AN: Okay, I've been asked, repeatedly, "when is the next chapter coming out"? I thought I made it perfectly clear that this is a side project, something I work on when I have no ideas for one of my other stories. That isn't likely to change as I pretty much have to make up everything that has to happen. I'm hardly going to allow myself to be bound by Canon here, so I have to go off the reservation, so to speak.
In other words: patience, I'll update when I update, and nothing you say will get it done any faster.
Thanks to Dreaming of the Moon for his Beta work again.
Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Huntik
Chapter 09: Politics, the Most Annoying!
Naruto stood uncomfortably amidst the gathered Konoha Council. He never liked being singled out, and with all eyes on him he was definitely feeling singled out. The fact that he was standing alone was a moot point.
His girls were waiting outside, to stand as "character witnesses" due to this meeting being called to verify his claim to the Uzumaki and Namikaze names, officially at least. It didn't really matter to him if he took the Namikaze name, he had been "Uzumaki" for too damned long to change it now. So he pretty much had every intention of not bothering with his father's name.
The doors opened, breaking Naruto from his train of thought, and showing Tsunade entering. It was almost time for the meeting to begin, but Danzo wasn't present yet. At least, Naruto didn't think he was. There certainly wasn't anyone who looked like a crippled old man, which was how Danzo was described to him.
'Oh, there he is. Limping and leaning on that cane just enough to give the impression of an injured old man doing his duty, but there's also the slightest hint of an arrogant swagger. Gotta be him,' Naruto thought as the door opened again to admit the seemingly-crippled elder, who seemed somewhat surprised by Naruto's presence.
"It is there, Champion. My brother's ring is hidden within the robes he wears," Arc said softly, whispering within the vaults of Naruto's mind.
"Well, isn't that convenient? He actually brought it with him," Naruto replied. "I'll admit that I didn't think he would."
"Some people simply do not allow an unknown out of their sight if they can help it" Arc said.
That was true, as unknowns often represented a dangerous element. If you didn't know about your people, there was the chance that one of them was a spy. If you didn't know what a particular seal did, you could blow yourself up when you tried to make it. If you don't know how to use a weapon, you have just as much of a chance to harm your allies as you do the enemy. In that regard alone, Danzo's decision to bring Demigorgon's ring with him was technically correct.
Too bad that was a technicality, and Danzo had yet another "unknown" to deal with: Naruto's own natural ability to be unpredictable. There was no way for Danzo to know that Naruto had a kind of "Titan Sensor" in the form of Arc. There was no way for him to know that Naruto already knew more about the ring in Danzo's possession than Danzo knew.
"Alright, let's get things started. The first item on today's agenda is-" Tsunade started, but was cut off by one of the Elders, Mitokado Homura.
"Excuse me, Tsunade, but what is young Uzumaki doing here? He has no business in Council affairs."
"I was getting to that!" Tsunade snapped at him, "The first item on today's list is the acknowledgment of Uzumaki Naruto's parentage. With the success of two extra B-ranked missions*, Uzumaki Naruto has been approved for his Chunin vest, and as such has achieved the requirements left in his parent's wills."
"His parents?" the aged man asked.
"Yes, Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato."
Silence descended like the stone covering of a tomb. Awkward tension filled the air as the three different councils struggled to come to terms with the abrupt, and fairly obvious, revelation. Naruto was only interested in one person's reaction: Shimura Danzo.
The old man looked surprised, like the rest of the room, but Naruto could see underneath that surprise to a simmering anger. 'So this is something the man didn't want getting out, eh? Maybe he wanted to dangle it in front of me down the line, a carrot to motivate me to do things for him? It would fit the profile Tsunade-baa-chan gave me on him.'
"I never liked that old goat," Kushina said, "I always felt that he was plotting something for me behind my back."
'Shush, I'm trying to pay attention.'
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, but are you certain?" Utatane Koharu asked tentatively, which was a first for many in the room. For as long as Tsunade had known of Koharu, the older woman had always acted in a controlled and confident fashion.
"I have here both the marriage certificate, and Naruto's own birth certificate, signed and witnessed by both the Sandaime and my old teammate, Jiraiya. The Sandaime had them hidden away." Tsunade replied as she pulled a folder from... somewhere. Naruto wasn't quite certain where, but he didn't want to think about it either as it looked like she produced it from within her cleavage.
