Hiashi looked at his people of the main branch, who had been in disarray since the discovery of the deceased elders. He would have to make a display that would hold them back from attempting to defy his authority and make them fear to raise a hand against Hinata. It was almost time, some people of the subordinate branch had been summoned to the largest room in the compound, where a number of the main was at currently. "Hiashi-sama, what will you do about the council of elders?" Some of the older people wished to integrate the select group, indubitably to seize the power the position granted. "Calm down, it will be dealt with soon." The door opened, letting the subordinates enter the room, receiving disdainful looks from the older mains. "Hinata." She came to her father, bowing her head respectfully. "Chichi-ue." Hiashi gestured for a child with a headband to come as well, pulling off the cloth once the boy was close enough.
The child had fearful eyes, but Hiashi offered a faint smile. The crowd began to murmur, wondering what was about to happen. "Do it, Hinata." Her hand glowed, making the boy flinch in terror, but a strong hand kept him from moving. She touched the jūin and the child screamed briefly, but it was a reflex reaction, there was no pain to be felt. The spectators gasped in shock, realizing what Hinata did. "How did she remove it‽" "It was supposed to be indelible save for death!" A small mirror was given to the boy, who cried at the sight of a bare forehead. The more narrow-minded of the main branch made the handsign to activate the seal, not wishing to let Hiashi free more of those they considered unworthy, but nobody fell in pain. "How can this be‽" Headbands were taken off and fake seals were erased, revealing that the pair had already freed almost everybody, the few that still held that abominable mark stayed in a safe location so they wouldn't be targeted by bigots.
"This mark was one that dragged the Hyūga down." Now, one couldn't tell the difference between those of the main and secondary family, the seal was the only identifier. "Over half of our clan is from the Bouke, yet..." Hiashi shook his head. "We of the Souke cut their wings so they wouldn't oppose us, but we crippled ourselves as well." Hinata was comforting the boy, who didn't stop thanking her. "The Souke Jūin is officially banned, I myself destroyed the blueprints and instructive scrolls." The ones who held the knowledge to apply that barbarity were the deceased elders and the chief, and he wouldn't bring it back, it would die with him. "You may defend yourselves." The ones of the main house began protesting, slinging insults at the once servants and attempting to attack them, only to be struck down. Many proud faces hit the tatami, making their owners taste a bit of the humiliation they liked to inflict on others.
Three dust streaks were tracing a route towards Kamakura, Menma was at full tilt and made his relatives hold on for dear life. "First stop!" The trio of foxes skidded to a halt in a clearing, making their riders get catapulted at trees, save for one. "Don't repeat this, Menma-kun!" Kushina whacked the one she was riding, getting an indignant yelp. Naruto and Karin stumbled to their feet, rubbing their sore spots. The woman had stepped down and was scolding her son for this stunt. It was a bit funny for the blond to see his serious brother be treated like a disobedient kid. Now Menma was back to being a human, with a bump on his head. "Okay, I get it. I won't do it again. Can we set up camp now?" The girls set up the tents while Naruto gathered lumber with his clones, Menma had gone hunting, being the one best suited for the role.
It was almost dusk and the male redhead didn't return yet. "Where's Menma? He should have returned by now!" Kushina was about to set after him when the devil came from the thicket, dragging a deer. "Sorry for the delay, this bugger almost kicked my teeth off." The carcass had quite the chunk bitten off the neck and his mouth had dried blood, but the group voted for not asking for details. The meat gave out a nice scent as the small family surrounded the fire. "So, Menma-chan, can you tell us something about yōkai?" The woman was curious, Warashi didn't give much info to her. "I don't know who we'll find in the crew. But the Oni value honesty and strength, you can even get their respect by managing to outdrink one of them. The vampires are more aristocratic, valuing respect fitting for nobility and cordial behavior." Menma took a bite of the meat cut for him. "Too bad that we can't meet the beastpeople or seafolk on this trip."
