After the group finished things up in Tanzaku Gai, they made their way home to Konoha. Halfway through the trip however, the group inadvertedly decided to stop by a hot springs town, Tsunade talking Jiraiya into going with the words "mixed" and "bathing". Shortly after coming back from the hot springs, Naruto found that his necklace had been stolen, and that two ninja of the Akagi gang had intended to use the necklace as ransom, though not expecting it to have changed hands.
Long story short, the blond helped the guys "blackmail" Tsunade into getting the money back. Shizune figured if word of her debt got out, it would ruin her chance of becoming Hokage, so she went after Naruto was taken "hostage" in Tsunade's place. Afterwards, they met up with Jirouchou Wasabi, Senta and Bunzou finding out that Tsunade had already paid the debt back to the Wasabi Family.
After pulling Jiraiya out of the hot springs, said Sennin staying in way too long and not getting the results he wished for, the group of five made their way back to Konoha, the rest of the trip uneventful. Or at least, the trip would've been uneventful, had it not been for th-
"HAAAGEEETAAAKAAA!" a voice cried out from the heart of Konoha, causing everyone to look up from what they were doing wondering just who could pump out so many decibels, or just who this Haaageeetaaakaaa person was. At the same time, said person shuddered a bit, planning on keeping some distance from her nii-san until he'd cooled down a bit.
Then again, for a guy who was learning Katon jutsu, that may take a while.
"Well… Things are certainly… lively," Tsunade thought as they approached the village gates.
"Uh, Tsunade, since you and Shizune have been out of the village for so long, you'll have to check in in person," Jiraiya stated. "Naruto, you head into town and see what's wrong. It seems like it came from the Council Chambers."
"Right…" the blond thought as he headed in, flashing his ID to Izumo and Kotetsu before heading in. Why do I feel like things are just going to keep getting complicated?
I swear, it's like someone's just making my life complicated on purpose, the brunette sighed as he continued to rub the bridge of his nose, leaving the council chamber behind him.
"Washi, there you are," Naruto said finally coming up to him.
"Oh, Naruto, you're back. How was your trip?" Washi asked.
"I'll tell you later," the blond stated. "Right now I need to ask you this. What happened, and why did you call out your sister's name in indignant fury?"
"Well, it all started a few minutes ago when I was called to the Konoha Council," the brunette said as he lead the blond out of the building, not really wanting to stick around for too long, lest they try and pull something else.
Flashback
It was a peaceful day in Konoha, and Washi Maniwa, who'd been released from the mental ward a week or so ago, was getting back in shape from his lapse in training. He had never thought he'd run into anything or anyone that remotely resembled the late Kuizame Maniwa, so he now had to work around his fears. However, that would come later, because for now, he had to train himself beyond the level he was at now. After Naruto had left on his trip to get the next Hokage, the Godaime, he asked Anko when and/or if he'd become a chunin, and she told him that the Hokage would have to review the judge's reports on his fighting; Since Sarutobi, the Sandaime, had died, it would be up to the Godaime, to decide who became chunin, if anyone did at all.
And that's how the cicada-masked ANBU came across him. Doing upside down pushups with a large rock balanced on his heels, what more, the brunette standing on extended fingers on the ends of two partially-buried kunai, a speck of blue light shining between his fingertips and the fine point of tempered black steel.
After getting the surprise out of his system, the cicada-masked ANBU stepped out of the trees, the brunette kicking the boulder off his feet before flipping onto it, wiping some sweat from his brow with a cloth before putting his hitae-ate on. "ANBU-san, what brings you here today?"
"The Konoha Council has requested for your presence," the masked ANBU stated curtly.
"Something I need to know about?" the brunette asked.
"Just make your way to the council building. I was only sent here to make you aware," the ANBU said stepping back into the treeline. "You have a half hour to report in before a second ANBU brings you in more… directly," he said before fading into the treeline, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
"Jeez, I just got out of the mental ward a week ago, I didn't think I'd get in trouble for having a nervous breakdown this soon," the brunette sighed to himself as he collected his belongings before leaping into town with great bounds, sailing amidst the birds for a few minutes before coming upon the council chambers twenty five minutes later. After passing through the foyer, he headed down the hallway, lined with pictures of past Kage and council members, he opened the red-colored hardwood double doors and came into the room, facing the entirety of the Konoha Council.
