Naruto Genkyouien

- ナルト- 威宴

Chapter Twenty-three: Afterparty – Many Paths, One Destination (Part One)


Life continued, even if the place called home was in ruins; even if the spirit of dedication and enthusiasm was cooled down by the incessant rain. The clouds painted the sky an unchanging grey, and the torrential rain fell upon the homeless civilians and shinobi like divine punishment for sins they were not aware of. All work had to be done outdoors, and thus not a single person could escape the deluge. The Will of Fire was being doused; men and women moved like machines, driven only by the need to do something other than staying in the makeshift tents they had assembled to make up for the lack of space in the underground shelters.

It was a noisy morning, just like the two previous ones, but the sounds of human activity were also drowned by the falling rain. Work did not cease, would not cease, until the Village Hidden among the Leaves was restored to its former power. Everywhere, teams of shinobi and civilians cooperated to clear out rubble, sort out what could be reused and build plans for the new construction work. While a number of jutsu could certainly accelerate the process, the number of people who could use them was limited, and thus most of the work had to be done the mundane way. The most significant issue was the main wall that surrounded Konoha: a feat of Ninjutsu and Fuuinjutsu work given shape by the First Hokage; everybody doubted it could be reproduced to its former greatness.

But there was an even more significant problem just outside the walls of Konoha. The forest that same First Hokage gave birth to with his unparalleled Mokuton had been devastated by a number of agents, foremost of all the Emissary of Oblivion, Kuromiya Fubuki and Uzumaki Naruto wielding Higanbana Sesshouseki. A work of natural art given shape by Wood Release jutsu could only be renewed by Wood Release jutsu.

However, as much as the forest meant to Konohagakure, the fact remained that what Konohagakure currently needed was not trees, but wood. An intensive logging operation should have been implemented by this point, but Konoha's pride was its greenery. The idea of clearing out even more of this forest so precious to them somehow struck at the heart of the village's spirit. This was what the banished kitsune, Yuria, managed to understand from listening to the lumberjacks.

Yuria was keeping herself busy. The issues of Higashiyama were no longer her issues. Whatever reluctances the people at the top of Konoha's hierarchy had about accepting the help of kitsune clans were not her concern. She wanted to help, so she would help.

Well, it was not that easy, of course, but…

Even now, she was followed by two of them—ANBU ninja, that is. They were probably as annoyed by their orders to follow her everywhere as she was. Especially because she had not even tried anything heinous or whatever. If they were going to follow her all over the place they could just as well help with the work, really. But, damn were they hard to shake off; as in, she-just-could-not-pull-it-off hard.

So, she lived with the perennial company. At least they were decent enough to look away while she was attending to her biological necessities. And to keep herself busy, Yuria worked from sunrise to sundown. She had a strong body, and those were in demand in the reconstruction work. She got her share of nasty looks from the youkai-haters, but she had the support of her battle bros—those who had fought and watched her fight the Emissary of Oblivion.

Thus far she had kept the whole 'destroying half of the Hokage Monument' thing to herself.

Her current job was picking up recently cut logs and carrying them around the sea of tents assembled by the humans and kitsune to the building sites inside the ruins of Konoha. She could carry at least six logs in the time a team of civilians carried one, so her work was much appreciated. On the other hand, the lumberjacks could only cut trees down as fast as the Mokuton users could make new trees grow in the decimated forest.

Among the people working to rebuild Konoha, there were only two of those.

"Jukai Koutan!" A certain masked ANBU and a certain fox-woman cried out as one before slamming their open hands on the ground. In response, the flood of Wood-nature chakra flooding the earth stimulated the overgrowth of plant life. Sprouts matured into fully-fledged trees in a matter of seconds, eliciting the awe of a group of shinobi and civilian witnesses before a foreman amongst them barked orders to start chopping trees down. Only the two ANBU assigned to Chiyuri remained still and silent under the rain; truly a miserable job.

Even the most heated youkai detractors could do little to deny Higashiyama Chiyuri her wish to assist in the reconstruction efforts. She could provide a power only one other person in Konohagakure could reproduce. So, she was there, working under permanent guard.

Human and youkai fell to their knees, panting heavily. They had been at this for almost two days with little rest, regrowing trees to renew the sea of green and to provide wood much needed for the reconstruction of Konoha; talented as they were, neither could compare to Senju Hashirama, one of the greatest shinobi to have ever lived.

Chiyuri sweated heavily. Her short-skirted yukata stuck to her skin by the mixture of rain and sweat, and provided a significant level of service much appreciated by the males among the audience. Her furry appendages were reduced to a single one for convenience. The twin-tailed blonde glanced at her ANBU partner's lifeless mask, and the Konoha operative nodded.

"You guys should take a break."

Chiyuri and Tenzou looked aside, where Yuria landed after some minutes of tree-bound travel—only her "escort" would ever know she had slipped twice on the way there. She approached the foreman, who greeted her most amicably and pointed towards a stack of felled logs.

"You've been at it for two days already, Chiyuri. You need to eat something besides bread with honey and sleep more than two hours."

The older kitsune opened her mouth to reply but lacked enough air in her lungs, so she ended up panting a bit longer. When she planted a hand on her chest to get a hold of herself, the limb swayed up and down along with the heaving of her significant bosom.

"Yuria-chan's helping in every way she can…so please let me help the only way I can."

After stumbling a step or two, Chiyuri fixed her posture, invoked her chakra and slammed her hands on the ground one more time to elicit a new round of tree growth. Right after that, however, her legs gave up and she slipped forward. Her face would have suffered a painful encounter with the ground had Yuria not moved to catch her falling half-niece, at the same time each of her Extended tails seemingly effortlessly seized a pair of giant logs.

"Chiyuri…"

The healer of Higashiyama feebly attempted to release herself from Yuria's cautious hold.

"…still…one more…"

"Chiyuri, your chakra has a limit; nobody will look down on you if you take a break now," Yuria insisted, raising her voice over the staccato of falling rain drops. "Right guys?"

The shinobi and civilian lumberjacks led by the foreman tried to smile in agreement, but it still came out a bit crooked. Yuria did not take that badly: regardless of how much she and the Higashiyama clan assisted them, it would not be easy for them to trust the youkai who had taken so much from them.

That was when the already familiar serpentine shape of a kudagitsune made its appearance before the two lilies. The pipe fox opened its small mouth in front of Chiyuri, and a rolled scroll emerged from within the spirit creature's body. After reading the scroll's contents, Chiyuri addressed Yuria with a weak smile.

"Uzumaki Naruto-kun has woken up and left the tent where he was resting."

Yuria grinned. "Took him damn long enough. Boss!" She called out to the foreman. "I'm taking a break after I deliver these," she said, meaning the logs held by her tails.

"Do you know where to find him?" Chiyuri inquired.

"Ah, that's easy-peasy!" Yuria declared. "The last person in charge of watching over him was my mother, right?"

Chiyuri nodded.

Yuria grinned and shook her head.

"Then it'll be easy as heck."


Indeed, it was very easy to find Naruto.

She just had to follow the sounds of petty arguing.

"Well, I'm so sorry Her Highness had to come down from her lofty heavenly abode to look after this pitiful me! It's not like I was unconscious for anything important, like, you know, burning my goddamned soul!"

"Ooooh, so the obnoxious protagonist has finally begun acting like he's the only one who matters!" A tall, overly voluptuous and mind-numbingly beautiful fox woman spat back with venom in her tone. "Took you long enough, I'd say! Should I fall on my knees and plea for acceptance into your harem of beautiful and pathetically submissive women!?"

They had barely moved from the tent where Naruto had been resting.

"Don't call your daughters pathetic!"

"MY DAUGHTERS ARE NOT YOUR HAREM!"

Anybody in the vicinity who had not been paying attention to these two was definitely doing so after this point.

"Ne, ne, onii-chan, onii-chan has a hare—"

"Not now, Sayuri, the adults are speaking here."

"HA!" A disgusting-sounding bark of laughter from the tall fox-woman. "Adult, you say!? That's rich coming from a moron whose balls have yet to drop!"

"Well this ball-less moron just saved your life three days ago!"

"Don't think yourself so special!" The seven-tails hissed venomously. "You were wielding my daughter's power…"

"It was aweshum!"

"…and Sayoko-san never needed your help in the first place."

"Hmph, at least I did something while you were so busy wetting your knickers!"

"Undergarments are not worn under a kimono, you ignorant!"

