Connecting the Dots--A Naruto/DCAU crossover

Reunion

"The Raikage's losing his grip on things." Shikaku leaned against the wall of the Hokage office, a deep frown underlying his grim words. "This attack is insane."

"Desperate. Desperate sounds better," commented Kakashi idly, surveying the charts on the table before him.

Tsunade, seated on a low couch across the opposite wall, shook her head. "I think enraged would be more appropriate. His brother's death hit him hard, you know that."

"Enraged is good." Kakashi nodded, glancing up. "But desperate still fits better. The loss of the Hachibi is tactical as well as personal. Not only does Madarra get even closer to the Juubi, he gets all the Hachibi's chakra. Which, as we know, allows him to form even more Zetsu soldiers."

Tsunade shrugged. "Those are so much kunai fodder. The alliance has been slicing them to bits, what difference are a few more, or even a few thousand more, going to make?"

But Shikaku was shaking his head. "We're not talking a few thousand. The Hachibi is the second-greatest beast, its chakra would increase Madarra's holdings exponentially, especially now that he's kidnapped Yamato. Based on the makeup of the Zetsu's we've examined, we could be looking at anywhere from twenty to thirty thousand more attackers."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Twenty thousand?"

"The one chance is that Madarra probably hasn't formed them yet." Kakashi rubbed his headband-covered eye. "So a strong attack, right now, has a good chance of smashing the reinforcements before they become a real problem."

"I understand that bit," growled Shikaku. "What I DON'T understand—" he crossed the room in two quick strides and jabbed a finger at Kakashi's charts, "—is the decision for the Kumo group to go straight up the center like that. Or the decision for the Alliance leader to be at its head." A snort escaped him. "Or rather, I think I understand, but I don't agree."

"No. And you and everyone else made that rather clear at the meeting. But the Raikage IS the leader, for better or for worse."

"Not for much longer, if he keeps it up like this."

Kakashi nodded ruefully. "Mifune did think, at the beginning, that his brother's death would make him too volatile." He sighed and rubbed his eyes again. "Never thought being Hokage would involve so many troublesome politics." Turning to Tsunade, he suggested hopefully, "I don't suppose you'd want your old job back?"

"Ha. Not a chance. I took the job for that brat, and I think I did alright, but my time's over. I did my part. Anyway, switching leaders in wartime generally doesn't go over well."

"Thought you'd say that." Kakashi sighed, slumping in his seat. "But if something doesn't change soon, Kumo will be changing leaders, and so will the alliance. I don't want to think how THAT might end up."

"Could be you," grinned Tsunade, clearly enjoying this.

"Don't even say that." Kakashi scratched at his headband. "Man, I must've gotten some dust in my eye or something. Anyway, we have bigger problems. With the Hachibi taken, Madarra will be able to concentrate fully on the Kyuubi. He might find a way to follow Naruto."

"How?"

"I don't know, do I?" Kakashi gave an irritable shrug. "But if he does, Naruto's all by himself in that dimension. Well, he's with the other rookies, but you know what I mean." His finger worked up under the headband and began to massage his hidden eye. "Madarra could take the last tailed beast without using any of his Zetsus at all."