In total there were three sets of seats on raised platforms. In the middle was a large chair with Konoha's insignia on it, flanked by two chairs of the same ilk, Koharu Utane and Homura Mitokado sitting in the chairs where he figure the Hokage would sit, should they be present.
On the right side of the room, there was the ninja half of the Konoha Council, made up of mostly ninja from the prominent clans in Konoha. From left to right there was Hiashi Hyuuga, Shibi Aburame, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, and Tsume Inuzuka, totaling six clan heads.
On the left side of the room, there was the civilian half of the ninja council. From the right to left there was the old war hawk Danzou Shimura, whom he'd heard about a few times in the past. The brunette figured despite the state of his body, what with an arm in bandages and most of his face bandaged including his right eye, he must've been alive for a reason. Flanking him was a rich, portly-looking councilman with a double chin, a plain-looking man with a beard and rectangular glasses, then there was an elderly man reading a black-lined book with unreadable text on the front, and next to him was a pink-haired woman with an average bust. However, the most familiar face he met was on the far left, Togame Souda, or Yasuri depending on whether it was in private or public.
He'd once asked why Togame kept her being married to Shichika a secret, and was answered by the fact that as long as that knowledge was limited, then few would think to take her hostage and use her to bend Shichika to their whims if they just thought she was a friend of his, instead of a spouse.
"Washi Maniwa," Koharu began getting the brunette's attention as he walked into the council chambers, a pair of ANBU closing the door behind him. "Are you aware of why you have been called here?"
"No. Your messenger said he only delivered notices. Not messages," the brunette stated, much to the ire of the man he recognized as Homura.
"I told you we should've sent someone more capable than Semi," he sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Um, no offense, but since I seem to be out of the loop, would someone please tell me why I'm here?" the brunette asked. "I was just about to do 10,000 crunches before I got called here."
"Great. Gai's starting to rub off on him," Tsume sighed.
"Ahem," Danzou said cutting conversations short. "Washi Maniwa, you've been called here today because it has been brought to our attention that you may possess an advanced kekkei genkai."
"And just how did you figure that?" the brunette stated. "Not that I accept nor deny your claims," he added smoothly at the end, remembering the brief lessons Togame had given him prior to that date.
"We received an anonymous tip a few days ago with credible evidence of you using said kekkei genkai," Danzou said pulling a nondescript brown envelope out of his robe. Afterwards he pulled out a color photo of the brunette in his Maniwa uniform from his fight against Kankuro, his pupils enlarged to the point they completely encompassed his eye. "Now, would you care to demonstrate said kekkei genkai, since this photo doesn't appear to be doctored."
" . . . *Sigh* If I do have such a kekkei genkai, do I have to show it off?" the brunette asked, turning to Hiashi on the left side of the far right.
"Konoha law dictates that upon the discovery of a kekkei genkai's manifestation, that upon request from a member of the Konoha Council, with the majority backing votes from either the civilian or shiobi councils during a meeting, that said individual… must display said kekkei genkai for evaluation," Shikaku stated, muttering a "troublesome" at the end for good measure.
" . . . *Sigh* Fine," the brunette sighed, the civilian half of the council smirking, sans Danzou who remained neutral, and Togame who seemed conflicted, as the brunette took a deep breath in and out before cracking his eyes open, then snapping them open to reveal his pupils completely dilated, his irises stretched to the corners of his eyes as they scanned around the room. "GAH!" he suddenly cried jerking his head back and snapping his hands over his eyes, eliciting a bit of panic from the civilian council.
"Is there something wrong?" Shibi asked stoicly.
"Ugh! I could see your pores!" he groaned as he rubbed his eyes.
"Whose?" Koharu asked.
"Both of you," he returned as he waved his hands in their direction, motioning toward Homura and Koharu, causing a few of the council members to laugh at the teen's reaction. "Kami, don't either of you moisturize?" he asked as he continued to rub his eyes, finding the image still burned into the inside of his eyelids. "Look, I'll be back in ten minutes, I need to clear my palette," he said as he made way to leave the room, only for the two ANBU to grab him by his shoulders and lead him back into the center of the room. "Really? Really now? I just get out of therapy and you won't let me scrub that image out of my eyes after I see that?" he ranted pointing to Homura and Koharu, the latter becoming a bit self-conscious about her skin.