The female kitsune in the audience nodded at that. The males moved their gazes from Yuri's tits to the curve of her buttocks neatly hugged by the fabric of her soaked kimono.

"I don't need any of your perverted trivia! More like, accept I saved your ass and show some gratitude! Or is that too much asking from the world's worst mother!?"

"A midget who can't even look up at my head above my breasts should not go around demanding respect!"

"You call those 'breasts'!? I thought they were bloated tumors! I bet all the blood that should go to your head ends up in that worthless fat!"

And that's when they fell to base insults.

"Moron!"

"Bitch!"

"Virgin!"

"Hag!"

There was no little sweat-dropping in the vicinity of this pathetic scene in which a hero of Konoha and a beautiful and powerful kitsune growled at each other like mangy dogs, their foreheads meeting in some pointless contest of strength.

"Grrrrrrr!"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Then they were set on fire; because screw the rain, she's Sayuri.

"Muuuu! No fightin'!"

A chuckling Yuria approached the trio while shaking her head.

"There's something awfully wrong in the world when Sayuri's the most mature one in a conversation."

"Well it is not my fault this…moron, will not appreciate I was looking after him in his convalescence! Hmph!" Yuri presented her side of the argument while offhandedly dispelling the comedy flames. Naruto's disappeared on their own.

"What makes you think your bitch face is the first thing I want to see after being three days unconscious!?"

"You little…!"

"You got a problem, huh!?"

Yuria pulled the two away before they descended into petty arguing once more.

"Alright, keep this up and I swear I'll lock you two in a room until you kill each other or fuck like rabbits, whatever happens first."

The former Matriarch's face showed how much she was repulsed by the idea.

"You-you-like I would possibly…with this…primate!"

Naruto was too busy retching to retort that insult.

Yuria did not look amused.

"Perhaps you should have stayed in a coma a bit longer, bro."

Fortunately, the antics were interrupted by the appearance of a young foxgirl Naruto was not acquainted with. Her hair kept in a ponytail was the color of ash, same as her two white-tipped tails. She looked about the same age as Yurine's daughters, but—and Naruto felt awkward for noticing this—compared to Yurina and Yuriyo she lacked a bit in the chest area.

It was only then Naruto realized that, yes, he was surrounded by nothing but fox youkai.

"Um, Higashiyama Yuri-sama…?" The foxgirl inquired, seemingly unsure as to whether this childishly petty woman could truly be the former Matriarch of the Great Spirit Clan. "Um…the Songmistress inquires as to whether Higashiyama Yuri-sama wishes to meet her now…"

"Hmm," Yuri murmured, quickly regaining the austere bearing she was better known for. "Yes, yes, now would be a good time. I can leave Sayuri and this monkey with you; right, Yuria?"

"Sure, sure."

"Hey!" Naruto did not let that last insult past.

"And you," Yuri turned to the messenger foxgirl. "Contact the leaders of Konoha; they should attend as well. Now, where's that daughter and heiress of mine…?" Those were Yuri's last words before she used Ghost Step to travel away. The other foxgirl bowed to Yuria and the others before leaving as well (by foot), leaving the two kitsune and the young human alone in the crowd.

"Alright," Yuria then said while stepping forward to walk by Naruto's right side. "Let's get you up to date, bud. It's been a long three days."

"First, a question," Naruto interrupted, raising a finger to make a point.

"Just one?"

"To begin with, yes," Naruto clarified. He had indeed a lot of questions. "Where's Mayuri?"

"Muuu…" Sayuri murmured with a pout on her face.

Yuria's irises glimmered with amusement.

"Ooh, as expected of the Lolicon Prince!"

"Where did that even come from…no, wait, don't answer." Naruto quickly took back his retort the moment he saw Yuria opening her mouth again. "Just tell me she's fine."

"Actually, Mayuri makes as good a starting point as any. You had to meet the Shionzaki clan sooner or later, anyway."

"Huh?"

"Muu…" Sayuri was unhappy. Because Naruto had asked about Mayuri before anybody else, you see. Still, she sulkily walked beside Yuria and her beloved onii-chan.

Yuria explained to Naruto that a caravan belonging to the Great Sound Clan of Shionzaki had arrived mere hours after the end of the battle, announcing their presence in the middle of the night with a wandering festival of drum rolls and pipe flutes that did not match the somber mood of the invasion's aftermath.

"Yeah…it was not the best of first impressions," the three-tails mused.

Yuria did not know the details, not having been present, but as far as she understood the Third Hokage initially rejected Higashiyama's and Shionzaki's offer of assistance. However, first thing the next morning he called for Yuri and, after a second meeting, agreed to engage in limited and temporary cooperation with the kitsune of the Great Spirit Clan. Apparently a lot of people in Konoha were not happy about that. As for the Shionzaki, they moved their caravan and set up their tents in their current location, about half a kilometer south from the battered walls of Konoha. The camp was under constant ANBU watch. The Higashiyama Clan was at the moment guests of Shionzaki, and they had moved their camp—which fortunately survived the battle—to the midst of the Sound Clan's temporary settlement.

The leaders of Konoha had spent the last two days engaged in meeting after meeting. In the same way, the leaders of Higashiyama and Shionzaki spent most of their time in the Songmistress' tent, engaged in discussion.

"Yurimi must have it though. Oh well, none of my business. Now, if it would just. Stop. Raining! Gods!"

Indeed, it was the third day of rain unceasing. It had been explained to her that it was the consequence of the obscene amounts of heat released by Naruto and Sayuri (mostly Sayuri) during the battles. It was only made harder by the steam constantly released by the raindrops instantly evaporating upon contact with Sayuri.

"Can you stop doing that?"

"But Sayuri doeshn' wanna get wet! The tails get all heavy; it's not pwetty!"

"You could just hide them like Yuria!" Naruto pointed out. Indeed, Yuria could pass for a fairly muscled young woman without her ears and tails out.

"Don' wanna!"

Naruto sighed. He guessed Sayuri being cute and obedient all the time would be too much asking. This time, he gave up.

On the way to wherever Yuria was taking him, Naruto urged her to tell him as much as possible. Thus, she explained that, after the battle, there was a bit of an argument over who should take care of him in his convalescence. Eventually Yuri won that argument because of three reasons: first, that she could appoint a healer—Chiyuri—exclusively for Naruto, and Konoha could not; second, that there was no way in hell Sayuri would let go of him, and the medic nin were not particularly comfortable about having her around; and third, Hiruzen had enough things in his mind to waste time arguing about something like this. Thus, Naruto stayed with the foxes. Aside from taking care of him, the lilies tried to make themselves useful however they could…and however the humans would let them.

"Yeah, they don't like us much." She paused. "Well, them; I'm managing. I guess they just won't say no to an extra set of muscles in these circumstances," she said, vaguely pointing towards devastated Konoha in the distance.

"They should'all wike Yuria-nee-chan! Yuria-nee-chan's awesome!"

"I know, right!?" The older sister played along. "They just don't know better yet, Sayuri; not everyone can be as perceptive as you, right?"

"Wight."

Sayuri crossed her arms before her chest and nodded firmly, making Naruto and Yuria grin at the adorably hilarious sight.

"Anyway, regardless of whatever it is they talk about in those meetings of theirs, there's still a helluva lot to do, so I've been fairly busy. We cleared up most of the rubble and found all the corpses while you were out, so you won't have to do any of the shitty work."

Corpses.

Yes, Naruto remembered. People had died, of course. It was a battle. The allied Sound-Sand forces, the giant snakes they summoned, and furthermore, Kuromiya Fubuki and her Emissary of Oblivion…

Naruto remembered.

"Yurika…chan."

He regretted opening his mouth the moment the words came out. He noticed the stiffening of Yuria's taut muscles, but what truly got to him was how Sayuri immediately dropped her ears and tails. There was no longer steam, and the little foxgirl immediately became drenched under the torrential rain. Naruto carefully stroked the little Kyuubi's hair, and her tails wagged weakly in return.

"Mah…" Yuria's voice sounded more like a sigh. "…the Void took her, so there was nothing left to cremate. Yurin-nee and Yurina-chan are looking after my sis. They'll be fine."

'They', she said. Naruto realized that she was truly no longer Higashiyama. Even if the family bond would remain forever, Yuria was intent on walking her own path.

But, Naruto wondered, if Yurika's twin sister will have a family by her side in their common grief, who would be there for Yuria?

wait, what kind of stupid question is that?