Only three encounters could be crammed in the two months they were given, and close to four weeks would be wasted while on the road. "Just one thing... the vampires might demand blood in exchange for hospitality." At the shocked faces, he saw fit to explain. "Vampires can eat regular food and sustain themselves on meat, but blood is like wine to some. And with all of us being part of an almost extinct bloodline, we might have an exotic taste for them." Menma was thoughtful now that the subject was brought up. "I wonder how they are related to that idiot, Dracula." Once a cocky rookie, that man had attempted to drink Bijū blood, only to get beaten up by all of them. More questions were thrown at him about the nature of yōkai in general, with him answering the ones he knew for sure, as things might have changed in these centuries of separation, not wanting to give wrong information. Then it was time to sleep, they had quite a lot of ground to cover in the next few days.
Kushina looked at the many ships, inquiring herself of which one would take them to Uzushio. From what she could recall, none of these vessels were swift enough to brave the whirlpools clusters around the island. Menma went straight for the one that was small compared to the merchant's vessels. The triangular sails were peculiar, compared to the square sails that were prevalent, but what caught his attention was the writing on the front, in a language illegible for this continent's inhabitants. "Sea fangs, eh?" He clambered up one of the anchor chains and stepped on the deck. {Where's the captain?} A female in a long coat and with silver hair approached him. {Are you one of the landlubbers to be babied?} Menma chuckled at the teasing tone. {I am with a delicate group, but I hope you can toughen them up.} She barked a laugh, enjoying how this boy didn't take offense and offered a handshake. {Call me Gangut.} He took it and they shared a smile. {Kurama. When can you set sail?} She looked up and shouted fast questions, receiving shouts back. {Right now, just bring the cargo.}
=^.^=
The Uzumakis all toured the ship, as even Kushina didn't have the chance to explore one closely. They explored the cabins and even went to the cargo hold. "What do ya'll think? This bad boy is a veteran of the seas!" Gangut was proud of the ship she captained. "Didn't you almost capsize it by ramming it on corals when we were hunting dolphins?" The captain grabbed the busty blonde who butted in, her face twisted into a snarl. "Iowa, keep at it and I'll drop you on a deserted island with a rusty spoon!" The taller female looked down at the silverhead with a smirk. "Feh... Did you forget who funds you?" Thankfully it didn't escalate. - The ship was sailing smoothly and the team was helping with the chores, but for some reason that Naruto couldn't fathom, he was being saddled with the more bodily demanding jobs.
Removing barnacles, moving cargo, helping with sea critters gutting (he felt bad for the orca), and so on. Menma had given the idea to Gangut to drive the blond to the ground with the intent of training him even if indirectly, as his stamina increased, he could hold his breath longer, and got more skilled with his throws thanks to the harpoon fishing. The crew was helpful with his questions, teaching Naruto how to do the duties assigned to him efficiently. He got to know about their backgrounds and even met the mascot toddlers. "Akatsuki, Hibiki, don't try swinging on the ropes!" The children had unknown fathers, but the ship was their home and the crew their family. The tiny pair came to see the whiskered blond as their big brother, pestering him so he would play with them during his breaks.
=^.^=
"How I got this scar?" Naruto had his focus on the woman, not wanting to lose a detail. "It happened during a land hunt, look at this." Gangut pulled out a photo from her coat pocket. "Wow! This thing is huge!" It was a Deviljho, it seemed to rival some of the toad summonses in size, but it wasn't as humongous as Gamabunta. Naruto couldn't even imagine how hard it was to bring it down. "I was about to land my last strike when-" Iowa chose this moment to cut in. "Stop lying, it did happen against that thing, but you tripped and cut yourself on a rock." Gangut grabbed her by the shirt, with a vein throbbing on her neck. "You bitch! How dare you‽" A shouting match began between the females, with the crew stopping to spectate. "Fight! Fight!" It kept on until one of the muscleheads returned from the anchor-hoist. "Are you talking about the Picklesaurus?" The people in the earshot all sputtered and devolved into a giggling mess at the nickname for the fearsome beast.
