Kakashi x Mina

Chapter 18 A Wounded Heart The Hokage Reborn

We then cut to after the one week bet and Segway to the main event of Tsunade's betrayal. However, she doesn't go through with it. The weakened Orochimaru would have been dead if not for the intervention of Kabuto. A part of Tsunade regrets the act though unbeknownst to her she had already assisted the rouge Sannin in gutting those pigs who cheated their game to seize the score of the legendary sucker. However, Tsunade blocked that part out due her trauma and phobia to blood. Nonetheless the overarching battle goes relatively unchanged outside of the inclusion of Sai who was running recon until being intercepted by Kimimaro. Sai was valiant but a Kimimaro that underwent a miraculous surgery by Lady Tsunade would prove to be overwhelming; Kimimaro didn't even have to use his curse mark. The only thing that was keeping Sai was cunning strategy, a bit of trolling, and being a smartass. Eventually Kimimaro's bone constructs began to cut through Sai's beast scrolls like a hot kunai through butter. Sai was outmatched and he knew it but for the mission, the village, and for Ino he had to hold the line.  Right when the enemy ninja was going for the finishing blow, Kimimaro was countered by the earth itself and nearly behead by the copy ninja's chidori. The wood and Lightning duo had arrived.

The root orphan would have been finished if it weren't for the sudden arrival of Kakashi and Yamato. The copy ninja scouts the situation. "Apparently this is one of Orochimaru's most devoted pawns yet he wasn't in play during Konoha crush. Care to explain guys?", Kakashi inquired. "To be fair Kakashi you're not black ops anymore so I'll give the basics. Our intel indicates that the boy in front of us is the last living member of the Kaguya clan. As such he could implement chakra and construct weaponry out of their very bones as long as there bodies could handle it. Most of them were wiped out in a conflict within the Land of Water. Long story short Orochimaru seems to gotten his hands on this one", Yamato briefed. "So essentially Orochimaru set up those perverts from the other night so he could use them as vessels for the reanimation of Tsunade's loved ones. Why not just perform the Immortality jutsu and restore his vitality in a new body?", Sai questioned. "Because when Lord Third sacrificed himself he sealed off the chakra and usage of his arms. Normally that would matter but the Reaper Death seal binds both the caster's and the victims' souls and imprisons them in a bottomless and eternal hell and damnation; truly a fate much worse than death", Yamato replied. "Even so Orochimaru has some deeper agenda regardless of this set back he's just tempting and confronting Lady Tsunade to keep up appearances. We have to resolve this and catch up to the others", Kakashi informed. "In service to Lord Orochimaru you won't leave here alive!!!", Kimimaro declared as he commenced the battle with the Konoha ninja. Kakashi though still weaken from his injuries prior was determined to win this fight. He was confident because he had his comrades alongside him. Using his sharingan he then copies and counters Kimiamro attempting to conserve chakra while Yamato prepared his wood release to intercept the enemy,s bone defense. Sai meanwhile deduces that since the enemy's still fighting them it seems Lady Tsunade has made her decision. "It seems like I won our bet Lady Hokage".  
The fight continues with Yamato's Wood style and Kimimaro's bones matching blow for blow while Kakashi and Sai waiting for an opening. Kimimaro despite his surgery, the young boy was up against two Anbu black ops jonin and an Anbu kid with increditble kenjutsu talent to boot. Kimimaro was be pushed to his limit and would have been finished if not for the sudden intervention of a massive puff of smoke. "Summoning jutsu be ready", Yamato advised "No!!!", Kakashi exclaimed as it turned out to be a reverse summoning jutsu. The copy ninja dashed but in his weaken state couldn't track the color of the caster's chakra. Kimimaro escaped as Orochimaro anticipated their plan from the very beginning. Kakashi grew frustrated at himself. He knew he wasn't in the best condition but he took on this mission anyway. Did he really let his feelings for Mina distract him that much?!
The next morning Kakashi and Yamato prepare to head back to Konoha to report their failure until Sai returns from Tanzaku declaring that Lady Tsunade accepted becoming the Fifth Hokage starting today. Yamato is elated while Kakashi is a bit melancholy. "What am I going to do?", Kakashi thought to himself as they began their route.
Meanwhile back at Tanzaku, Naruto hears the news that Lady Tsunade as accepted the job. He then badmouths like he does in canon and the knucklehead losses to the elderly woman again though this time she choses to kiss him on the forehead rather than pounding him. As they set out on their journey home Tsunade for the first time in a long time had found peace. She looked back at Naruto and thought back to Dan and Nawaki and promised them that she'll do her best and make them and the village proud.