"…I'm your family now, right?"

Yuria quickly jerked her head, staring at the boy with eyes like saucers.

"Wha-what did you just…?"

"Nah, it's nothin', it's nothing'!" Slapping the back of Yuria's left shoulder, Naruto walked past her and wordlessly urged her to keep going. Thus, the slightly blushing three-tails pretended no words were said and walked along, offhandedly greeting a passing two-tailed young man on the way.

"So, yeah; Yurimi's hanging out with Mom and the other big shots in their meetings; Yurine and Yurina-chan are taking care of Yuriko; Chiyuri's been spending a lot of time with one of those ANBU guys, the one who also uses Mokuton. They're raising trees and chopping wood and stuff. And we'll meet Yurisa-nee and Mayuri in a minute. Oh!" Yuria suddenly exclaimed. "And Sayoko-san's been sleeping and pretending she didn't kick absurd amounts of ass three days ago."

The short girl leaned a bit closer to Naruto.

"Don't tell anyone I told you, but everybody's fuckin' afraid of her now. Everyone." She repeated the last word with strong emphasis.

Naruto's thoughts went back to the battle…no, Sayoko-san did not do much of that, did she? "Battling".

Back then, he was high on Kyuubi-level power, so he felt somewhat calm in her presence, but thinking back on it, it was easy to understand why the others would fear her.

Overwhelming.

That was Kurosaki Sayoko, who had stepped before millennia of tradition of Kyuubi being the cream of the crop of kitsune-ness, and laughed at it before crushing it to bits. Everything those youkai—and those humans knowledgeable of youkai—had believed about the powers of kitsune had been challenged by that woman's absurd power.

Yes, that is scary, Naruto thought. However…

"Well you don't look scared to me," he said while smirking at his former fiancée, who returned the expression with an identical one.

"You kiddin' me! How awesome was that!? Hell, I kind of want her to kick my ass, too! She's awakened my M side!"

Please don't put it like that.

"So, yeah, Sayoko-san's fucking awesome."

"Sayoko-chan's the best!" Sayuri confirmed, expectedly. In case a reminder is due, Sayoko and Yuria pretty much tie for the spot of "Sayuri's Second Favorite Person". Well, Sayoko probably's got a bit of an edge.

But there was one lily Yuria had not talked about, was there not?

"I…haven't seen much of her," Yuria admitted, looking somewhat guilty. "And I feel kind of awkward asking the others, so…yeah."

Naruto could tell: Yuria was worried. Although perhaps he did not quite get just how much. If he put his mind to it, he would realize that Yuria truly felt for the half-Void, as one who has carried the stigma of "a worthless kitsune".

Regardless, the boy made it a point to find Yuriyo when he got the time.

"Ah!" He suddenly remembered. "Kotonoha-sa…Kotonoha! And Mistress Setsuna!"

Sayuri pressed herself closer to Naruto, for no particular reason. She was already dry and releasing steam again, and the boy noticed he was beginning to sweat. Was this going to be his life from that day onwards…?

"No idea about your tsunloli," Yuria answered while wearing a teasing smirk on her pretty face. "She went 'poof' right after Sayoko-san summoned us all back…oh, and remind me to tell you about Oblivion Castle Kurosaki when we've got the time; that place's fuckin' wicked."

"You're cursing a lot, Yuria," Naruto pointed out.

"Using more slang, too," the girl added. "I think the big kahuna up there's mixing me up with a character from another setting."

You said way too much! Way too much!

"Huh…so, Kotonoha…?"

"Oh, she's kept herself busy," Yuria said, with a telling smile on her face. "She's got, like, the coolest job ever."

Naruto blinked.

"…please tell me she's not skinning anyone," he pleaded.

Yuria's grin only got wider.

"…I don't hear a 'no', Yuria!"


Kotonoha was a hunter on the prowl. Originally born a fox, she naturally had a measure of hunting instinct. Furthermore, in her 206 years as a youkai, she had been a mercenary, a hired killer and a spy for several lords before settling down in the lands of Higashiyama.

She knew how to kill. Her first kill, Saionji Sekai, remained fresh in her mind; a vivid memory that would never fade away. It was so simple, taking a life…

She dispelled the thoughts on the distant past. The vivid image in her mind became as murky as the forest around her. Ravaged by flame and void, and currently wracked by unceasing rain, the lands around the ruin named Konohagakure made for forbidding scenery. Visibility was almost zero, and her anthropomorphic body shivered under the downpour. She could not rely on her eyes, for she saw only tree trunks, fog and water in every direction. She could not rely on her ears, for the threnody of that day's deluge drowned all other sounds. She could not rely on her nose, for the rain washed away all scents. She could not even rely on Fuuton jutsu: the current weather made perception by echolocation or patterns of air flow impossible.

But Katsura Kotonoha is a killer. She put herself in the shoes of her prey, and pondered what direction he would try in his attempt at escaping. In this way, her steps never ceased, and she dashed through the forest without pause. She could feel her instinct was working and her target closer and closer. She could not hear it, but she could feel his heartbeat accelerate as he, too, perceived their inevitable meeting. Her right hand sought the hatchet squeezed behind her soaked obi…

Her eyes were blinded by lightning, and her dash came to a halt. It was awfully close, that discharge. Unnaturally close, even.

There was a scream, belonging to a female, and loud enough to be heard beyond the downpour. Kotonoha eased her breathing, ensured her breasts would not spill out of the soaking wet yukata, and stepped forward.

"Ah, it's you. This your prey? Sorry, I got'er first." Kiyoura Setsuna did not sound very apologetic for stealing her rival's mark. On the grass clearly flattened and slightly charred Kotonoha saw a still figure. A petite thing, this kitsune. The possibility of Henge aside, this girl could not even be a three-tails. In other words, she never had the slightest chance.

"So, what do you think Konoha will do with them?" Setsuna pondered as she stood aside for Kotonoha to approach the captured kitsune. Obviously it would be up to the bustier female to carry their prisoner to base.

"That is none of our business, Setsuna," Kotonoha murmured while lifting the unconscious youkai over her right shoulder. "I believe Yuri-sama was the one who pointed out the issue of youkai spies. She will handle their interrogation."

It would be ludicrous to believe Higashiyama were the only ones with agents in the hidden village. Because Konoha would already be hard pressed to catch the shinobi spies before they send word of the extent of the devastation to other countries, Yuri offered to take care of the youkai side of the issue. Not even Danzou could argue against this "generous" offer.

"And what about humans enthralled by youkai to act as spies? Who takes care of those?" Setsuna posed this question, to which Kotonoha could only shrug.

"I did not know you were helping out, Setsuna," she said instead.

"I'm not. I just wanted to unwind a little and caught a glimpse of that one. I was kind of expecting more of a challenge, though."

"I do not think you'll find something like that here…"

Supposedly rivals, but these two actually get along quite well. They turned on their tracks and began the slower trip back to Konohagakure.


"Spies, huh…" Naruto did not have the most eloquent or intelligent-sounding response to Yuria's explanation of Kotonoha's latest assignment. He would not have even thought of spies before it was too late, but it made complete sense: if Yuri had Katsura Kokoro and Higashiyama Koushirou, naturally the other big clans would have at least a pair of eyes on one of the most powerful shinobi villages.

From what Yuria could make out from second- and third-hand references, Yuri and Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to control the outflow of information regarding the events of three days earlier. The idea was letting the other countries and youkai clans known nothing more than what Konoha (and Higashiyama) wanted them to know. So, they had to catch the informants.

But there was something else bothering Naruto at this moment.

"What's…with all the music…?"

"Evwywhere's like, burun-burun…"

At first it had been hard to tell what with all the rain, but the more he paid attention to the sounds coming from inside the tents and the movements of the shadows inside, the more they distracted him. There was an almost maddening mixture of rhythms flooding the kitsune camp because a different song was played in every tent. Percussion instruments were the most significant, but Naruto could catch the sound of flutes here and there.

"Ahaha," Yuria laughed openly. "We're in Shionzaki territory; it would be weirder if there were no music."

Naruto logged that future reference. Thus far he had learned two significant facts about the Great Sound clan: they liked music a lot, and there wore light clothing. Really, really light clothing. Thus far all the males he had seen exposed the top half of their bodies, and the females barely bothered to cover the important parts with translucent fabrics. Naruto truly hoped they did not dress that light when they traveled north. That just could not be healthy.