As she passed it down to the Clan Heads, who represented the Shinobi Council, Naruto's attention was focused on Danzo, who existed in his peripheral vision. He didn't want to stare directly at the man, so he kept his eyes trained on Tsunade, but he did want to keep him in mind. So long as Danzo didn't move...
A flicker of light, the briefest of motion, and Naruto was certain that the man sitting in place at the table was no long the real Shimura Danzo. Kage Bunshin, or even just a flunky in a Henge, Naruto didn't know. Nor did he care.
He raised a finger, pointing it in the direction of the false Danzo, "Boltflare!"
Immediately a small orb of electrical light shot across the room, piercing the fake man, and leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke in its wake. The tell-tale sign of the Kage Bunshin left a retreating Danzo in full view against one wall, his concentration slipping just enough to lose control of his escape technique.
Chaos erupted in the chamber, Anbu members attempting to restore order to no avail. In the midst of it, Naruto stood still, his gaze boring holes into the elder's eye. He raised one hand to the amulet around his neck.
"Strike Swiftly, Kunoichi!"
In the same instant as the name was intoned, Danzo found himself lacking his hidden right arm. Holding the bleeding stump with his left, he saw the blade of an incomparably sharp sword pointed at his nose. his eyes traced the length of the blade, up the handle, along the cloth-clad arm, to a mask-hidden face, four eye-holes burning red with what he presumed to be rage, matching the motion of the person's swaying red hair. The hair was even going so far as to separate itself into what seemed to be nine lashing tails.
Wait... red hair? Lashing tails?
"Uzumaki Kushina?"
The whisper of the name from Danzo's lips brought a halt to everything in the room. The female Titan flicked her sword down too quickly for any eye to follow, laying open Danzo's robe and revealing the small box. Without further word, she reached down, plucking the box away from the old man, and tossed it through the air to land in Naruto's hand.
"Yes, and no, Shimura Danzo." Naruto said quietly, his voice easily heard in the silence of the moment. "Kunoichi is a being filled with my mother's will and desire to protect me."
In an instant, the bandages wrapped around Danzo's right eye were ripped from his head, exposing a wide open Mangekyou Sharingan eye. It was one quite a few people in the room recognized, and it was spinning lazily.
"Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyou!" Inuzuka Tsume shouted in shock.
The surprise in the room jumped greatly. Uchiha Shisui, also known as Shunshin no Shisui, was something of a minor legend for Konoha's shinobi corps. The man was famous for his ability to utilize the Shunshin, a slow-to-activate jutsu, in his battles. How he unlocked his Mangekyou was hardly public record, being mission-related if the record was to be believed, but the fact he had one was relatively well-known among his fellow shinobi.
It's ability was even somewhat infamous: a genjutsu that could alter someone's personality and views without their ever knowing; Kotoamatsukami. One of the most frightening parts of this genjutsu was the fact that it didn't require eye contact like the rest of the illusions that one could cast with a Sharingan. Of course there was a large drawback as well, namely in that it could only be used every so often. Shisui was said to be limited to once a year.
Naruto had read everything he could get his hands on about the Uchiha clan, and their abilities. This was why he knew about the Mangekyou, if not how to achieve it. However, when his mother's spirit took up residence in his head, he had talked to her about it as well. Together they theorized that the full power of Kotoamatsukami might very well require a year to recharge, perhaps as much as ten years in a non-Uchiha host, but small-scale things might be more frequently used.
Such as the outcomes of Council votes. Especially if used on weak minded civilians, who had no training what-so-ever against mind altering techniques.
"Kunoichi, remove it please."
In the same instant, the eye was plucked neatly from Danzo's right eye socket, the old man not even feeling the pain of it's removal for several seconds. Though he refused to cry out in pain even when he did finally feel the eye's removal.
Stubborn old bastard.
"ANBU! Restrain Danzo immediately under suspicion of Treason!" Tsunade commanded, and upon seeing her orders obeyed, she turned her attention to Naruto with a questioning look, "How did you know about the right arm?"