=^.^=
Soon a zone with roiling waters and stormy clouds came into sight. "We're getting to Uzushio, landlubbers!" A little water and some winds wouldn't break their fangs. "These whirlpools are huge!" Karin was shocked at the sea phenomenon. Gangut didn't mind the storm hitting her face and gripped the helm, her crew knew the Charybdis drill and were ready to overcome this obstacle course. {Five o'clock!} She followed the lookout's directions, trusting her words blindly as her girls handled the sails. {Oooh! Don't you dare fall into the sea!} The ship shook and jerked with the currents, making some of its occupants queasy with the roughness. {Twelve o'clock!} Menma and Kushina aided as they could, using their chakra chains to provide fast movements and handle the ropes. Naruto was in one of the quarters, holding the hurl-bucket closely, watching the churning waters and hellish weather through the tiny porthole and hearing the barks of the captain mixed with the howling winds and roaring waves. Akatsuki and Hibiki were huddled close to him, hiding their faces under the covers.
"Landfall~" The announcement of the crow nest made those weary from the water trial thank the heavens for this mercy. The anchors were dropped, the sails tucked away, and the boats laid on the water. "Let's try to find wildlife!" The trip to solid ground was brief and without issues. "What a pity that this nice patch of land got struck by invaders." Gangut had heard about the Uzumaki's circumstances from Kushina and empathized with the group. "I hope that this land flourishes again." The boats hit the sandy bottom, so they were dragged close to the treeline and tied up so the tide wouldn't take them away. Some of the crew, along with Naruto, dropped to the sand and laid face-down on it, thanking the heavens for being alive. "That was quite the workout~" Gangut and the veterans were all laughing merrily as if they had gone to a stroll and not through hell on water.
The first ones to step on Uzushio since the war explored the area to find the lost settlement. "I found it!" In a demonstration of respect, nobody from the ship intruded the village until the family did, keeping a distance from the crumbled walls. "We'll wait until you all come to grips with this place." Gangut held her cap to her chest, bowing her head briefly. "Thank you..." Kushina retributed the bow, the sight of desolation was opening old wounds. "Okay, all hands, let's find hunting spots!" The eccentric crew entered the forest, leaving the team alone. The Uzumakis looked at the torī signaling the entrance to the village, that was still standing strong even after the tragedy that struck this island. "Let's go." It was painful to see the corpses and rubbles, even more so for Kushina as she had personally known some of the deceased. "We will give them all a burial later, don't worry."
The moon hung over Konoha, revealing the clouds in the distance. Hinata was happy, as her clan was finally free from the stigma created by the seal, albeit not without strain between the houses due to bigotry. She felt a little down for not being able to share this conquest with her boyfriend, but it could wait. She then looked around in her bedroom, her eyes falling on the arrow. "I should try to contact her, but not today." She prayed that nothing foul would befall Menma and his family. Kerberos had awoken a few days ago, demanding meat of any kind, which made the Hyūga remember of when he was a pup under her care. "Some things never change." "Yeah, I wonder how is the situation back home."
Then she thought about the new addition to the Aburames. "Chōmei seemed more subdued, maybe she still blames herself for what she did during the invasion." Fū had gone to Hinata at her Bijū's request, creating a bond between them. "That's a given, considering how she fears being considered something to be discarded." Kamaki had spoken with the Hyūga in secret, asking her to keep his identity as the Nanabi's partner secret, for now, taking a vote of silence. {I let that man use her and the jinchūriki when I could have done something...} The mantis blamed himself as well, but the conditions made it risky for 'Kamaki' to reveal himself as a yōkai, as a large enough group of people could overwhelm him. "Those two are so alike, self-punishing over things out of their control..." The door creaked open, revealing Hanabi. "Can I sleep with you?" Both sisters went to the bed. "Do you want a bedtime story?" The younger one was almost bouncing with excitement, Hina was a source of fresh stories. "Yes!"