Eventually, they reached a certain tent. Naruto noted that it was the second largest in the whole compound, and it was larger than any of the tents available in the human camp.

"Yuria here!" The three-tails shouted over the music and the falling rain. "Aika-san, Mayuri, I've brought Naruto!"

"Muu, Sayuri's here too!"

Naruto and Yuria took a step back when something like a shriek made the entire tent vibrate, followed by a noisy ruckus inside. It reminded Naruto of the Third Hokage on the time he visited his house and the old man would not open the door to his bedroom before hiding all his perverted books.

Finally, the door to the tent was pulled aside, and yet another fox-tailed young beauty stepped into Uzumaki Naruto's life. He could not help but let his eyes roam over her choice of dress, which he guessed was the standard among Shionzaki females. His eyes briefly passed over her lilac-colored harem pants and the bra of the same color and fabric covering a shapely bust, before settling on widely-open blue eyes. Long and wavy twintails jumped up and down when the girl suddenly bowed very deeply before the young ninja. Her two fox tails matched the color of her hair: a silvery white with a slight lilaceous tone that reminded Naruto of the thistle flower.

"My prince…" The girl whispered.

"Huh?" Better cannot be expected from Naruto, really.

The girl stood upright once more, and Naruto almost took another step back; the luster in her big blue eyes was almost blinding.

"I…I truly…how much I longed to meet you, Uzumaki-sama!"

Her smile, so full of tenderness, caught Naruto completely offguard. Just when he was thinking it looked like the smile of an old friend after many years without meeting, she voiced her feelings again.

"I have seen you…so many times…"

Gasping all of a sudden, the two-tails hurried rubbed her left arm against her weeping eyes and stepped aside, effusively inviting Naruto and the others inside.

"Okay, how did this happen?" A slightly miffed Yuria spoke while hurriedly escaping from the rain. "You have never met before, for Pete's sake!" She glared at Naruto. "You don't get to add girls to the harem without making at least a bit of effort; I'll not letting you become that kind of character, damn it!"

"Add girls to the what…?"

Their host giggled amusedly.

"Yuria-sama, I have longed to stand by Uzumaki-sama's side since he was five years old," she said, but quickly pursed her lips with irritation. "Wait, that did not come out right."

"That it didn't," Naruto cautiously said. He was already standing on the far end of the tent, where Higashiyama Mayuri, her mother Yurisa and an unexpected guest sat on a bed of exotic-looking cushions.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto greeted his Jounin mentor with a natural smile. Kakashi Hatake returned the greeting with a nod.

"Good to see you're back up and running, Naruto."

The boy grinned most foxily.

"Right back at ya, Kakashi! I remember the Emissary did a number on—what the hell are you doing!?" The youkai present trembled at the radical shift between teasing and outraged.

"Hmm?" Kakashi, however, only tilted his head in mock-confusion. "What is it that's bothering you, Naruto?"

"That!" The boy immediately replied, pointing at the orange book in Kakashi's left hand. "Why do you have that thing out in front of Mayuri!?"

"Ah…ahaha…" Yurisa was somewhat amused. She had brought up the exact same issue just a while earlier. She did appreciate Naruto's thoughtfulness, though. "Kakashi-san had made it very clear that my daughter will not be exposed to the book's contents."

Mayuri obviously did not bother to mention that if she wanted she could learn the entire plot looking at the world lines.

"Mugiiiiii!" A very frustrated nine-tails cried out. Only the two smallest kitsune knew that Sayuri had already tried to set Mayuri on fire nine times. "Why won't Mayuri burn!?"

Kakashi blinked most worriedly at the little monster's utmost desire to set her relative on fire.

"That technique will not work on my princess, Sayuri-sama," the Sound kitsune claimed. "Please keep trying your best in the future."

Mayuri looked somewhat miffed at that. Will nobody ever ask her to stop, really!?

"Awwight!" Sayuri nodded determinedly. "Then, Pwetty Bea—mugya!"

The little nine-tails almost bit her tongue when Naruto's fist fell on her head.

"No beams! Actually, no anything! We're sitting down and talking."

"Muu…okaaaaaaay…"

Naruto and Mayuri exchanged glances, and the brief moment their eyes met was enough for the boy to know she was grateful.

The newcomers eventually settled down after somewhat drying their bodies with towels provided by their Sound kitsune host, who had also busied herself with a portable stove to prepare hot tea. Naruto dedicated a brief glance to the two gas tanks on one side of the tent; they were obviously necessary for devices like the little stove, but it was still an odd sight.

"An introduction is in order, I guess," the twin-tailed Sound kitsune said after presenting each of the present with a cup of green tea and sitting among them, claiming a place between Mayuri and Naruto. From Naruto's right, Yuria, Yurisa and Kakashi completed a circle. Sayuri blew raspberries at Mayuri right after claiming Naruto's lap, which meant the boy had to spend the good part of a minute shoving tails away to make his face visible to the others.

"My name is Shionzaki Aika, daughter of Utahime. Amongst my own, I am known as the Chanter of Elegies." Addressing Naruto, she explained that last statement. "It is an identifier similar to the noble crests taken by the ladies of Higashiyama."

"Speaking of crests," Yuria interrupted. "Sayuri never got one of those."

"Sayuri-sama was too young to pick one when she was sealed," Yurisa noted. "But given the circumstances Yuri-sama might insist on it, as a safety measure."

"Um!" Sayuri nodded eagerly. "Sayuri will kwaim the Kwest of the Explosion!"

"Yeah…I don't see that happening," Yuria retorted.

"Muu…the Kwest of the Explosion…it's the best kwest…"

It was a matter Higashiyama would properly discuss in the near future.

"Okay, before anything else, I want to know what Kakashi's doing here," Naruto said, and Kakashi gasped in mock hurt.

"It's nice to know I'm so loved by my student…"

"Oh, don't be a drama queen; you're in the middle of a kitsune camp and I want to know why."

"Mah, well…" the experienced shinobi said amicably, before gesturing towards Mayuri. "I'm on guard duty; on a gesture of good will from our village, I am to watch over the little princess here during the remainder of their stay."

"Now there's a way to put it…" Yurisa murmured. Naruto caught the brief tightening of Yurisa's and Aika's facial muscles, and he just knew he was missing on something important. He looked at the little Time kitsune, who simply shrugged, seemingly unbothered by having a new "bodyguard".

"And that makes you the second person in this tent to call Mayuri a princess," an amused-sounding Yuria pointed out. Were she any other person, Mayuri might have perhaps blushed at the praise.

"Oh, but she is," Aika agreed. "Mayuri-sama is to us Time kitsune what Sayuri-sama is to all others."

"And you just threw a big reveal without a care in the world…" Yuria mumbled. Naruto, however, still looked quite surprised. Aika noticed his wide stare and smiled so charmingly he had to look away…and into Kakashi's smirking eyes.

"I'm more surprised by your lack of surprise, Yuria-sama."

The three-tails made a dismissing gesture with her left hand.

"We've had our own Time kitsune all these years; I won't be surprised if there are more of them in other clans. But can you prove you are what you say you are, girl?"

Yurisa's eyes shifted in Kakashi's direction. Admittedly, neither of them had actually seen proof of Aika being a Time kitsune.

Aika, however, only presented her open hands to the group, as if to show there was nothing on them.

"I only need to prove myself before the princess, and she knows I am what I am."

When Aika looked at Mayuri, the Sorrowful Lily nodded. Quod erat demonstrandum.

"Alright, so you're a Time kitsune," Yuria decided. "So, why would you put that in the open now?"

"Well, the confirmed existence of Time kitsune will reach everybody sooner or later, whether we like it or not," Aika explained. "In my case, it is rather relieving; I revealed my nature to my clan two days ago…at least now they know why I keep my distance from everybody else."

Her eyes moved to Yurisa, the oldest member of Higashiyama present.

"Despite Konoha's and Higashiyama's efforts to contain the spread of information, Kurosaki Sayoko-san admitted there were a number of scrying probs watching the battle, my mother's included."

"Chiyuri has already confirmed that one of them belonged to Nagashirakawa," Yurisa declared, and Aika nodded with gratitude for the new information. "And I would not be surprised if Amagumo was behind one of them."

Kakashi nodded.

"It is an open secret that they have an alliance with Kumo," the Jounin said. Yuria shrugged.

"Their Shrine Realm is smack dab in the middle of Kumogakure. But that's for the higher-ups to worry about, isn't it?"

