The second that Mizuki entered the store, one of the ladies behind the counter greeted her with a warm smile and a semi loudly voiced, "Hello dear, can we help you with something today?"

Clearing her throat slightly Mizuki slowly nodded her head and then said, "I'm looking for some formal kimono's and some accessories."

The woman, smiled again and then slipped around the counter to walk over to her before asking, "How many layers should the kimono be?"

"Two." Mizuki responded automatically. Anymore than that and she would be stripping in public with the purpose of strangling the fourth Hokage with her damned obi. And if anyone tried to stop her or get in her way...well, she'd probably strangle them with her obi too.

The woman nodded and took a moment to look her over, taking note of things like her hair color, and eye color before she started speaking again, this time listing the various colors that might work for her. "Red, white, black, pink, violet, lavender, pale yellow and green. Perhaps some blue as well. You have very strange hair and eye coloring. What clan do you hail from?"

"No clan."

"Hn. I see. Well that is odd."

Mizuki shrugged her slender shoulders and meandered over to a table with tsumami hair ornaments and silk purses and found several that she liked already. Picking then up, she looked towards the counter and quickly asked if she could find some kimono's to match them and then went to lay them on the counter next to the register for when her shopping was complete.

Once that was done, she returned to where the woman helping her was standing and noted that she had already pulled out several kimono's. One was a black one with red butterflies along the hem of the skirt, and around the sleeves and the obi was black to match. The second one was a nice pastel yellow with a pink-ish purple magnolia flower pattern with leaves. The third one was a pale blue with white and pink cherry blossoms. The last kimono chosen was a glossy multi colored opalescent color with a lilac colored obi.

Mizuki liked the first one and the last one, but didn't think much of the others. The color schemes were simply terrible. "I like the black one with the butterflies and the opalescent one. But I...don't like the others very much."

"I see, well that can't be completely helped. I suppose that the colors simply don't match up very well." The woman said as Mizuki excused herself to look around a little bit more. Walking along some of the racks her sharp eyes caught sight of a sky blue kimono with pale pink lotus flowers that she quickly pulled from the rack and draped over her arm. The next one she found was a plain violet kimono.

No flowers, no butterflies. No pattern at all- and she loved it so naturally it came off of the rack as well.

Once she had them, she decided to get the last one at a different time and than made her way to the register where she laid them down and then quickly grabbed the unnecessary hair accessories and purses and then took them back to switch them out so that they would match the outfits.

After that, she paid for her purchases and then politely thanked the woman that had helped her and then left.

Her trip to the next clothing store barely lasted thirty minutes. If there was one thing Mizuki was good at it was getting in and out of places quickly. And since she didn't particularly like shopping for clothing of any kind- she was more than content to grab the necessities, toiletries, enough clothing (including undies and training bras- grrr) to get her through two in a half weeks at a time.

She didn't care much for skirts and dresses, but she maybe went a little bit overboard with the shirts, shorts, pants, socks, shoes and PJ's. But at least she wouldn't find herself running around the fourth's home butt naked if she started running out of something.

So...that was a plus, she guessed.

After that she hit the grocery store and bought only what she felt was absolutely needed. Especially since she didn't know how long it had been since the fourth had last gone shopping. She got enough food for five people (give of take) to go through in two or three months.

Walking out of the grocery store with her purchases, she glanced back at her shadow clones, all two dozen or so of them, each carrying more than their share of the stuff that she had bought and sighed as she began walking in the direction of the fourth's home.

Her only thought at that moment was that she hoped Minato had a decently sized fridge and freezer.

(************************************************************************************************************************************************)

Minato sat in his seat, back at the Akimichi Korean BBQ- back in one of the private rooms with Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. His azure blue eyes watching two of the three in the room with him from over the top of the Orange Fizz soda that he had had the foresight to snatch and bring with him otherwise he was pretty sure Danzo would have attempted to poison him again, via tea, like he had the last time the three had ambushed him and dragged him here for a little chat.

Watching Homura and Koharu pace around was like watching a pair of ping-pong balls bouncing back and forth.

Dizzying. And irritating all at once.

Luckily, they hadn't managed to ambush him before he'd had the time to finalize the paperwork for Mizuki's betrothal to him. So even if they wished to press the earlier issues that he had sent several of their people to the hospital for- the girl was safely outside of their reach.

And she would damn well stay there if he had anything to say about it.

Finally after several minutes of his bored staring someone finally decided to speak. "What you did earlier today was unacceptable as the Hokage. We out the council, your adviser's- we have certain rights to the information about the girl that you found. We need to know who she is, where she came from and so on."

Slowly lowering his soda from his lips a little bit, he growled out, "You only have the right to those things if I deem it so. And I don't deem it so, so you aren't getting anything from me. Besides, did you really think you'd get away with barging into my office and making demands above your station? How was my reaction any different from what lord third would have done in my place?"

"Lord third is a more rational person-"

"A chump, you mean. Someone that you could easily push around all you like without any real fear of retaliation. Just because you have history with the man, doesn't mean shit to me. I'm not him, and I refuse to let you overstep yourselves."

"The child could be used for the better good of the village."

"In what capacity? As someone's fuck toy/breeder? Or as a weapon? Either way- you aren't getting her. I've already taken the necessary steps to see to it that she is safely removed from either option, not to mention any other that you three can half ass cook up between you."

"You will give us the information that we want, Minato."

"Last I checked, I was the one who ran this village. Not the three of you and your lackeys. I don't have to give you anything. Now if your done wasting my time, overstepping your authority, I have better things to do that sit here and listen to any more of your shit." Minato said as he set his half finished drink down on the table and slowly got to his feet so that he could leave.

"Minato! We are not done here!"

"Yes we are, now let me make one thing perfectly clear before you decide to do anything more than you already have. The girl is off limits. If any of you dare try to find her, contact her, kidnap her, drug her and attempt to insert her into any kind of program, breeding or otherwise- I will come looking for you. Strip you of any power and authority you have and kill you as traitors to the village. And trust me- your deaths will be very painful, and very public. I'm done playing with you fools." Minato said as he made his way over to the door of the room and unsealed it and slid it open before pausing just long enough to say from over his shoulder, "Oh, before I forget... Enjoy your stay in the hospital Danzo." And then slipped out of the room.

Leaving the three wondering what he meant when barely two minutes later Danzo doubled over in pain and came to the chilling realization that Minato had slipped something in his tea.