Tsunade found herself in yet another council meeting, though this one in particular was bound to be her least favorite. She felt that her morals had been grossly violated, leaving her feeling guilty and somber, a mood she wished to drink away but couldn't so long as she had legitimate Hokage duties to fulfill.
She knew it would happen eventually, so why not call the meeting first to at least have the element of surprise? At least it would give her the slightest illusion of power.
But she still felt bad about dragging an innocent into these politics, his innocence and human rights being compromised in the name of 'The Will of Fire,' (something she especially did not believe in.)
He'd only just awakened when he noticed that he was not alone.
He tried to move to a less vulnerable position, but immediately stilled and hissed in pain at the tug of the IV drip. When he opened his eyes to survey his surroundings, she noticed that within the blue expanse of his eyes were slitted pupils dilating rapidly in response to the bright artificial lights of the hospital room.
Weird, but it could just be a jinchuuriki thing. That would also explain the whiskers.
Tsunade stepped into his line of vision to gain his attention, hoping she appeared non-threatening enough for him to willingly cooperate and feel safe here in Konoha. She was surprised when he started emitting a growl from low in his throat, and she didn't step any closer.
". . . Hello. My name is Tsunade Senju, Godaime Hokage of Konoha." The growl didn't stop, nor did it intensify. She shifted uncomfortably, unsure how exactly she should deal with this situation.
Violence was (unfortunately) not the best course of action here.
Jiraiya came out from by the doorway, perhaps trying to distract the boy. He cleared his throat loudly and seemed to ready himself into a battle stance, making the small blond tense in anticipation.
"I am the man who has no enemies in the North, South, East and West. . . " He did a strange, flamboyant flip of his long hair, then made a pose. "Not even in the Heavens! I am one of the Sannin. . . The white-haired frog tamer!" For whatever reason, he tossed his large scroll from his back as high in the air as he could in the small hospital room, then posed again. "Even a crying baby would stare in awe! The Great Jiraiya! That is me!" (direct from Naruto anime series, ep. unknown)
He ended his dramatic introduction by posing on one of his larger summons, probably waiting for an applause that would never come. But he succeeded in making the boy stop growling, so she figured it had to be worth something.
Actually, the boy seemed torn between being fascinated and incredulous at the man's actions and he looked to be trying to hold in a small bit of laughter.
Shit, was this kid really 15? He was so adorable! Like a puppy, really.
Now that his guard was relaxed, she thought it safe to ask for his name, try to gather a bit of information. "Can I ask what your name is?"
"Naruto," he said. No hesitation, so at least she knew it probably wasn't fake. The name seemed significant to her partner as he'd choked when he heard it. She thought it a bit strange, yes, but not that unordinary.
"Okay; Naruto, do you have any family we could talk to?"
"Father doesn't talk with People often. Only me and Shika!" He was still eyeing her with suspicion, but she figured this would be as good as she'd get.
"Well, I need to talk to your father. We've been put in a very awkward situation and would like to explain some things to him."
"You won't see Father!" She noticed the bedframe had started sprouting long branches of thorns in response to his agitation, a feat that should be impossible. 'Right, mokuton.'
"I don't think you understand, but you don't have a choice, brat!" Her patience was running thin. No one dared talk to her like that!
"Hey, let's all just calm down for a minute. This isn't going to go anywhere if we're all angry," Jiraiya said, talking more to her than the brat in the bed. She felt a vein in her forehead start throbbing violently, but she forced herself to take a deep breath to calm herself.
"Look, brat. I was told that you're the container of the Kyuubi. Is this or is this not true?" Perhaps she could've used a bit more delicacy, but as most know, she was not a delicate woman.
Tact just led to misunderstandings and wasted time.
Naruto cocked his head to the side, confusion clear on his face. It was like he hadn't even heard of the bijuu before!
"Father never told me of a nine-tailed anything being in me. Do you. . . have the wrong People?" If she had been fed misinformation and just let it slip to a random civilian about their jinchuuriki situation, she was going to be throwing punches very soon. Her impatience clouded her judgment and Jiraiya saw it fit to step in.
"We were told you used a bijuu's chakra during your fight against Akatsuki. If this is wrong, then everything's water under the bridge. I just need to know: do you have a seal anywhere that maybe only shows up when you use chakra? Maybe on your back or stomach?"
Naruto seemed to deliberate a moment, possibly wondering whether he should answer or not. Finally, he sat up cautiously and pulled down the flimsy sheet covering him to motion towards his stomach.
". . .This?" There was nothing at first; then she felt him start molding his chakra and she had to force herself to stay still as she watched the faint outlines of a large, intricate seal make itself known on the slightly muscled expanse of his stomach. She'd expected it to look fresh, like all of her ANBU's seals of service, but it was like the ink had faded, some places more weathered than others. Was there something wrong with it?