"Wait, wait, isn't this kind of, you know, really important!?" Naruto said very loudly. Yuria shrugged again.

"Well, you're the one who wants to be Hokage; I guess you should know all this political stuff. Not my business."

"Sayuri just has to burn things."

"And you could try doing something about that attitude!" Naruto retorted at the little one on his lap. However, Sayuri was more interested in the newly revealed Time kitsune of Shionzaki.

"Ne, ne, Sound-nee-chan."

"Yes? How can I be of help, Sayuri-sama?" Aika briefly glanced at Sayuri untouched cup of tea.

"Can I burn you?"

"Sayuri!" Naruto immediately complained. "What the hell!?"

Aika laughed at the Kyuubi's bluntness.

"I believe Sayuri-sama wishes to know whether I can nullify her attacks like the princess."

"Um." Sayuri nodded.

"Hmm…the short answer is no. I cannot nullify Sayuri-sama's attacks in the same manner. However, my Aegis is as effective as Mayuri-sama's."

Yuria's eyes fell on Aika, and they did not bother to conceal the hint of hostility.

"You will excuse my rudeness, but when Mayuri finally reveals her true nature and all of sudden another Time kitsune shows up to meet her I can't help but worry."

"I would not expect anything else," Aika admitted. "If anything, it makes me glad to see the princess is well taken care of by her clan."

Yuria frowned a bit at the other girl's overly complicated manner of speech, but simply took it as a quirk.

"I'm not in the clan anymore, but Mayuri's still family."

Aika nodded. Crossing her hands on her lap, she glanced at her unpainted nails for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Before I explain myself, I have to explain a thing or two about the powers of Time kitsune." She smiled in the direction of Kakashi. "It would be too sad if Hatake-san went back to his superiors without anything."

"Much appreciated," Kakashi replied with a courteous bow before turning his gaze back to his book.

Naruto and Yuria got that exchange much later. Sayuri was not even paying attention, preferring instead to cuddle against Naruto's chest.

"All Time kitsune have two things in common: the ability to receive visions of a specific theme unique to each kitsune, and the ability to stop time. While Hatake-san here is probably more interested in the second, I would prefer to bring attention to the first."

There was a smile in Kakashi's single visible eye.

"Aika's World only stops time for a bit over a second; it would not make for a great demonstration. Now, on the topic of the visions…"

"Yeah, every Time kitsune sees visions on a different topic," Naruto summarized his knowledge of the subject. "And you don't get to control what you see or stop the visions from appearing."

Everybody looked at Naruto with no little surprise. Mayuri nodded. She already knew he knew these things.

"Naruto…san," Yurisa spoke, quickly deciding on an honorific for good. "By any chance, did you know…Mayuri is a Time kitsune before three days ago…?"

Naruto shrugged. Although he was smiling, there was a hint of guilt in his expression. He looked at the subject of discussion; Mayuri looked the same to everybody else, but Naruto knew she was a bit embarrassed, so he decided not to draw more attention to her.

"It was kind of an ugly coincidence…" Instead he came up with something almost completely random.

"Perchance, is this related to that day Naruto-san arrived to his apartment with Mayuri in his arms…?"

"Well, yeah…"

Aika nodded.

"I cannot say I am surprised. Given the latest events, I believe Uzumaki-sama and Mayuri-sama were meant to meet each other."

"Does this come from these…visions, as well?" Kakashi asked. For once, he was actually looking at the target of his question instead of keeping his face buried in erotica.

"In part," Aika admitted. "Now, it is not true that the visions cannot be blocked to an extent. Exposure to Kuuton chakra stops the visions, like most of our powers. But I digress."

She collected Yurisa's and Yuria's empty cups and placed on the tray. For a second or two, she tilted her head along with the rhythm coming from one of the many tents.

"It is not my place to speak of the nature of Mayuri-sama's visions. I will say instead that both Mayuri-sama and Uzumaki-sama appeared very often in my visions."

Mayuri sighed.

"So, the subject of your visions is…" Yuria muttered.

"Solitude," Aika explained. "My visions always show those who are alone, either physically or emotionally, or even metaphorically."

She looked at Mayuri.

"Even if surrounded by her family and those who care for her, Mayuri-sama is truly unique, the only one of her kind in this world. In that respect, she is always alone." Aika paused as if pondering whether she should say what she had in mind. In the end, she went for it. "The only one I see more often than Mayuri-sama is Nue."

After finishing her tea, she let her empty cup rest on the tray with the other two collected thus far. Outside, the rain would not let up, but the beating of drums also refused to surrender to the harsh weather.

"So, I've known Mayuri-sama since the moment she figured out who she is and what she is capable of. That was…what, thirty years ago? More or less. Naruto-sama I first saw when he was five, I think."

"And when did I stop appearing in your visions, Aika…san?" A smiling Naruto suddenly asked. The smile was promptly returned hundredfold; seriously Naruto feared this girl would render him blind.

"I would be delighted if I were to be called 'Aika-chan', Uzumaki-sama."

"Only if you stop calling me 'Uzumaki-sama', that's way too much."

Their smiles softened, but Naruto was still intimidated by the sheer joy Shionzaki Aika projected through her facial expressions.

"You do me too much honor, Naruto-kun."


"Of course, the first item in our agenda should be the silver mines of Saruyama."

Those were the first words Kurosaki Sayoko's ears caught when she was pulled away from the realm of Morpheus.

"…'of course'? What exactly do you mean by 'of course'? I did not take Utahime-sama for the kind of person who wears her heart on her sleeve," the musical voice of Higashiyama Yuri quickly followed. Sayoko's mind quickly dispelled the fog obfuscating her thoughts, and she identified the interloper as Songmistress Shionzaki Utahime, leader of the Great Sound Clan. Just as quickly she remembered their caravan had shown up at the edge of Konoha's territory the evening following the clash with the two nine-tailed kitsune. In other words, it was not weird for Shionzaki to be there, talking business with Sayoko's dearest person.

"No, no, my most esteemed Yuri, this is not the time to walk around in circles. You want a solution as quickly as possible, so should we not go straight for the biggest issues?"

Sayoko blinked, and made an internal check. Her chakra levels had stabilized after the massive expense of three days earlier. Really, affecting a Kyuubi with her large-scale jutsu was too demanding, all the more when it was two of them. At least the headache she suffered after the fight was gone; truly, it had been the longest time since she pushed herself to that point. Nevertheless, she was feeling much better, which meant she had a number of things to do.

"You have been rather insistent on this 'issue' in the past two days. Why does Shionzaki want our silver so badly?"

Whatever answer Utahime might have thought of conceding was caught in her throat when Sayoko raised her body in a single motion, like one of the undead arising from the grave. Catching Utahime's new center of attention, Yuri and her successor Yurimi, as well as Utahime's own escort; they all turned their gazes to the Void kitsune. Sayoko returned their attentive gazes with half-lidded eyes and the droopy expression of one who was still not fully there.

Then, she yawned, and the yawn froze halfway when she saw their reaction.

The Songmistress' eyes, those fascinating jewels of the most vibrant blue, more suitable on an innocent child than on a nigh-millenary youko, dilated in profound apprehension. There was a second pair of such eyes, belonging to a younger kitsune: a four-tailed beauty clad in a same-colored silken robe so diaphanous Sayoko thought it would fall apart with the slightest touch. She was Shionzaki Fumi, the Princess of Songs; Utahime's likely successor, well known for her love of dance and her notably large breasts. She, too, had tensed her body in alarm and inched slightly backwards the moment Sayoko opened her mouth. There was a similar rigidity in the anatomies of Yuri and her daughter, although it was surprising to see Yurimi had done the best job of hiding her reaction out of the four ladies.

They were wary. They were afraid. Of what they had seen her do, and of what the humans and lilies had seen in the Oblivion Castle Kurosaki. In her mind, she shrugged. She was used to being feared.

She corrected her posture so that she could salute the Sound kitsune with a polite bow.

"Utahime-sama, Fumi-sama."

The two desert ladies frowned, as if finding the honorifics awkward coming from Sayoko. The dark-haired fox-woman ignored their overly cautious attitude and rose to her feet, looking instead at the world outside Yuri's tent. The ceaseless drumming of water drops was a melody in its own way; a chorus of millions of tiny voices celebrating the beauty of the world they enriched with their presence. However, this unceasing melody had become more of a bother: it not only slowed down the rebuilding efforts, made it difficult to dispose of the bodies of the dead and facilitated the onset of disease, it made the simple act of going from Point A to Point B a hassle.