"I am to assume your doujutsu provides some form of telescopic vision," Danzou stated.
"Amongst other things," the brunette groaned, having thankfully gotten the image of two barn sides, er- straps of leather… old people faces out of his eyelids. "These eyes let me track even the slightest movement, and process information on levels that are comparable to the Sharingan, if what I've read is correct. Of course I don't have the Sharingan myself, so it could be an inaccurate comparison, but I digress."
"I see…" Danzou stated, the notes from his anonymous source having somehow been correct on all accounts.
"What exactly does all this mean for me?" the brunette asked.
"Washi Maniwa, please leave the council chambers. After delegations, you'll be called back into the room," Koharu stated, the two ANBU leading the brunette out of the room.
Why do I feel as though I don't have a say in how complicated my life's going to get after this meeting? the brunette thought as the door closed behind him and the two ANBU.
Ten minutes of delegation later, and Washi was led back into the council chambers. Something he noticed from the left side of the room was that, apart from Togame who rubbed the bridge of her nose a bit, and Danzou who remained neutral, was that they seemed to be patting themselves on the back. From the right side, he noticed that they had more neutral expressions on their faces, while Tsume seemed to be rubbing the bridge of her nose as well. For Homura and Koharu, they both had an expression that was a mixture between a neutral expression, and a semi-smug platitude.
It feels like things are about to get more complicated, the brunette thought to himself.
"Washi Maniwa, after much delegation, we of the Konoha Council have deemed that for the good of Konoha, you should be enlisted into the village's CRA," Homura stated, the brunette raising an eyebrow at that statement.
"Um, would you care to elaborate?" he asked.
"Well, in times of strife within the village, at around the same time that a potentially applicable kekkei genkai manifests themselves within the village, that male carriers would be urged to take on multiple wives, mistresses, or surrogate mothers to provide children that carry the bloodline for later generations," Koharu explained.
"So wait… Are you trying to tell me that I have to form a harem?" the brunette said in outrage, surprising the men, and women, equally.
"Isn't having a harem every man's dream?" the fat merchant asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Don't confuse the two of us lard ass," Washi growled, hating it when rich people thought they knew everything.
"What did you say you impudent-"
"Laaaaaard," the brunette interrupted longly.
"Now you see-"
"Laaaaaaaaard," the brunette interrupted again, a little longer than before.
"Order, order!" Koharu shouted as she slammed the gavel in front of the Hokage's desk.
"Look, I don't know what Konoha's standards are for relationships, but every day up until she died, my Kaa-san told me that I should focus my attention on one woman at a time, and one woman at a time only," Washi stated strongly. "How am I supposed to do that when you say I have to take on more than one wife? You act like my eyes are just a tool for the betterment of the village, and that women are just object to be used for your own gains."
"Well, you technically don't have to accept the CRA," Hiashi stated strongly, thankful the brunette was more level-headed than other men his age. "It's well within your rights to refuse, and others aren't legally capable of changing your decision for you," he continued, much to the civilian council's ire, Togame hiding it for political reasons, but secretly proud of the brunette.
"While that may be true," Koharu interrupted. "It's still advised that you keep the paperwork, should you change your mind," she said passing a scroll to the brunette from the table.
"Well I'll be sure to keep it in mind," Washi said somewhat sarcastically as he took the scroll before turning to the bandaged man to his left. "Danzou, if you don't mind, could I see the information given to you by this anonymous source? I just want to either confirm or deny something that's been nagging at my mind since this meeting started."
"Very well," Danzou said sliding the envelope across the desk, the brunette taking it as he began looking over the document. Along with the picture of him using his Washigan paper clipped to a couple documents detailing what his eyes did in their transformed state. It was almost as though…
" . . . " was the brunette's silent reply as he finished reading the paper, recognizing the handwriting ont it. "Permission to completely flip out towards someone who is not in this room right now?" Washi asked.
