Chapter 10: The Gathering
After their first violent encounter Naruto and his companions had come to an understanding with the working girls of the Brothel that used to be the Uzumaki state.
Lady Kushina had asked the girls to become paid workers for the Uzumaki as they sat about the reforming of the Imperial Capital as something of sponsors and dealers between the Uzumaki and the city's population.
The girls at first were skeptic but as soon as they saw the bags of coins being brought as an advanced payment they were all the eager to please the Uzumaki in "any and all" ways something that Lord Jiraiya found incredibly joyful making him swear unwavering loyalty to Naruto and his crazy dream.
The three girls that came to negotiate in the name of the brothel were Anko Mitarashi, Kurenai Yuhi and Yugao Uzuki. They were the current chiefs of sorts after they explained that some years ago they had a rather cruel matron so they revolted against her and became independent taking care of one another and running the business smoothly.
Particularly the moment Naruto explained his dream, Anko had laughed out loud and had immediately clung to Naruto all the time making the young lord nervous for he had never encountered such a forward girl. It was usually him who made girls feel awkward with his energy and pushy nature, what would you know?
Following on that line and seeing how manly and successful a man Naruto was, Konohamaru had become his de facto little brother and underling which Naruto appreciated and made him finally a bit more respected.
In any case, Naruto under the advice from his mother had taken his men and those from the city's guard to take away the proper measure of the nobility's wealth and return it to the people as to give them some encouragement while he set up trade lines to his lands and those from the Three Brothers and the Sarutobi bringing in caravans of traders that the city had not seen in ages.
Also along with them came the now quite rich Ichiraku to open his first ramen stands on the Imperial Capital…
This bought Naruto at least the good will of the people since it brought them some respite and taught the nobility a harsh lesson. But his work was far from being over for he went to hunt down thieves and raiders in the nearby lands that were originally meant to be farmlands at the use of the Imperial Capital thus allowing old farmers to finally return home under the protection of the Uzumaki warriors.
After some time and just a couple of weeks before the New Year Festival Naruto had almost been proclaimed the ruler of the city and many of the population's problems were being presented to him and his inner council of family, allies and friends. Much to the displeasure of the nobility and ministers of the Palace who had been warned of trying to take advantage again of the population and though they had turned to Danzo he had remained quiet and docile so far.
Thanks to Naruto's actions and the help of his council, the city was well back into the road of prosperity even though there wasn't much optimism of it enduring for the Clan wars could change the fate of thousands in one or two battles not to mention that many in the Capital made claims that those who acquired the Palace's displeasure didn't survived long…
Still the city found itself finally ready to host the New Year Festival and with the news that the Uchiha and the Hyuuga were coming with their full leaderships along with those of the Hyuuga allies, the Inuzuka and the Aburame. There was a lot of hype and speculations in the air for the people of the city were neutral and actually enjoyed some political gossip when it was so close to them.
Because of this there was great speculation of what would happen, what kind of declarations would be made or if the Hyuuga would try their hand at undermining the Uzumaki alliance or if the Uchiha would prompt them into war.
Uchiha Caravan at the Imperial Capital approaches
The Uchiha as always had been invited to the New Year Festival every year but it was only until now that the full leadership of the Clan was headed for the Imperial Capital and not a token representation of lower clan members who went to play face and pry whatever information of the Clan's enemies it could.
The Caravan was made of a large chariot with the main family members of the Clan's leadership several others with their luggage and a force of 100 warriors for their protection and service during their stay at the Imperial Capital.
As the occasion called for the Uchiha were granted permission to peacefully navigate through the Uzumaki newly gained lands and during this particular trip they got to see how many changes they had wrought upon them.
Roads were being widened and more than once they had forced trader caravans out of the way earning them snide looks from them.
On every township they crossed they saw bustling activity for apparently the Uzumaki generosity had given them the means by which to prosper and the civilians already wore the blue of the Uzumaki on their clothes as a symbol of gratitude and loyalty to their new master.