Perhaps noting that Sayoko had stopped by the entrance, Yuri made an attempt to strike a conversation.

"Um, yes, Sayoko-san…the rain does not let up," she said. "Utahime-sama has said she will sing to calm the weather if the rain does not stop by lunchtime…"

"That's too much work," Sayoko declared before starting a sequence of hand seals. It did not follow the language used by shinobi; some of those seals were things no human would recognize.

"Suiten Musei."

Sayoko's Void Subjugation of Waters and Skies expanded like a gentle wave, and in its passing the rain ended and the skies cleared like a grey mantle being removed from the blue heavens. The unnatural end to the harsh weather paralyzed all activity in Konoha and its surroundings, as thousands of people looked up at the sky as if hoping for an explanation that only four kitsune witnessed with their own eyes. Meanwhile, the fox-woman placed her hands in the ram seal.

"Banshou Musou."

The strongest "detection" technique in the Kuuton System: Void Perception of All Things in Creation. In a moment, she learned the position of everything living and inanimate in a range of kilometers and filtered down the overwhelming amount of information to the subjects of her interest. Satisfied with the knowledge she wanted, Sayoko nodded to herself and looked behind her at the four kitsune, looking up at the ancient Void seemingly unable to label her as something divine or profane.

"You may follow, if you so wish."

They did not take it as a suggestion.


"It was cause for much happiness when Naruto-kun no longer appeared in my visions," Aika stated, her pristine smile unchanging. "Although I will the first to admit I also felt a bit lonely."

She preferred not to mention that Naruto was most certainly not the only resident of Konoha she had seen. The things she had seen, from those in Konoha and those in so many other places, were personal and better kept to herself and those they involved.

"But my princess, Mayuri-sama: I see you almost every day," Aika thus addressed the other Time kitsune. "I can only but glimpse at the immensity of your power, but it is enough to imagine the burden you must bear."

Yurisa looked at her daughter with a modicum of worry, while the others digested the possible meanings behind those words.

"I believe…" Kakashi said. "…you compared Mayuri-chan to nine-tailed kitsune just earlier."

"Sayuri can't burn her," the nine-tailed kitsune in the tent offered her two cents with a moody voice.

"Yes!" Aika said perkily, as if praising Mayuri's powers gave her great joy. "After all, she is—"

Suddenly, Mayuri was on her feet, standing just in front of Aika. It was instantaneous displacement, and everybody understood the small foxgirl had stopped time. As usual, there was little expression on Mayuri's face, but when Aika looked up to Mayuri's carmine eyes she was able to read enough. She smiled apologetically, to both Mayuri and to the inquisitive Jounin.

"My utmost apologies," she said. "I shall speak no more of this matter, if so my princess wishes."

Immediately after that, Yurisa straightened her torso in attention, like a wild animal catching the scent of a predator on the prowl. Naruto noticed Sayuri's vulpine ears twitching at the same time, and the Time kitsune shuddered as if struck by a cold wave as they felt their powers diminished to almost zero.

"That was…" Aika murmured.

"A powerful pulse…of Kuuton-nature chakra, I believe."

"Um," Sayuri agreed. "That was Sayoko-chan."

"It stopped raining," Yuria pointed out. "As in, literally."

As if it had been a recorded sound and somebody finally pushed the Stop button. It was hard to believe the two events were not related.

"May I come in?" As if summoned by thoughts of her, Kurosaki Sayoko announced her presence just outside the tent. After the entire group exchanged glances for no real reason, Aika spoke in behalf of them all. Also, it was her tent in the first place.

"Please, do so, Sayoko-san."

It is somewhat strange that, no matter the difference in age, position and power level, absolutely everybody calls her 'Sayoko-san'. Well, everybody except Sayuri.

The layers of cloth and plastic that made the door of the ample tent were pulled aside, but only Sayoko's head popped up inside. Although she already knew who was in there, she still scanned the whole group with her lazy eyes.

"I…would be grateful if you joined me for a while."

They did not need to be told twice. When the group led by Aika and Naruto stepped outside, they met Sayoko's escort. Immediately, as if obeying an inescapable algorithm, one of them moved with quick and short steps to stand by Naruto's side.

"Hey," the boy greeted her quietly. Yurimi nodded a simple greeting.

"It is good to see you again, Master."

Naruto had to agree. Yurimi's presence was inexplicably soothing, like a balsam for his soul. Unable to stop himself, or perhaps because he could not do this with, let's say, Sakura, he let his hand reach for the hair on the right side of her head, and gently slid his fingers towards across the place where her ears should be, were she in a fully human form. Yurimi let her lids ease down, and enjoyed the unexpected attention with eyes closed and the tiniest of smiles on her face.

Sayoko, who was paying little heed to the people behind her, resumed her march. Noticing this, Naruto dropped his arm and with a facial gesture urged his group to follow. A slightly disappointed Yurimi, however, reached for that same arm, wrapping it with her own and just barely pushing herself against the boy.

"Is this…am I being…disrespectfully bold, Master?"

A sound of restrained laughter resounded in Naruto's throat. Ignoring the flushing of his own cheeks, the young ninja shook his head and slightly pulled the arm Yurimi held.

"Not at all. Shall we go?"

"Onii-chan's right hand is Sayuri's!" The Kyuubi quickly claimed Naruto's free hand with her own. Boy and nine-tails exchanged cheeky smiles, and Naruto would have petted her a little if he still had free hands.

While Yurimi, Yuria, Mayuri, Yurisa and Aika exchanged nods and other silent greetings, Naruto turned to Yurimi's mother.

"Ah, it's you again," he said, all traces of happiness gone from his face, replaced instead with mock-scorn. "And here I was thinking my day was getting too good."

The corner of Yuri's lips twitched awkwardly, as if uncertain between smiling and scowling.

"Well I definitely cannot be blamed for the lamentable fact that our lives are not inextricably bound, Uzumaki Naruto," Yuri retorted. "If you can figure out a way to completely disappear from my life, let me tell you: I'm all ears."

And then, Yuri was on fire.

"Muu…mama's being mean to onii-chan."

Yuri blinked a few times, looking down at her youngest daughter, before presenting a 'see what you've done?' gaze to Naruto.

"See? This is just plain unfair."

"But fun as hell," Naruto retorted, and Yuri felt an overpowering urge to blow raspberries at him.

"You are a little runt who does not deserve half the good things that happen to you."

"I'd say he only deserves about half the good things. Just a personal opinion," Kakashi involved himself in the conversation, and Yuri nodded her utmost agreement.

"Hey! I'm awesome!"

"Not awesome enough for a harem; that you aren't," Yuria murmured as she walked behind her (former) fiancé.

"Like I care!"

"Don't worry, mother," Yuria continued while patting Naruto's right shoulder. "I'll keep a tight leash on him so he doesn't become some asshole out of an adult game."

Yuri looked at her daughter with new eyes, resting her right hand on her chest.

"To think you'd be willing to become the jealous-type character for our sakes…"

"For everyone's sake," Yuria corrected. "Family's family, after all."

"What are you foxes talking about…" Naruto mumbled, feeling angry for reasons he could not fully ascertain.

"Vixens, Master" Yurimi corrected. "The term is 'vixens'."

Sayoko had led the group to the tent currently occupied by Higashiyama Yuriko and Yurine. Yuriko's head rested on Yurine's lap, while the older kitsune sat in seiza, tenderly stroking her younger half-sister's hair. Yuriko did not sleep, but it was clear she was not really there in spirit. Lost in her thoughts, Yuriko did not even notice Sayoko stepping inside the tent until Yurine opened her mouth.

"Waaa…Sayoko-san!"

The sight of Yurine's five tails wagging a bright greeting felt unbelievably warm in Sayoko's heart. However, it was not Yurine who Sayoko sought that morning.

"Yuriko-sama, please stand up and come with me. Your shoulder will be restored."

It was thus an entire procession of youkai that followed Kurosaki Sayoko to the edge of Konoha's encampment; not only those Sayoko had summoned, but a throng of curious Sound kitsune led by Utahime trailed along to see what the Sleeping Terror was up to.

Naturally, the sudden march of kitsune towards Konoha's camp triggered the immediate and expected reaction, and Sayoko was met by a line of every Jounin and ANBU member the village could afford, led by Jiraiya of the Sannin. It was he who Sayoko approached and greeted with a deep, courteous bow.