Naruto shrugged, "I didn't." He said bluntly, causing a round of sweatdrops, even as he quickly placed the liberated eye into a jar filled with a preservative solution, "Kunoichi just picked a target on her own. It could be that she felt the arm's hidden presence, or it could be just a fluke. I don't know, and right now isn't the time to find out."
"No, you're right about that," the blonde woman muttered. "Very well, Uzumaki Naruto, we will table the discussion of your-," she hesitated a moment, "Guardian's abilities for a later date."
Naruto bowed slightly, just enough to show his respect, "As you wish, Hokage-sama."
Staring hard at Danzo's bleeding form, bleeding that was slowly tapering off due to rough field treatment performed by one of the Anbu, Tsunade couldn't stop herself from saying, "It's too bad he's too much of a hard case to crack under interrogation. I'd give a lot to know just what he's all done in his twisted love for Konoha."
"Is that all?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, "How much of a concession are we talking about, Hokage-sama?"
The busty woman blinked, "You mean you have a way to get that information?"
Naruto nodded, and waved Kurenai to stand beside him. "Kurenai possess a being like my Kunoichi, only focused toward the mental arts. I have no doubt that it can retrieve the information you desire."
"Troublesome," came the catchphrase of the Nara clan. "Just say it out loud, Uzumaki, she possesses a Titan. Like I myself once did, before passing it to Shikamaru."
Naruto turned his head and inclined it in respect toward the dark haired man, "As you wish, Nara-san. Kurenai possesses the Legendary Titan of Mind, Araknos. Whose abilities include those of mind-reading, and mind-control. Not so fine a control as Shisui's Mangekyou, however. At least, not as far as I know."
"Better, Naruto-sama." Kurenai interjected softly.
As softly spoken as it was, it nonetheless was heard clearly. Naruto face-palmed, this was so not the best time to mention that!
"Though for that level, it has to be a willing subject," she continued, just as quietly. "It must be willing, or it will break the person it is used upon. I would also need to be almost close enough to touch, and a significant amount of time. Time that anyone could use to disrupt me."
That statement caused tensed shoulders to relax. They had just dealt with one form of mind-control, only to learn there was another? That idea did not sit well with the Shinobi Clan Heads. The list of requirements for it to succeed, though, set them at ease.
"Really, such a bunch of ninnies!"
Everyone froze.
They turned as one to Kunoichi who stood with her hands on her hips, and a distinctly unimpressed frown on her lips. They blinked at her, she stared back. Tsume raised one finger to point in her direction, and she returned the gesture with obvious sarcasm.
"YOU TALK!"
"Oh my, yes. Why, I can even form full sentences so as to make certain I'm not misunderstood."
Tsume's finger seemed to wilt, "Ah, yes, but-!" She stopped to draw breath, "But Fenris definitely never spoke!"
"Fenris is a dog. With incredibly sharp teeth, and a muzzle. Together those do not enable it to speak as a human would. I am not a dog, wolf, or other beast. I am a 'human' model. Different rules apply, Tsume."
"Oh."
"Aside from that, I am newly made. I have not had multiple Masters, nor have I been around for centuries. As such I have not fallen to the instincts of the Titan, but we all speak, after a fashion. Fenris does as a wolf would, with snarls, barks, and body postures."
Naruto clapped his hands, "Ladies, as interesting as this could be, perhaps we could focus on the task at hand? Namely, whether or not information retrieved through Araknos would be admissible."
Honestly, as funny as it would be to watch a brash person like Tsume taken down in a verbal spar, there were more important things to do. Though Naruto did file away Kunoichi's ability to speak for later reference. As far as he had known, she couldn't do that, though he'd also admit the he hadn't asked.
He shook his head, the Clan Heads were quietly discussing the topic of Araknos' ability. Even a few civilians were getting in on it. Purely from an information-gathering standpoint, the ability wasn't much different from the Yamanaka's techniques. So it wasn't the ethics they were discussing, but rather the reliability and impartiality of Araknos. Considering at least two of the people in that group had had Titans before passing them on to their children, it was highly possible that they might consider it inadmissible due to a Titan's loyalty being to it's Seeker instead of Konoha.