" . . . Permission granted," Danzo stated, knowing all too well the times he wanted to do that whenever Hiruzen was out of the room, only for it to be completely undignified.
"HAAAGEEETAAAKAAA!" Washi cried to the heavens at his current strait.
" . . . You through?" Homura asked, knowing all too well the times he just wanted to shout someone's name to the heavens in blind fury, but never got to do so.
"Yeah *pant* I am," the brunette stated.
"Very well then. This meeting is adjourned," Koharu said bringing down the gavel. Shortly afterwards, those in the room began to leave, Washi out the door first as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
I swear, it's like someone's just making my life complicated on purpose, the brunette sighed as he continued to rub the bridge of his nose, leaving the council chamber behind him.
"Washi, there you are," Naruto said finally coming up to him.
"Oh, Naruto, you're back. How was your trip?" Washi asked.
"I'll tell you later," the blond stated. "Right now I need to ask you this. What happened, and why did you call out your sister's name in indignant fury?"
"Well, it all started a few minutes ago when I was called to the Konoha Council," the brunette said as he lead the blond out of the building, not really wanting to stick around for too long.
"You can stop now!" the blond cried cutting the flashback off before it could come around full circle.
"Right. Sorry. Guess I just got carried away," the brunette sighed.
"Well, I figured this would happen sooner or later," the blond said lacing his fingers behind his head as he headed back to the house, really wanting to just fall asleep on his own bed. Sleeping on the ground hasn't done favors for my back. "I just didn't think it'd take this long for them to call it up," he added with a chuckle.
"This isn't funny! This goes against everything my Kaa-san told me when I was a kid!" Washi cried shaking the blond back and forth as he lifted him off the ground. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be so conflicted?"
"Actually, I do, and I need to get that resolved," the blond said after the brunette let him down. "After a good night's sleep though," he said heading back to the house.
"Maybe, but I can't guarantee things will be the same as they were before," the brunette sighed as he walked past.
"What makes you say that?" the blond asked.
"You'll find out when you get there. Trust me," he said before leaping off, disappearing into the wild blue yonder moments later. As those who witnessed the act gaped, Naruto continued to head to the northeastern edge of the village.
. . . So that's how he flew. Or at least part of it, the blond thought to himself, recognizing the brunette's technique as Chouchou's Ashigaru.
Later that evening after Naruto had gotten back home, Washi going out to practice some chakra control in the back yard before doing so as well, he was surprised to find Togame in the living room with her head hanging off the couch, a bottle of sake in her hand and her hair spread out across the floor, whereas Hitei simply sat on one of the other chairs in the room and read a book to herself, occasionally looking upon her rival with a short titter before going back to her reading.
Extending his senses through the house, he felt no one there, sans the two koi in the back that seemed to have a very distinct presence, and Wahsi in the back yard, meaning that the others must've been out on missions right now.
"Kaa-san, are you okay?" Naruto asked lifting her up and setting her on the couch before pulling the bottle form her hands. "Have you been drinking?"
"Yeah *hic* Whaz it to u?" Togame slurred. She was a real lightweight.
"I'm just worried is all," Naruto said as he grabbed a throw pillow and set it behind her head. "Did something happen while I was gone?" he asked turning to Hitei, doubting he'd get a straight answer from Togame in her current strait.
"Oh I'll tell you what happened," Togame slurred as she swung her fist out wildly, cutting off the green and pink-streaked blond as she began her tale of woe.
Flashback Start
It was a day after Itachi and Kisame's run of Konoha. Or from Konoha depending on who you asked.
At first the numbers were few, but word slowly began to spread about Shichika's exploits against two S-Rank nuke-nin. Especially the way he shrugged off Itachi's own ill-gained power, and nearly took his life, had they not retreated. Itachi was regarded as a prodigy among shinobi, and for someone to completely outclass him, with next to no prior shinobi training and only pure skill, was a marvel that none could help but admire.
Rumors had already spread about Shichika completing more missions faster than anyone, almost at the same level as Maito Gai on a good day. People though he was just blurring through them without taking them seriously, but the fact that clients continued to rehire him meant he must've been doing a good job. And of course after the events of the Chunin Exams, medics had found Shichika panting next to a literal pile of corpses twenty high, and eighty wide. There were also broken and battered corpses punched through walls, into craters in the ground, and what they thoughtwere parts of corpses, scattered about.