"Good morning," she said. "I would like for Inuzuka Kiba-kun and Kuromaru-san to follow me for a while. They should have their sounds back."


Seated on a rock by the shore of a small river in the midst of Konohagakure's forestry, Sayoko watched the growing congregation with a measure of trepidation. There was a lot more people than she had summoned; those who could tell something important was about to happen and did not want to miss it. Alone on top of the large boulder, she felt like some sort of messiah, surrounded by the hopeless and the sick expecting salvation in one or another way. She wondered if the Sage of the Sixth Paths ever felt like this; he was also one to attract crowds like this. Then again, he did have a message to impart on those willing to listen.

By the base of the boulder seated Higashiyama Yuriko, Inuzuka Kiba and Kuromaru the nin-dog. The remaining one from the Higashiyama twins unconsciously fidgeted with the hole of her white sleeveless kimono shirt from which a wooden construct replacing her shoulder could be seen. Naturally, they were not alone; of all people, it was Higashiyama Yurine who loomed over them with motherly worry clear in her expression. Kiba wordlessly dodged her concerned glances, although he was making it a point of avoiding the eyes of everyone, especially the youkai. Aside from Yurine, Inuzuka Hana and a veritable troop of ninja dogs and ANBU elements stood on guard behind the Genin. Kiba's sister held his nin-dog, Akamaru, in her arms.

Absolute, true mastery of the Void, like every other Aeon, demands abandoning every other discipline to rely solely on the power of Oblivion. Not even Sayoko could claim to be at such level, for she still relied on things like telepathy and Henge. However, even if she could no longer use the Enchantments kitsune are rather infamous for, she could instead do things like temporarily nullify a person's disobedience and unwillingness, which in the end led to the same results.

"Look at me, Inuzuka Kiba."

And the boy lifted his head to gaze upon her. The boy's visible surprise soon became a rictus of disgust, but Sayoko did not feel like wasting time with niceties; she needed eye contact, so she made it happen. The angry Kiba, the confused Yuriko, the stern Kuromaru and the bored Sayoko looked at each other for several seconds in which nobody said a word. The audience of hundreds—most of them civilians—surrounding them remained almost deathly still, obviously expecting something to happen.

"Mushoku Saisei."

The crowd gasped when spears of Void leapt out of Sayoko's shadow and impaled the lily, the boy and the dog. The shinobi drew weapons, but the fact none of the three appeared to have lost their lives halted their actions for a moment. Sayoko paid no heed to Jiraiya and Hiruzen stepping out of Shunshin right behind her on the boulder, nor on the group of men (and one old woman) that appeared on the edge of her perception, most likely the Hokage's advisors in this time of dire issues.

"We…we're fine," Higashiyama Yuriko's feeble voice attempted to dispel the uneasiness among those watching. "This…we are not hurt," she said, glancing at the other two, who nodded in confirmation.

"Be silent," Sayoko demanded. "It is hard to concentrate."

Sayoko's Achromatic Reconstruction was a demanding jutsu, in which she openly challenged the Void she ruled over to reclaim that which had been claimed by its infinite nothingness. How do you recover that which was utterly annihilated?

Well, you cheat. And you compromise.

Everybody saw how the wood "implant" Chiyuri had placed to keep the arm from falling off was swallowed by blackness. However, where the blackness receded they could see rapidly growing bone, muscle and connective tissue, which were quickly covered by flawless white skin.

"Ah…" Kiba murmured upon catching sight of the miraculous reconstruction, only to notice he was capable of making sounds once more. He rubbed his sandals on the ground, and reveled on the scratching sound the action elicited. He cleared his throat, cracked his knuckles; everything he could think of while his sister watched with amazement, tears quickly gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Kiba…" Hana whispered, and the boy turned around to look up at his sister, then at Kuromaru, Akamaru and then at his sister's face one more time. He was smiling.

"Sis…" he said, and the older girl fell on her knees and unabashedly enveloped him in a hug, uncaring of the small white pup smothered between the siblings's bodies. Kuromaru barked a laugh, and rest of the nin-dog troop walked over to him, barking happily and wagging their tails in rejoice.

"Uuuugh…" Sayuri moaned in something resembling disgust, like a pampered princess looking down on the plebeians. "Onii-chan, can I—"

"No burning, Sayuri. Or exploding, or bombarding or anything."

"Mugyuu…"

Naruto was looking around, hoping to find two certain half-Void kitsune.

"I want to lie down," Sayoko said to Hiruzen and Jiraiya. The "please" was implicit in her tone and how liquid her eyes seem to those two. Saying nothing, the powerful Konoha shinobi leapt off the boulder, and Sayoko promptly slumped on its smooth surface, looking at the morning sun. While the sight of a sunbathing lady like Sayoko should be somewhat attractive to the eyes, she gave the impression of a cold-blooded animal catching sun rays for the sake of homeostasis. There was a lot of murmuring amidst the congregation, but the ancient Void paid it no heed. Sayoko did things at her pace, so if she wanted to loaf around before moving to the next point in her agenda, she would loaf around and god have mercy on whoever got in the way.

"…bring her back."

Sayoko yawned, but the speaker of those words only heard the sound—her head remained sunken and hidden by her long hair. She was the only one among the three Sayoko had just assisted who had dared voice the thoughts of many who had just witnessed her amazing feat. Sayoko acted like nothing she did was really such a big deal, but there is no understating the magnitude of her power: what just happened was the first known example of the restoration of something, anything, which had been extinguished by the Void. The youkai and the most experienced shinobi acquainted with the Void—to varying degrees of understanding—glanced at each other with obvious unease; how is one supposed to act in the presence of one who can modify the weather as far as the horizon and restore that which should be irreparable? Especially when she acts like such a…slob?

"Bring her back!" Yuriko repeated, this time standing up to glare up at the sprawled kitsune on the tall boulder. "My sister…! If you can do this, then my sister…!"

"I refuse," Sayoko said with a finality none of her previous lines in this story, not even the lines directed at the two misguided Kyuubi, had carried.

Unfortunately, she said "I refuse", instead of "I cannot". Anybody with a brain could tell what that implied. Discontent quickly spread among the present, both human and youkai. Only the kitsune of Shionzaki, who were not present during the battle; Higashiyama Yuri, who did not know what to make of her best friend anymore; Higashiyama Yurimi, who simply kept her emotions in a deep corner of her mind; and Mayuri, who simply understood, remained impassive before Sayoko's refusal. Kiba looked up at Sayoko with a mixture of desperation, grief and rapidly growing, animalistic rage. Hyuuga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino felt for him, and both took a step towards the aching boy, but they were stopped by Neji and Shino, respectively. The Hyuuga genius looked up and to his right side, where a moderately bandaged Hiashi nodded in approval of the action.

This was not only about Higashiyama Yuriyo, or even about Tsume. The Emissary of Oblivion had killed a number of brave shinobi as well. Fubuki would have killed a lot more were it not for Kougon's protection.

Noting the latent hostility in the air, Sayoko sighed. A moment later, she was seated not on the boulder, but on the ground right in front of Kiba.

"Sit down."

This time it was a request. The boy, and everybody present, realized that the Void kitsune cared none for their boiling rage, nor did she intent to return it with hostility of her own. Those who had watched her humiliate the Kyuubi and those in the know of the things discovered in the Oblivion Castle knew she simply did not need to. Hostility is a sign of wariness; a response against believable threats. There was no a single threat to that person in that place…except perhaps Higashiyama Sayuri.

Speaking of Sayuri, it cannot be said that her presence was unnoticed. Sayoko drew a lot of attention, but not enough for the present not to realize the nine-tailed kitsune was there. The same nine-tailed kitsune who had fought together with Uzumaki Naruto against Kuromiya Fubuki, and defeated her.

There was a lot of awkwardness at the riverside that morning. Sayuri was all smiles, however, nestled against Naruto's chest after claiming his lap as her seat.

Sayoko made a gesture with her hand, which Kiba interpreted as a wordless repetition of her request. He sat down, quickly followed by his sister and Yuriko to his right. The ANBU, the Hokage and the Toad Sage remained on their feet, standing by the boulder and getting their feet soaked. The Sandaime was keeping an eye not really on Sayoko, who he simply knew was pretty much harmless, but on Danzou and his other aged "advisors" standing on the other side of the stream.