Uzumaki warriors patrolled constantly the lands and on every settlement the Uchiha found odd that the same brand of Ramen stands were installed all of them making them stop once to taste it and to their surprise they found the rather popular dish quite delicious.
At the head of the Caravan, Itachi and Sasuke rode their majestic black stallions on bright red mounts and dressed in full armor as to show the Uchiha next generation and their strength and vigor.
"I have to say that I am quite impressed" said Itachi as he serenely admired the southern lands his clan has coveted for so long and the improvements being done upon them by the seemingly tireless Uzumaki Lord.
Sasuke casted an impatient glance around and snorting he said "There's nothing we don't see already in our lands brother! This Uzumaki upstart is barely scraping a living out of these lands"
Itachi smiled faintly and replied "What I am impressed with brother is that this relatively unknown Lord has brought much progress in very little time and has won the loyalty of many already. That speaks highly of the man's character, intellect and charisma, all strategic values in a leader"
Sasuke considered those words more carefully and had to admit that indeed these great works were the product of a powerful force driving forward.
"How large you think his forces are?" asked Sasuke going back to a more familiar subject.
"It's hard to tell at the moment but given the quick progress of these lands we could be talking of at least a force of 20,000 warriors by spring of next year plus the forces of his allies which include the Three Brothers and the Sarutobi which could drive the number easily to the double" answered Itachi calmly and almost sounding uninterested in that subject.
"What do you think of his allies? You think we will be facing the likes of Shikaku Nara and Lord Sarutobi?" asked Sasuke considering those two famous figures.
"The Uzumaki are the leaders of the alliance so I wouldn't be able to tell how much influence both would exercise on his decisions. Though if he is wise he will take them as councilors making the Uzumaki Lord a very dangerous and well advised foe" replied Itachi with a bit of anticipation this time.
"So it's going to be complicated" said Sasuke a bit deflated.
"Very much so little brother but it's also a valuable opportunity for this Festival will see all the great Lords of the land reunited and so we can learn much from them. Perhaps even put an end to so many years of warfare" said Itachi with a serene smile on his face making Sasuke look at him surprised.
"And end?! Have you forgotten the many slights committed against our Clan? How can you even consider such a thing? The path of the Uchiha is one we must tread alone for in trusting others lay our destruction!" said Sasuke clenching a fist and with a fierce look in his eyes.
Itachi observed him and then beckoned him closer with his fingers which for some reason always managed to draw the curious Sasuke and the moment he was close enough Itachi flicked him making Sasuke coil back annoyed.
"You still have much to learn Sasuke!" said Itachi spurring his horse to run ahead of Sasuke's towards the last hill before they finally made it to the Imperial Capital.
"Why you!" growled Sasuke doing the same and quickly catching up with Itachi making it a close race to the summit and be the first to lay eyes on the city.
Both brothers arrived to the summit at the same time and were left amazed over the look of the Imperial Capital which displayed its gigantic size and adorned with the decorations for the festivities made it look like out of the legends.
Itachi smiled at the sight and his face almost looked hopeful while Sasuke observed it in wonderment for it was his first time seeing it and the pictures of his Clan did no justice to the city. But his eyes narrowed the moment he saw the banners of the Uzumaki displayed next to those of the Senju by the main entrance of the City where a long throng of visitors awaited in line.
"This will be most interesting" said Itachi to himself.
Hyuuga Caravan earlier that day
The Hyuuga Caravan had been travelling on an almost frantic pace as to get ahead of the Uchiha as much as possible and start their political maneuvering to either form a grand alliance with the Uzumaki or disrupt their current coalition.
They were accompanied by a force of a 100 warriors of their clan and for this momentous occasion they had also invited their vassal Clans leaders of the Inuzuka and Aburame who just carried small compliments of warriors of 25 each as not to be seen aggressive to the current rulers of the Capital.
They had been impressed as to the current development of the lands conquered by the Uzumaki and by how quickly the people of these lands had given their loyalty to their new masters making the Hyuuga calculations all the more difficult.