The vultures and crows certainly fed well that day.
Getting back on track, it was at this moment that Shichika found himself facing the Konoha Council in full attendance, sans the Hokage. Naruto had gone out to get the next one, or at the least try, so he wondered what the blond was doing before a gavel hitting the table caught his attention.
"With all important persons present, we may now begin this meeting," Koharu stated, bringing everyone out of their individual discussions with one another.
"May I ask why I was summoned here?" Shichika asked, now out of his ninja garb since he'd merely been running through katas before receiving the summons notice.
"Shichika Yasuri, we have received reports of how you supposedly chased off two S-Rank nuke-nin, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki," Homura stated. "Do you accept or deny these claims?"
"If you are referring to the two from the other day in the black cloaks, then no, I didn't chase them off," the kyotouryuu patriarch stated, much to everyone's confusiton. "Only one ran, while the other followed behind me as I pursued his teammate," he continued.
"I see…" Koharu stated. "And this style you've been known to use… Kyotouryuu is it?" she asked earning a nod in return. "Good. Then we may get to the point of this meeting," she continued. "Shichika Yasuri, we as the Konoha Council believe that it would be in the best interests of Konoha for you to open a Kyotouryuu school within our walls and train a group of previously screened individuals in your fighting style," she stated in a no-nonsense tone, the civilian half of the council hardly concealing their smirks while the shinobi half looked at the other in disgust.
"I am afraid I am unable to comply with your request," Shichiks stated, much to the civilian council's ire.
"And why not?" Koharu asked.
"The art of Kyotouryuu can only be passed down from the head of the family to their own children and so on," Shichika said waving his hand. "This tradition has held true since the founder of Kyotouryuu, Kazune Yasuri, began creating Kyotouryuu over three hundred years ago."
"But the demo-" the fat council member on the left side of the room started before collecting himself. "Ahem. Naruto Uzumaki, knows Kyotouryuu, yet he is not of your family. How do you explain that."
"Because I was not the one to teach Naruto kyotouryuu," Shichika stated. "My nee-san did."
"Then it should be up to her to teach Kyotouryuu to those we've selected?" the plain-looking council member asked.
"No. While as head I'm obligated to teach this art to my children, and they their own, Nanami holds the right to teach Kyotouryuu to those she brings into the family of her own accord, being the older sibling," Shichika elaborated. "Also, I highly doubt anyone could force her to teach Kyotouryuu out of her own volition?"
"And why may that be?" Koharu asked.
"Because out of all the times we've spared, I've never been able to defeat my nee-chan," Shichiks stated. "Not even once," he added, not counting their match before the sword buddah as an actual fight.
This statement came off as a shock to those present, the shinobi half included. If Shichika was the younger brother, and was able to force Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki to retreat from the village, then Nanami, his older sister, must've been a real monster if even Shichika, one who fought two S-Rank nuke-nins and forced them to retreat, couldn't even beat her once.
In short, the only way they'd get what they wanted was through Shichika. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Nanami could back up her refusal, and as clichéd as it was, the messenger would most likely be killed anyway.
"Very well then," Koharu stated after rubbing the bridge of his nose. "After much deliberation, as well as your recent testimony, we of the Konoha Council have decided for the best of Konoha, you should be placed under Konoha's Clan Restoration Act, as to… preserve the art of Kyotouryuu for future generations," she said hiding her intent behind other words.
Shichika's eyes scanned the room from right to left. While the majority of the shinobi side remained neutral, he noticed the Inuzuka matriarch licking her lips. On the other side of the room, he noticed the civilians poorly concealing their smiles. Something that told him whatever the CRA was, they were doing it for their own benefit.
Finally at the end of the left side of the room, his eyes settled onto Togame. He knew that she'd become part of the Konoha Council, since this was right up her alley, so he wasn't surprised to see her there. With a discrete hand motion meaning, "go with it", though he noticed a slightly aggravated air hidden in the motion, he faced the center of the room.'
"Very well then…" he said, the majority of the council on the edges of their seats. "I will meditate on this matter, and see whether or not the Clan Restoration Act would help, or hinder the Yasuri household," he said heading out the room.