She looked to Jiraiya and saw that he'd gone pale. That answered her question.
". . .Yes, that's exactly it. Can you tell us if you remember anyone tampering with it in some way?"
"No one's touched it; not me, not Shika, not even Father," he said very matter-of-factly. It was strange how his language skills seemed a bit underdeveloped compared to others of his age group.
Perhaps it had something to do with his strange attire, the paint on his face and feathers in his hair making him look wilder than those of the Inuzuka clan.
But that just made it harder for her to get the information she needed, so she turned back to her former-teammate and pressed him for questions.
"What do you think could have happened?" she hissed. He didn't turn to her, still staring intently at the boy's stomach.
"I- I don't know."
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?! You're the resident seal master, this is your area of expertise!"
"I know that. But if someone had tampered with the seal, it would be gone altogether and we wouldn't be here talking to the squirt. As far as I can see, it's been deteriorating, maybe since its initial placement or since he's started using its chakra."
Tsunade took in another calming breath, aware than escalating the situation would yield no reliable conclusions.
"Okay," she said haltingly. "Then from what you can tell, does it pose a risk of releasing the beast?" She hoped with all her being it wouldn't; the damn seal took a great Hokage and seal master to place in the first place! They couldn't afford to pay the same price so close after their invasion, so close to war.
"I dunno. Hey kid, show it again? Thanks." He looked like he wanted to trace the lines to better uncover their hidden meaning, but refrained at the teen's glower. "It's not really, I dunno, unstable? It looks like it's still doing its job even with the few pieces missing, improbable as it is." He pointed to some of the places where some of the components seemed to be missing. "See here? The fact that the lines are broken and no longer continuous should have broken the seal already, but it's not really emitting any bijuu chakra like you'd expect.
"So. . . I guess it should be fine?" Her eye started twitching in agitation, not at all appeased by the uncertain answers delivered to her.
"Fine. Would you recommend a reinforcement seal or not? It's not like we can up and redo the whole thing, but I don't think I can just let him walk around Konoha while being a literal ticking bomb!" She was going to need a strong drink after this, and nothing Shizune said or did could stop her.
"Maybe, maybe not. Combining seals is tricky business, you see. There's the possibility that adding another layer could cause complications with his chakra flow or upset the delicate balance it has set up. I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Wonderful; truly insightful of him.
She saw that the boy had gone to watching them warily, probably listening intently to their conversation, (it's not like they were trying to hide it from him. He's just as involved in this mess as they were.)
"Naruto," she said to gain his attention."If you continue to refuse my request to talk to your family, I am going to treat you as an orphan under Konoha's jurisdiction." Was that lawful? Not exactly, but she didn't have the time or patience to do things by the book right now.
"I am going to be calling a meeting with the councils to decide what to do with you, but until then, you are confined to this space only under the watch of ANBU nin. Understand?" He let out a feral growl.
"Why should I listen to you?!"
"Because if not, I'll throw you to the dogs of the Torture and Interrogation division, where you can rot in a cell while we confirm and/or re-establish your loyalties, and it'll be far less pleasant than the alternative I'm giving you.
"If you leave this room or attack your ANBU guards, you can say goodbye to seeing your father or Shika ever again."
She needed absolute obedience from him. She could not afford to have yet another unloyal shinobi ready to turn on her, especially not such an important piece in the game. And if that meant threatening him into submission until he was agreeable, then so be it.
Feeling she'd made her point plenty clear, she turned and stormed out of the room, Jiraiya trailing after her.
That brought her back to the assortment of people around her, a clear divide seen between one's status as civilian or shinobi. Almost all of those of civilian status wore gaudy accessories and brightly colored patterns, the few women of that side caked in makeup and smelling of enough perfume to incapacitate an Aburame's bugs.
They gossiped none-too-quietly about affairs probably not of their business and the shinobi council sat rigid as they awaited her inevitable explosion.
They expected, and so she delivered.
"QUIET!" Her call for silence was accompanied by the heavy slam of her fist and she mentally congratulated herself for managing to stop the tittering civilian council. Of course, the elders sat stoically, attempting to seem wise and in control. She'd see how long that lasted.
"I have gathered you all today to discuss one topic, and one topic alone: our jinchuuriki." She held up a hand to stop the civilians from interrupting and continued with a voice heavy with authority. "I will say this now: our jinchuuriki has been living with Jiraiya until now so our spy-master could train him in controlling the beast and monitor his seal. He has now returned to us, and I thought it best to alert you all so as to prevent future panic."