Yamanaka Inoichi stepped out from the group, "We will accept the testimony of Araknos through Jonin Yuhi."
Naruto sweatdropped. Okay, maybe they would allow it. He also had to wonder what they were going to do about Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan.
'Meh. We'll get to it eventually, I suppose.'
Naruto watched as Kurenai approached the bound Danzo, her right hand bearing Araknos' ring glowing a deep red. "Don't worry, Elder. As long as you don't struggle, this won't hurt a bit."
XXXXXXXX- Break -XXXXXXXX
In the end Danzo struggled greatly, causing no small amount of pain which in turn brought a level of satisfaction to the faces of the Shinobi Council. No one liked traitors, especially when their very Academy taught the lessons of a united whole. The fact that one of their own would so easily disregard those self-same lessons in favor of personal justice was more than a little irksome.
Finally Kurenai disengaged her hand from the older ninja with a grimace of distaste, as though she had touched something particularly offensive. Waving her hand as if to rid it of some unseen contamination, she said, "It is official, Hokage-sama, that is a very diseased mind. Araknos had trouble actually bringing himself to touch it. However, there is no doubt that this man is guilty of breaking several of Konoha's laws in favor of his personal judgment. Not the least of which were orders to infiltrate Uzushiogakure, and open the gates for the invading armies; the plotting to overthrow the Sandaime and Yondaime Hokage, in favor of placing himself in the position; the leaking of S-class and lesser secrets to enemy nations for his own gain, both financial and otherwise; the organization of multiple mobs of civilians and ninja to assault Naruto-sama when he was younger; willingly cooperating with known Missing-nin, Orochimaru; desecration of Senju Hashirama's grave site; and the manipulation of both people and information that led to the Uchiha Massacre. Perhaps the worst part of it all, Hokage-sama, is that he firmly believed his actions to be to Konoha's greater benefit. In his own way, he was proving his love of this village."
Tsunade blinked, blinked again, dropped her jaw, and generally looked like someone had hit her in the head with a telephone pole. A unique position for her, considering her penchant for punching people, typically Jiraiya, through walls. In light of that, this was a rather novel feeling for the busty blonde woman, one she was quite certain she did not enjoy.
She wasn't alone in her reaction either. Danzo's fellow Elders also had their jaws on the floor, their minds remembering a myriad of times where they had intended to vote one way on a subject, only to suddenly think the other was more compelling. They hadn't thought anything of it at that time, but with all of this new information those choices were cast in an entirely different light. They had been manipulated into following Danzo's schemes without their knowledge for years now, and it took the pariah of the village to show them.
Tsunade shook herself, doing very interesting things to her body that drew the eye of every straight man and lesbian woman in the room; some were discrete, others less so. Most of those looking were glad that she only took notice of Jiraiya's incredibly open leering gaze, especially when she decided to deck him with a solid blow to the top of his head.
Winces abounded throughout the room. There was a certain amount of sympathy for the old ninja, but pretty much everyone rationalized that it was an old routine between the two and he'd be fine in a few moments.
He always was.
Tsunade took several minutes to collect herself, and make sure she wasn't going to do anything she might possibly regret. "Are you telling me, Jonin Yuhi, that this man is guilty of at least seven capital crimes?!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade drew herself up, squaring her shoulders and looking at Danzo much like she would at a germ. "Anbu! Take this piece of garbage to Torture and Interrogation, let Ibiki know he can go all out on this one. Jonin Yuhi!" She continued as the masked ninjas vanished with the former Elder, "I trust you can have a full report of what you managed to drag out of his mind on my desk by noon tomorrow?"
Despite the questioning tone it was not a request, and Kurenai knew it. So she did the only thing she could: she nodded firmly. She would be up all night writing that report, but she would have the information in the Hokage's hands by the specified time. She may be Naruto's servant now, but she was also a jonin of Konoha, and as such the Hokage owned a portion of her loyalty.
"Good, now let's get ourselves back on track!" Tsunade said, clapping her hands to get things rolling again. Order restored itself rather quickly as the different sides of Konoha's Council sorted themselves out and retook their respective places.
