to prepare his jutsu once more. Just as he and Naruto were being drawn into the toad, Jiraiya caught two, rasped words from the boy they were leaving behind:

"Thank you."

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Asuma darted through the trees, carefully controlling his pace despite the adrenaline and fury flowing through him. Now was not a time for the rash impulsiveness that had dominated his youth - he needed to reign himself in. Life must come before blood.

"Asuma-sensei, should we really be leaving Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei? They're going back to the village!"

He turned to glance at Ino, eyes full of fear and confusion and was filled with empathy for the young girl. She would be a true shinobi with time, but her entire life had collapsed today. It had been battle enough to stop her from heading back to Konoha in search of her mother and father.

"Kakashi-sensei knows what he's doing," Shikamaru responded, eyes tight and hard, "it wouldn't surprise me if he already had a plan - Sasuke too for that matter."

"Shikamaru is right," he said firmly, "and even if Kakashi didn't have a plan, we'd be better off fleeing in different directions and making it harder for Root to track and pursue us. The more groups and directions that we break off into, the wider they have to cast their net."

"And the bigger the cracks we can slip through are," Shikamaru finished for him.

"But why are they going through so much effort to find us all - we're only Genin?" Ino asked, and Asuma realised she was even more stressed than she was letting on. Ino was more than bright enough to connect the dots.

"Because you are the heirs to Konoha's major clans," Asuma answered, "you may not be powerful shinobi in your own right now, but if Danzou can control the clan heirs, he can control the council. Both now, and in the future. No clan head will want to risk their heirs in open defiance."

"So the more of us escape, the more tenuous Danzou's hold on power will be?" Shikamru asked, and Asuma nodded.

Ino was quiet for a moment, before muttering, "and that's not even counting how easily someone can be turned if you press the right buttons, turn the right screws…" her voice trailed off, and Asuma knew that she was crying without even having to look.

"We'll find a way to save him, Ino. I swear we will," Shikamaru's voice was iron-hard, but Asuma knew well the fear that it hid.

Asuma said nothing in response. He was too old, too steeped in the world of shinobi. He couldn't make the promises or give the reassurances that Ino and Shikamaru wanted from him. The absence of it reverberated between the three of them like an explosion, and the silence screamed terribly in their ears.

They ran.

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One chapter remains...