"I do not have a habit of explaining how my jutsu work, but I shall make an exception," Sayoko said, looking like she really did not want to have this conversation at all. No, rather than exasperated, it would be perhaps more accurate to say she looked a bit depressed.

"Kuuton Jutsu, the power to manipulate the Void, is one of the Four Aeons of Reality: Nothingness. It is the annihilation of everything that exists. It is the negation of all concepts…including itself."

That was the first important statement. But, before the knowledgeable among the presence began to make weird hypotheses based on it, she furthered her explanation.

"However, even if it is possible to annihilate annihilation itself, that does not mean the things which were annihilated can be brought back, because there is no 'place' they can be brought back from. That which is consumed by the Void simply ceases to be, no matter whether it is a physical object, a living being, or an abstract concept. This is a step further from Sayuri-sama's Aeon of Destruction. Even if she reduces matter to ashes of ashes, that which she destroys can be remade by the Aeon of Creation, and granted persistent presence and actuality in spacetime by the Aeon of Existence. Things are created, exist and then are destroyed; this is the natural order of all things. A never-ending cycle."

"But, didn't you just…?" Yuriko, who could make slightly more sense of what Sayoko was saying that Kiba, insisted. She was desperate, she wanted her sister back; how could she not cling to hope?

"The paradox of the Void," Sayoko replied. "Even if all things in Reality were swallowed by Oblivion, there would be something left, wouldn't it?" She gestured with her open right hand, as if urging somebody in the audience to answer, before providing the answer herself.

"Nothingness, the absence of all concepts, is a concept itself. For there to truly be 'nothing', Oblivion would have to devour itself. As to what would happen afterwards, that is beyond my knowledge, although I do have a hypothesis. It matters not at the moment." She tilted her head from side to side for a second or two for no real reason. "Regardless, the point is the following: the Voidcan onlyannihilate. It cannot destroy in a way that leaves the possibility of reparation. It cannot protect existence—jutsu like the Void Aegis work by annihilating that which steps into their path; protection is not their purpose. And most of all, it cannot create anything—there is such a thing as Shape Manipulation, but you cannot call 'creation' that which is made of 'non-substance'."

"Spare us the lecture, kitsune," said Shimura Danzou, having crossed the river with Shunshin to stand next to the Third Hokage. His sole eye looked down at Sayoko with disgust. He had witnessed her power, and it disgusted him that such power existed and did not belong to Konoha.

"Can you bring back the dead?" He demanded to know. Sayoko expelled the most silent of sighs.

"They are not dead; they are simply not. Allow me to ask you in return: can those eyes of yours, powerful as they are, gaze upon the sun up high?"

A woman snorted behind Naruto. Perhaps the only person besides Sayoko who could tell the full significance of the look on Danzou's face at the moment.

"Damn that woman, is there nothing that eludes her? How broken can she ge—guh!"

"Setsuna!"

There it was: that insufferably ecstatic face Naruto always made when she appeared before him. To be looked at in that way, with such delight, such endearment, such gratitude…

"Bwa-whuh-eeeehhh…" the four-tails blabbered nonsense while her face travelled the spectrum from pink to red to something closer to purple. It made Naruto rather worried.

"Uhh, mistress, you okay? You choking on somethin'?"

"Silence!" The small kitsune quickly retorted, smacking Naruto's head with a single tail. She was looking at everywhere but him. "Speak to your mistress with more respect!"

"Ah, um," Naruto quickly acquiesced. "As long as Setsuna's okay."

"Of course I'm okay, idiot." She ended the conversation with that, although a very quiet "sacrebleu" could be heard from her lips right afterwards. Whether it was aimed at Naruto or at herself is anyone's guess. The boy instead directed his gaze towards the person standing next to Setsuna. An exchange of words was unnecessary; Naruto's and Kotonoha's eyes told the other everything they needed at the moment.

Meanwhile, Sayoko continued addressing Danzou. Sayoko had no intention of taking the current discussion on an awkward tangent, so she drove it back to the issue at hand.

"I wield Nothingness. Do not ask of it things beyond its purview."

"But you still haven't explained how you gave Kiba-kun and Kuromaru their voices back, Sayoko-san," the Third Hokage intervened, sending Danzou only a passing glance.

"I did not," Sayoko replied. "I keep repeating myself: that which was claimed by the Void no longer exists. What I did was annihilating the event of 'Fubuki annihilating Inuzuka Kiba's and Kuromaru's capability to make sounds'. This created a contradiction Reality itself fixed."

"Then why can't you do the same with my mother!?" Kiba all but screamed on Sayoko's face. The eight-tails remained unnerved, but Hana still cautiously pulled her brother away from her. Sayoko sighed again, and this time looked straight at the Genin.

"I will tell you what would happen if I used Mushoku Saisei to remake your mother, my child."

Again, the lazy, bored expression on Sayoko's had changed. If anything, she looked somber.

"At first, you and your family will be overjoyed. Your mom is back, and you will eagerly restore your former lives together. It will truly seem like a miracle."

Her somber carried a burden of resignation, defeat and disappointment.

"But quickly enough, you will start noticing things. Odd things. Small things, like, perhaps, the food she cooks doesn't taste she same it used to. Maybe she no longer laughs at jokes that would have made her bark in laughter in the past. Her handwriting is different. She favors other hairdos; she holds the chopsticks differently; she develops a tic or a quirk she did not have before. Small things, really."

Sayoko's head leaned forward, as if it were just Kiba and her, and they were exchanging scary stories in a dark room.

"You would try to ignore those things—your mother is back. She looks like your mother; she has your mother's memories and jutsu. And most importantly, she still acts like a mother and loves you."

There was a darkness in Sayoko's eyes that made Kiba want to become smaller, invisible.

"But she doesn't smell the same."

The Inuzuka Clan shuddered as a whole. Mayuri shook her head sadly. She knew; she clearly understood what Sayoko's Mushoku Saisei truly did. And she could only feel for the woman who was speaking from experience.

"The more you try to pretend it's her, the more things you notice: a sensor would notice that her chakra is also different; her girlfriends would notice her taste in men has changed. She likes different foods; she wears different colors; she walks different; her posture is different; her voice is a little graver, or perhaps slightly more high-pitched. When she smiles, it just doesn't look the same anymore; when she holds you in her arms, it doesn't feel as warm as it used to be; when she tells you she loves you, you are not sure it carries the same conviction as before."

A considerable number of people were crying by this point, especially among the Inuzuka clan, who were coming to terms with the fact that their hopes would be horribly crushed.

"And then, one day, you would realize that you cannot stand looking at that fake."

Kiba, who had been gritting his teeth for a while, trembled and looked away from Sayoko, looking almost as defeated as Sayoko herself.

"Mushoku Saisei annihilates the happenstance of an annihilation event consequence of the use of Kuuton. That, however, does not change the fact that everything that comprises the existence of that which was annihilated no longer exists. To fix the contradiction, the World itself remakes that which was extinguished. But no matter how closer the results looks like the original, it is in principle different because the materials are different."

Her hand reached for Kiba, but hesitated before touching his hair. It was not Sayoko's role to offer succor.

"Everything that was your mother; everything that was Higashiyama Yurika—the matter that made their bodies, the energy that fueled their biological processes, and the soul which defined their unique, irreplaceable identity—; all those things no longer exist."

In other words, the total amount of matter and energy in that universe was permanently decreased whenever the Void devoured something.

"Mushiki Saisei forces the World to build something with different blocks. When it's something relatively simple, like a shoulder, or something vaguely abstract like 'the capacity to emit sound', the result is all but indistinguishable from the original. Even things like trees can be remade with no noticeable difference. But a living, sentient, self-aware and intelligent being is such a complex, amazing thing…"

Sayoko shook her head. What was she remembering as she spoke these words?

"When you mother was claimed by the Void, Kiba-kun, the World lost some very important, unique blocks. These blocks cannot be replaced or remade, never again. It is a lamentable loss, as lamentable as the pain her departure has caused you and your clan."

She looked one last time at the suffering young ones: Kiba, in the arms of his sister, who would be shouldering a terrible burden now that they had lost both parents; and Yuriko, embraced by the wonderfully empathic Higashiyama Yurine. The cursed five-tails, normally prone to bawling like a small child, was crying in silence along with her half-sister.

"So I refuse," Sayoko conclude. "I absolutely refuse to replace your loved ones with strangers."

It was the right choice. The only choice.

This, Kurosaki Sayoko understood better than anyone.


To be continued...