As they went the Hyuuga had been quite curious and had made many questions regarding the Uzumaki Lord and the stories they heard were from fantastic to outrageous for they often spoke of a golden haired man draped in a blue cape at the head of demonic looking warrior host to those of a lustful man with the single desire of being surrounded by as many concubines as possible.
Seeing that they wouldn't be getting any straight of reliable answer the Hyuuga had stopped making inquiries and instead tried their best to get the feeling out of the allies currently under the Uzumaki leadership and the answers they got made them all the more nervous for the Three Brothers seemed fully committed and the Sarutobi had eagerly embraced the Uzumaki due to their service to rid them of their traitors, not to mention that there was rumor that Hiruzen Sarutobi had adopted the Uzumaki Lord in a symbolic gesture to ensure his loyalty.
This in turn had made the Hyuuga feel more pressed to seek a convenient agreement with the Uzumaki and for that reason during the journey; Hinata and Hanabi had been under a constant reminder lessons of their more feminine traits and etiquette not to mention that they were told to wear their best dresses and stay perfectly kept something which made the sisters feel odd.
At the moment the frontal chariot carried the Hyuuga leaders and riding alone in front of them was Neji.
On the second Chariot the Hyuuga sisters rode flanked by the Inuzuka and Aburame heirs. One rode on top of his monstrously big war dog and the other on a scrawny looking horse that despite its looks was ideal for the life of the swamps.
"Hey Hinata! Have you ever seen the Capital City?" asked Kiba Inuzuka who had the tribal marking of his clan tattooed on his face and was wearing a rough looking armor of brown with wolf furs instead of cloth beneath the plates giving him an appearance that at some point had been called that of barbarians.
"No she haven't Kiba…None of us have beyond the pictures of our scrolls though my father says it's quite a view and would be wise to treasure the experience…" replied Shino Aburame who wore a light green armor over black cloth and was covered in a large coat that according to him protected his extremely pale complexion from the southern sun since no one in his clan was very accustomed to the bright sun.
"I was asking Hinata you creep!" barked back Kiba annoyed that Shino always butted in every time he tried to make Hinata speak out more often.
"I also want to see the city Shino…it's going to be fun…"whispered shyly the finely dressed Hinata as she fidgeted with her fingers.
"That's right! It's going to be lots of fun! I bet that many girls there will be swept away when they see my manliness!" boasted Kiba with a wild grin to his face and with a bark from Akamaru, his war dog that made him feel even more pumped up.
"You should remember our duties before you go off to whatever foolish endeavor you deem worth pursuing. We are there to help our allies secure an alliance with the Uzumaki to finally put an end to the Uchiha threat" said Shino again now in a very annoying lecturing manner.
"You mean our masters bug man! But you shouldn't worry, mister "I do everything perfectly" should have it all under control, so we can relax and roam the city with Hinata and see what we can do!" replied Kiba with a bit of anger at the mention of the Hyuuga as their so called "allies"
"I am sure that there are plenty of pretty places to visit at the Capital Kiba, I hope we can go to the theater and see the plays…" whispered Hinata complimenting the conversation and making both Kiba and Shino nod back assuringly.
Both Shino and Kiba may have conflicting points of view regarding the Hyuuga but their loyalty towards the fragile but gentle Hinata was beyond the question and long ago they had made a promise to keep her safe no matter what and never let her spirit get down.
"I have always been worried for the future of our clan if such elements as yourselves get to lead us some day…" said Hanabi with closed eyes as she kept a perfect posture.
"W-W-What do you mean Hanabi?" asked Hinata as Kiba growled and Shino lowered his face.
"Have any of you wondered why this is the first time any of us gets to assist to the New Year Festival? When every other year we only send some of our lesser clan members?" asked Hanabi seeing with irritation at her sister and her friends.
"We are being sent there to negotiate an alliance with the Uzumaki Lady Hanabi" replied Shino in a level tone.
"Correct, but surely you can guess more than that! Our entire leadership is going and very likely the Uchiha one is also heading there as we speak. And us bringing our finest garments Hinata? Doesn't that give you any clue?" said Hanabi with dead serious eyes that looked almost out of place in her smaller and less mature frame.