"Very well then. With that being said, I believe this meeting is…" Homura stated as he brought the gavel down on his desk. "Adjourned."
Flashback End
Once the tale had ended, Naruto was practically shocked beyond words, but soon recovered, while Hitei just chuckled to herself as she turned a page in her book.
"So wait, Shichika's been inducted into the CRA so that Konoha can have more Kyotouryuu practitioners?" Naruto asked, trying to wrap everything together. First Washi and now this? What next, are they going to get me wrapped up in all this just because I can regenerate? I know for a fact that no one on the civilian council would ever give me that status unless they were desperate, so I can only hope Tsunade didn't find anything on me while she treated me, otherwise… she might not appreciate all those insults I spat at her that one time.
"Yeah," Togame sighed, having burned some of the alcohol out of her systems through the story. "Of course, I had to keep my personal opinion out of the council chamber because I have to be professional above all else, and while the Council's idea has merit, it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."
"But why didn't you vote against it?" the blond asked.
"Because from the get-go I knew I was going to lose," Togame grunted with a pout. "You should've seen the looks on those civilian council member's faces when the topic came up before Shichika-kun arrived. It was like they found their next favorite toy to play with."
"Well I don't think you'll have anything to worry about," Naruto said giving the whitette a hug. "You're his first love, and I doubt you'll lose your place in his heart. I mean, sure he may end up bringing multiple wives under the Yasuri name," once he figures it all out of course since he isn't the sharpest tool in the barn, he thought to himself. "But you'll still be number one to him."
" . . . Thanks for hearing me out," Togame sighed as she gave Naruto a hug. "By the way, do you know that Nanami's been watching you through some crystal ball for the past couple weeks while you were gone?"
"No, I didn't," the blond thought, though remembered when Sarutobi showed him that trick before he left the village, and was secretly wondering how it worked. I'm sure it's only natural that she'd do so, though she may be a bit upset with me for acting so recklessly during my fights.
"Oh, well, I just thought I would let you know," the whitette sighed as she stretched her back before heading upstairs.
"You know…" Hitei trailed off as she set her book down, which had to do with feng shui. "If I didn't know any better, with the way she was watching you, I'd think you two were lovers," she chuckled in amusement as the blond's eyes widened. "Of course, it could just be her being a good sister, so what would I know Naruto-koi?" she teased as she ruffled the fellow blond's hair as she walked by, Naruto sighing before turning around, suddenly spotting the silver-haired Saraba behind him.
"GAH!" he cried, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin and dive into the kitchen. "Saraba, how'd you get behind me like that? I didn't even sense you."
"I-I just came from the other room," Saraba said nervously as she tapped her index fingers together, the blond being reminded of Hinata's former self until she gained some confidence in herself.
Speaking of which, I need to see how she's doing later, he thought to himself, before shaking those thoughts off and turning back to the silverette. "So, did anything interesting happen while I was out?"
"Um… No, not really," the timid woman stated. "Aside from Washi-san being sent to the mental ward and returning in a week, as well as Shichika-san's… predicament, nothing else spectacular has happened."
"Thank you for letting me know," the blond sighed as he headed upstairs. Man, I really need to get a good night's sleep. And not one caused by exhaustion, he thought as he headed up to his room, his eyes trailing to Nanami's room before he headed into his own.
Minutes later he collapsed onto the bed, getting the first real sleep he had in a long while. When morning came, he'd be ready to face whatever the village threw at him.
Well, Naruto's back in Konoha, as are Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya for as long as he's available.
As for Washi and Shichika getting put under the CRA, that's just what I think would be the logical course of action for the Konoha Council. With military forces cut down, and especially after the Uchiha were nearly wiped out by Itachi, another kekkei genkai within the village's control would've been a must. As for Kyotouryuu, it's mainly because having control of a style like Kyotouryuu would be in Konoha's best interest as well. Especially after considering that corpses could pile up pretty quickly after a "demonstration" of Kyotouryuu's prowess.
Plus I've read enough Naruto fanfiction to know that those with bloodlines usually get roped into the CRA, whether they want it or not. They eventually settle into the roll anyways.
Translations:
Semi = Cicada