Things proceeded smoothly for Naruto from there, the combined Council unanimously voting to restore him to his parent's Heir, even if he was the last of either family that anyone knew of. He may not care much about the Namikaze name, but it was part of his father's legacy, just like him, and so he would hardly abandon it. He wouldn't carry it in his name, but he made a concession that any of his children would be allowed to take it up if they so chose.
The Council did manage to surprise him when Hiashi brought up that Hinata, Haku, and Kurenai were bound to him under ancient laws. The man then led the assemblage in recognizing them as Naruto's wives, or perhaps concubines as they weren't legally married. The distinction was a fine line. As far as those laws were concerned the three women were his wives the moment they swore to serve him in any capacity he desired of them. The Oath was so old that few even knew it still existed, and it was just Naruto's luck that he found three of those few. However, Hiashi pushed through that Konoha should recognize the Oath as a binding Wedding Vow, and as such Naruto found himself with three wives.
Unfortunately for Naruto, Tsunade still knew of several old Uzumaki traditions, one of which was used to allow him up to three wives so as to provide more care for the children. He groaned lowly at the realization that his clan practiced polygamy. Thankfully, at least in his humble opinion, three was also the maximum amount by those same traditions. So he wouldn't have to deal with any potential political wives on top of them, though he realized that some other nations might decide to try and have their kunoichi seduce him simply to start their own branches of the Uzumaki.
'They can try, but they will not succeed.' Naruto thought grimly.
"Clan traditions are challenged often, though!" Inuzuka Tsume said loudly. Her own clan was actually known for challenging traditions, namely their own. Hardly a generation went by where some old unspoken and unwritten rule wasn't overturned in some way. "It is possible that another village will challenge the Uzumaki traditions as well! Let's face it, the Uzumaki were never really ones to follow the rules."
"True enough, Inuzuka-san," Naruto began, only to stop. He was going to say that the Uzumaki held to tradition, but he'd be lying his ass off. So he settled for, "However, I have no intention of deviating from these three. Besides, that same tradition states that any newcomer must have the approval of all the current wives."
The woman blinked, "So anyone else trying to make you hers, would need Hinata's, Haku's, and Kurenai's permission?"
"Exactly." He said in satisfaction, "Quite literally, if they want to get to me, they'll have to go through them."
Tsume made an O with her lips. That was quite the safety mechanism. The likelihood of all three women agreeing to share their man with a fourth woman wasn't really very high. Probably non-existent, in all honesty.
"Wait," the Inuzuka Head lifted her hand, "What if another woman decides to swear one of those oaths? Wouldn't that preclude permission?"
"Should another woman follow that route, first I would need to accept the oath," Naruto replied. "And while it would bypass the wives' choice, it does not necessarily mean I would use her in that manner. On top of that, if they use that method to get close to me, their former allegiance becomes null."
"Ah," was the woman's response. What more could she say? The points were valid.
XXXXXXXX- Break -XXXXXXXX
"Oof!" Naruto grunted as he sat down heavily on the couch in his new living room, arms thrown up and over the top. Damn he was tired! Kurenai had headed to her room to write up all the information she and Araknos had gleaned from Danzo's mind, while Hinata went for the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"Are you alright, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked worriedly.
He waved off her concern, "I'm just tired, Haku-chan. I had hoped it wouldn't take nearly so long, but it's late evening now, and we started at what? Noon?"
"Oh-eight-thirty, Naruto-sama." The girl corrected him.
He sighed, "That's even longer than I thought. On top of that, they even decided to recognize you three as my official wives! Not that I mind," he hastened to reassure her, "But I wasn't expecting it."
Haku giggled from her chosen spot to his left, "Neither did we, Naruto-sama, but I can't say I mind it either. Honestly, I do think both Hinata-chan and myself were hoping for it some time down the road. Not sure if it was in Kurenai-san's plans, though."
"Huh," he grunted noncommittally. There was a confession he was somewhat expecting, but he didn't think it would come that quickly. Despite the facade he had put on for years, he knew of Hinata's love for him, and had easily seen Haku's devotion that bordered on zealotry when he woke in that cave. So yes, he certainly saw the confession coming, but it had most likely been hastened by the Council.
Damned busy-bodies.