"Because you want to show off?" asked Kiba in honesty making Hinata nod slightly and Shino sigh.
The answer made Hanabi huff impatiently and she said "How does great Clans ensure alliances commonly?"
"Arranged marriages…"replied Shino drily making Kiba and Hinata's eyes go wide.
"No way!" barked Kiba along with Akamaru who seemed to understand as well.
"N-No…"said Hinata as she casted her head down and fidgeted with her fingers faster.
"At least one of you isn't a complete numbskull. Yes an arranged marriage! So you should take this more seriously for the future of the Hyuuga and therefore its vassals, is in play here!" said Hanabi sounding accusing.
Seeing her sister recoil into herself made Hanabi sigh and in one of those rare displays of sisterhood she said "But don't worry Hinata, you are so clumsy that it's very likely I'll be the one selected to marry Lord Uzumaki and steer him towards the best interests of the Hyuuga. So you can breathe easy"
Hinata then turned to look at Hanabi and with teary eyes she said "I am so sorry Hanabi!" and plunged to hug her sister making Hanabi blush and start to push back at the near crying Hinata.
On the meantime Kiba shared a look with Shino and both nodded that indeed much was at play on this festival and they would have to look out for Hinata for they couldn't be certain that she wouldn't be picked for such a dreadful fate, especially knowing the very clear dislike from Neji towards her.
At the front of the Hyuuga Caravan
Neji rode fully straight on his majestic white stallion and he was pleased for the good time they were making towards the Capital.
Still his mood was sour for the emergence of this Uzumaki upstart had seriously mutated his plans for the future and if there was something that upset him was when his vision of the future became uncertain for it made many things become uncertain and a Hyuuga without control could barely be called that.
The sound of two approaching horses broke Neji from his reverie and he didn't need to look at the riders approaching him for he expected them at that moment of the day.
Without turning to acknowledge them Neji said "What's the word?"
"As it has been so far Neji! The outlandish reports about the Uzumaki Lord stating him as a rather youthful and lustful character seems to be consistent throughout the neighboring lands" said a man of weird hair, large eyebrows and clad in bright green armor with skin tight flexible cloth beneath.
Neji nodded and said "It seems we can't rely on the word of peasants and traders given that their contact with the lord has been brief though I wonder about the lust remarks"
"Lord Uzumaki seems to have sent the bulk of his forces to secure his new holdings and oversee the development of his Clan. Accurate numbers are hard to pin but it's estimated that about 3,000 warriors marched to the Capital earlier in the year and they have been helping in the Capital's restoration so far" said a girl clad in white light armor more akin to the Shinobi that served some people throughout the Land of Fire.
Neji sighed and said "So we stand without much information beyond this Uzumaki Lord being pervert and a vigorous figure. Maneuvering him shouldn't be difficult but he could be of short temper so patience will pay the better"
"A most youthful decision as always Neji! Though I have to say that this Uzumaki Lord will make a very youthful and valuable ally! He has restored the beauty of these lands and many of its people already speak highly of him, especially since his alliance with the Sarutobi!" said the green armored man.
Neji had to agree with Rock Lee, his partner; that the Uzumaki was displaying some impressive leadership skills but they were also signs of an ambitious character that would resist being manipulated or ordered around thus making the Hyuuga rise to power all the more difficult.
"Are you certain that an arranged marriage is the only solution?" asked the girl.
Neji observed Ten-Ten, his personal kunoichi, and said "You always had a soft spot for the my cousins…But yes, it's the best and most logical option for a strong alliance with the Uzumaki, not to mention that it's a future investment since any children born from that union will have Hyuuga blood in its veins making conflict less of a possibility and cooperation a certainty. The only question that remains is how to position the Hyuuga on the top of such an alliance"
"But what about the claims that he is a lustful man seeking to have a large number of concubines all to himself?" asked Ten-Ten with worry in her eyes.