The room was quiet as they absorbed this information but she grew suspicious of the elders' continued silence.
"But- we all thought the Kyuubi was killed by the fourth-!" The panicked merchant's eyes were shifting wildly and sweat was gathering from his numerous folds of skin. Fear was palpable. She'd have to stop that if anything was to be done.
"Impossible. A bijuu is an animated construct of pure chakra, and as such is amortal. As it has not been trampling over Konoha, take comfort from the fact that it was sealed into a person at the time of the attack 15 years ago."
"So you mean all this time, the kyuubi's been walking among us and our children, and you hadn't told us?!" Tsunade's frustration grew again. Did this person not just here what she'd said? Did they just ignore her words?!
Why was she forced to deal with these stupid people with too much money? She could just ignore them all and run this like a dictatorship if she wanted; that's how it was done originally.
"That's not what I said at all, you nit-wit! Until now, he's been away with Jiraiya. His status as the kyuubi's container poses no threat to his personal or bodily autonomy. However, now that he has returned after being away for so long, we need to solidify his loyalty to Konoha!"
"Why not simply leave that for me to handle?" The greasy old man had spoken up now, and she was less than pleased by Danzo's interruption. "We have no idea of this jinchuuriki's proficiency in dealing with the beast, so I think it would be best for me to. . . take him under my wing."
His rusted voice held a strange serpentine quality to it, and she trusted him even less than the structural integrity of her office desk at the moment.
"I know that while he's inexperienced, he has plenty of skill, though I thank you for your offer." Those words almost physically hurt to get through her teeth. "However, I think the best course of action is to acclimate him to the village and surround him with our best shinobi of his age. Naturally, he'll be registered as a shinobi whether he likes it or not, but I would prefer to have the shinobi council's thoughts on the matter."
After all, they were the only ones that could affect her decision when it came to the jinchuuriki.
Said council, nearly forgotten in the chaos before, was now seen muttering amongst themselves, more for clarity's sake and show than anything. (After all, they'd been talking just fine in discreet sign before attention was brought on them.)
They talked for another moment before they seemed to come to a consensus, their unofficial spokesperson giving their opinion. The Hyuuga clan head cleared his throat imperiously before cooly addressing her.
"We must first ask if this person has a proper abode here in Konoha and if they plan to stay." Hiashi Huuga was stiff and formal in asking this, his tone arrogant as always.
"Yes on both accounts; he is not expected to stay at any one clan's abode, but he is staying in Konoha for now." She supposed she'd have to figure out his housing situation soon, though. It wouldn't do to upset the balance of the clans, (and she really hoped his 'Shika' didn't happen to be a Nara, but she was sure that that would be one bet she wouldn't win.)
They whispered amongst themselves again, though for a briefer time than the last.
"If this jinchuuriki is as stable as you assure us, then we have no qualms. So long as this person is under guard and surveillance, then we will allow them to train with our heirs as an act of goodwill." Oh goodie, she managed to gain some political favor from this mess.
"We hope you know what you're doing," Shibi Aburame added in his token monotone.
"Of course. I just didn't want to start a feud later because my council doesn't trust that I, the Sandaime's former student and Konoha's current Hokage, had everything under control." It was bold of her to say this outright, but she was tired of political agendas and personal opinion interfering with what needed to be done, them always doing their best to obstruct Tsunade's every decision.
"Do we at least get to know the name of our jinchuuriki?" Homura sniffed, probably indignant at being ignored until now. Tsunade pretended to give it a second of thought.
"I don't think that's wholly necessary. What's the name of one shinobi among the hundreds in our ranks?" All three of the elders glared without inhibition now, no doubt itching at her blasé attitude. She resisted the urge to grin maliciously.
She was in charge, not them; and it was time to show them that.
"Well then; meeting adjourned. Thank you for your time." Her lofty tone earned a mutter of malcontent around her, but she couldn't care less. Around her, chairs scraped against the floor and everyone struggled to get out the door. But she remained seated, watching them struggle at getting back to who knows what they were doing before she called them in.
She was a bit smug at having pulled off this stunt relatively unhindered but didn't miss the stink-eye given by the elders, (Danzo in particular.)
She felt that the old man probably knew of the situation before now, and was disappointed that she'd covered her tracks now and had regained control over the situation. As long as he didn't have any leverage against her, she was fine to leave him to his schemes.
Tsunade was sure the elders and the civilian council were put-off by their lack of say in her decision, but that was fine by her. They needed to realize that they had less power than they thought, and this was a great wake-up call.
Okay, I'm done with politics for now. . . I think. Future stuff, for the most part, is going to be character/relationship development and training, a'ight?
Also, my Tsunade's kind of a dick, huh? (^.^')