She smiled and teased, "Very elegantly stated, Naruto-sama."
Naruto sighed, "We still have to go through all of the things we tracked back with us, both from Uzushio and Zabuza's old hide..." he paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Screw it, we'll get to things from Uzushio in a couple days, after Kurenai's had a decent rest. We can do the stuff from the cave tomorrow."
"As you wish, Naruto-sama," Haku said with an odd glint in her eye. "Now that we have a plan, I wonder if you would grant your new wife a small request?"
He eyed her suspiciously. He wasn't sure why, but the look of hers had him wondering if he should try running. So he went with a non-committal, "Perhaps."
She stood and let her kimono fall to the floor, revealing she wasn't wearing anything underneath. "I just thought we could spend the time waiting on dinner in a different way than just sitting here."
His eyes roamed her flawless skin, up from her dainty feet, along lithe and toned legs, the gentle swell of her hips, up past her perky breasts to her lithe arms, her slightly aristocratic neck, and finally to the soft features of her face that complimented the rest of her. He had to admit to himself again that Haku was a stunningly beautiful girl on top of a strong kunoichi, and he was glad she felt strongly enough about him that she would go so far for him. However, he wasn't sure if he was ready for that much intimacy just yet.
Seeing the expression on his face, Haku correctly interpreted his thoughts. "I don't mean sex, Naruto-sama."
"Ah," he cleared his throat, "Then what did you have in mind?"
"This," she straddled his hips, cupped his face with her hands and kissed him deeply. Then she moved her hands to his, and guided them to her body, allowing him to explore her as she lost herself in the kiss. She was a married woman now, and she wanted her new husband to know her completely. Like him, she might not be ready for sex just yet, but there was absolutely no qualm about heavypetting.
All in all, when dinner was finally ready, Naruto found he rather enjoyed himself.
XXXXXXXX- Break -XXXXXXXX
Senju Tsunade, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, stared in stupefied reaction to the report in her hands. She raised incredulous eyes to the clearly tired jonin sitting across the desk, "All of this?"
Her reaction was easily understood as the report in question more closely resembled the rough draft of a rather large book. Kurenai had despaired of managing to write it all out in time, considering just how much there really was. Her rescue came around four hours after midnight in the form of Uzumaki Naruto and a Transcription Seal he devised that allowed her to simply transfer the information onto a scroll. Kurenai had been so ecstatic about the seal she had spent nearly an hour giving him a searing kiss, or several of them.
Kurenai just nodded as firmly as her tired mind and body would allow, "Yes, Hokage-sama. Within that scroll is all of the information Araknos and I managed to retrieve from Shimura Danzo's mind. Secret coffers, his Root Anbu's locations, passwords, secret mission details that he gave to his Root, and everything else we have."
Tsunade nodded, and dropped her eyes to the section she had stopped at. It detailed a small skirmish during the Second Shinobi War, nothing out of the ordinary for the time, but this held special significance to her as it mentioned her departed brother. It seemed that Nawaki had started to show signs of possessing the Mokuton of their grandfather, Senju Hashirama. Danzo had determined that despite the great benefit the bloodline brought to Konoha, that they couldn't divert any resources to protect or train such an outstanding ability, and had his Root quietly ambush Nawaki's returning team.
It was the final nail in the coffin of Shimura Danzo's career. Even if Tsunade had been inclined toward leniency, this one piece of information had wiped the possibility from existence. She decided that the name of Shimura Danzo would become synonymous with being the greatest of traitors, his remaining family would be put under intense scrutiny by Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko, and his estate broken down to pay restitution to those he had wronged in his long and incredibly sordid career.
XXXXXXXX- Ending Notes -XXXXXXXX
Current List of Titans
Naruto: Arc, Kunoichi, Hoplite, Megladeath, Lindorm
Hinata: Tao, Shinobi, Hoplite, Undine, Kilthane
Haku: Behemoth, Myrmidon, Hoplite, Triton, Kilthane
Kurenai: Araknos, Medea, Hoplite, Kilthane
Tsunade: Freelancer
Shikamaru: Springer
Chouji: Undergolem
Kakashi: Bulregard
Inuzuka Clan (somewhere): Fenris