"Don't worry about that, it's likely that they are lies based on the youth of the Lord. And in any case a married Lord is discreet and tempered and a Hyuuga wife would set him straight should there be need to" replied Neji not exactly certain why he was always more indulgent with his partners than with any other. It was probably due to have been trained by the same master of arms when they were little, an experience he had nightmares of sometimes…
"Still this Uzumaki Lord…I have a bad feeling about him…"thought to himself Neji as he began to see the first signs of the Imperial Capital in the distance.
At the Imperial Capital
"Explain me again why I am going with you to do some shopping? Said a bored Naruto as he walked in plain clothes and with his hands crossed behind his head.
"Because you got rid of my entire wardrobe and replaced it with tiny dresses you are still trying to make shorter! And winter is coming…(Game of thrones…) and one can't cope with the cold in these kind of outfits!" said an irritated Ino as she went about stomping the ground in front of Naruto dressed in one of the dresses Naruto had forced her to wear as part of his "entourage" and trophy of conquest.
"I still think you are trying to get off my punishment" said Naruto casually.
"Whatever…there's a shipment of fine silks coming from the Sarutobi lands and their trade with the Land of Wind and I want to make something nice for myself and lady Kushina" replied Ino tempering her anger a few degrees.
"Oh! A gift for mom?! Hey you think I can buy something too for Sakura chan?! She's kind of angry at me lately and need to make up to her though I don't know what has her so riled up!" said Naruto getting right next to Ino making her step back a bit.
"And you even wonder?! Your house was until not long ago a brothel and then you decided to hire all the girls in there? A woman has her pride you know? Not to mention that that Anko is clinging to you all the time!" complained Ino who was also a bit upset about the issue of the girls at the brothel who were now something of a public relations company for the Uzumaki with the Imperial Capital.
At the mention of Anko Naruto seemed to have a chill and suddenly turned to see if the woman wasn't around.
"Don't scare me like that! That woman is crazy, that's not like pretty girls should behave, at least not until after being properly claimed! It takes all the fun away and besides she creeps me out whenever she licks my cheeks!" said Naruto making Ino wonder how did his brain actually worked for very likely 99 of 100 men would enjoy such flirty behavior but then again Naruto was not exactly like any man she has ever come across.
"And why do you fear her so much? I mean she's quite dominant but you don't seem to be the kind of guy to be intimidated by anything" asked Ino curious about Naruto's apparent dislike of the seductress who used to be one of the brothel's administrators.
"I don't know, there's something about her that feels very wrong and more than fearing her I just don't trust her. It's more like a gut feeling about her and the same goes for Kurenai and Yugao, they are milder but there's something about them that doesn't add up right. Don't get me wrong they are hot as hell and something tells me that Yugao is one of those fierce looking girls who loves sweets and cute stuff, but still…" said Naruto not making much sense besides feeling uneasy around those girls.
Ino considered this and seeing how driven Naruto could be about his whims she would have to take note of those three girls and their actions as they worked for the Uzumaki clan.
"They say that the other clans should be arriving today, what you think they are like?" asked Naruto shifting to a more current topic.
"Oh, well, personally I met the heirs of those clans when I was around 5 if memory serves me right. The Uchiha have two brothers, Itachi Uchiha the oldest and Sasuke the youngest. Itachi was quite affable though he seemed rather sad looking while Sasuke was more boisterous, rude and somewhat arrogant" said Ino putting a finger to her mouth as she tried to remember those days.
"And the Hyuuga, those are more numerous. The Clan leader has two daughters, Hinata the oldest and Hanabi the youngest. Hinata was so shy that she was a drag to be around and Hanabi, for her age she was already too tight and according to her too mature to play with dolls. They have an older cousin who is aimed to inherit the clan in the coming years but he was quite scary so I really didn't spoke with him" said Ino remembering her encounter with the Hyuuga in one of the many attempts to try and form a large alliance to fight the Uchiha.
"What of their allies? I think Jiraiya mentioned something about vassal clans" said Naruto as he watched a couple of girls going down the road.
Getting angry at Naruto, Ino stomped his foot and said "Pay attention you moron! Yes the Hyuuga have two large vassal clans who joined out of convenience and fear of the Uchiha scorched earth approach to conquest. The Aburame, a clan from the swamps directly north from the Sarutobi lands and the Inuzuka, more a tribe of north men than an actual clan at the forests way up in the north of the Land of Fire near the mountain range that splits us from the Land of Earth"
"The Aburame have a creep for an heir who's obsessed with bugs called Shino who has a very annoying tone and the Inuzuka have a jerk of an heir who's followed around by one of their legendary war dogs, his name is Kiba and has an older sister who leads a pack of war dogs" said Ino.
Naruto stopped and began to ponder about Ino's information making the girl wonder if he was actually serious for once.
"Say Ino…you think there's a chance we can avoid fighting with them?" asked Naruto taking Ino by surprise.
After a few moments of thought as she collected her words she said "Well… much of the situation in the Land of Fire has changed since you came forth…Considering our coalition we stand as true force so that's why the leaderships of the other clans are coming here…I think that some smart maneuvering and getting the empress blessing could help us get some measure of peace"
Naruto looked at her quizzically and said "That's not what I meant. I was talking that if I asked nicely they would give up their pretty girls! Geez Ino, and here I thought you were smarter than that!"
At this Ino's eyes went red with utter rage and a large vein popped on her forehead as she rose a fist to strike down Naruto but right before the finishing move she remembered why she had accepted to get into this strange arrangement.
"Now now Ino, remember why you agreed to be with him! The Three Brothers need a staunch ally, and you still need to be his…number one…damn! I knew that one day I may have been faced with a situation like this but it's harder done than thought! Just stick to the role! You are already wearing these things!" though Ino as a measure of composure returned to her while Naruto quivered braced for the incoming heavenly punishment.
Sighing Ino placed a hand on Naruto delicately and said "I wouldn't know that Naruto but I'll do my best to help you (As much as this insults me!)"
Blinking in surprise Naruto said loudly while hugging Ino in a bear hug "Really?! You are awesome! I knew that my charm would get you soon on my side! Come on we have to get those clothes you were speaking about!"
Ino smiled weakly and followed the once more boisterous and trusting Naruto and thought "But seriously, this guy just seems to be too good for his own good…Makes me wonder how exactly did Lady Kushina ended up giving birth and raising him which in turn makes me wonder about who was his father…I mean, Lady Kushina is smarter than she gives away so Naruto's father must have been quite the character himself, and quite handsome too if I go by appearances. Well, there's no point in pondering such things, I have to somehow ensnare Naruto for myself and make him drop that dream of his for a more reasonable one!"
As they were making their way to the market, they came across the main street where a large crowd had gathered on the sides and soon she and Naruto approached to see what was going on.
AN: Done!
Buy that one took me longer than I thought, but not because I didn't had any idea of what to write but because of late I have been pondering on how I want this story to move on and in which direction.
The next chapter will have the great clans and the rest of the characters to finally meet up and from there the resolution of the story will be more or less defined on a development sense and so it brings several issues that I never considered when I started writing this thing not to mention the good response I have gotten and the high expectations of it.
So, on this note I may take some time to ponder it carefully for I want a quality thing, which is a challenge for me, and to deliver something good for you all to read that actually makes sense and goes in tone with the rest of the story.
I already have a general idea of how I want to progress the story but the words are still missing and as I was kindly pointed out, I am missing a lot in character/relationship development and an example of this is the fact that I have given no voice time to Konohamaru or Haku themselves or that the NaruSaku theme of the story is still to rise its head and make itself chief!
So considering these issues I need to find the proper balance to attend them and at the same time move on the story to where it should lead! And to think I am already thinking of Gaara and his siblings!
I welcome ideas and suggestions on how to address this current creativity/writing problem as usual though I might end up writing huge chapters or more chapters.
Also to those who recommended me to see the anime Utawaruremono, I am very thankful for the tip and indeed it was quite entertaining though the ending was a bit meh. Now I have to see Sengoku Basara as to get another inspiration source. Though I don't want this story to be so somber with the subject of war and the human cost behind it, I think that's already too well known to the audience.
Read, Enjoy and Review!