Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 135-A "Prince"
Patron Release 2021.03.04
"I mean it's Tsukuyomi-Sama's flag, of course we need to include a moon on it. That's not even a question. What we do have to figure out is if it's going to be a full moon or a crescent moon."
"Full, obviously, Tsukuyomi needs to be shown as the greatest form of the moon."
Kabuto paused outside the double-doors of Tsukuyomi's private formal dining room, a book debating the morality of graverobbing as viewed from the cultural perspectives of the pre-clanwar feudal noble and lower classes hanging loosely in one hand. He had thought to enjoy some light reading in the seldom-used room before dinner but it appeared as though someone else- or rather a group of someones- had a similar idea to utilize that space.
He did find his curiosity peaked by what he could hear in the hallway, though, so instead of finding somewhere else to read he pushed open the doors to see what was going on. He was greeted to the sight of three Wolves- one male, one female, and one he couldn't quite determine hunched over the table with Tsunami, mistress of the palace.
Based on the stack of papers scattered over it he'd assume they chose this room to make use of the large table. The fact that it wasn't often used- Tsukuyomi and the majority of the residents of the top floor had only recently returned to Nami. Sai took his meals in his office, Hana took hers in one of the other dining rooms, and Tsunami tended to eat her own meals in the kitchens while she verified the daily inventory- made it an excellent choice for non-dining projects.
The identifiable male and female Wolves seemed to be the two he had overheard. The third seemed to be working on some sort of sketch- occasionally glancing up to look at the other two- and Tsunami had taken one of the seats where she sat with her eyes closed and her forehead resting in her palms. If they'd been at this for anly longer than three and a half minutes Kabuto suspected the older woman was probably developing quite the headache.
"The problem with a full moon on the flag is that it's just going to end up being a circle. Even if we make it white there's no guarantee it's going to be recognized for what we intended it to represent. A crescent moon is distinctive and unmistakable, it will better represent Tsukuyomi-Sama."
"If we surround the white moon with a circle of stars as red as his hair people will be able to tell it's a moon from the contextual clues."
"A circle with dots around it-" He ignored her growl of 'stars' "-is just going to seem like a stylized sun. That's the opposite of what we're going for with this."
"How is anyone going to mistake that for a sun?" She returned, exasperated. " They don't look anything alike."
Kabuto looked towards Tsunami and raised a questioning brow despite knowing the woman wouldn't be able to see it. "So what exactly is going on here?"
His words caught Tsunami's attention as the woman looked up, black eyes pleading. "They wanted to come up with a flag for Tsukuyomi-sama." She tried to explain. "And, well…." One hand left her forehead to gesture towards the three Wolves across from her.
The two had ceased their bickering as they noticed his presence and now looked at him curiously while the third continued their drawing unbothered.
"Why does Tsukuyomi-Sama need a flag?" That was the first, most obvious question and the man quickly answered him.
"To represent Tsukuyomi-Sama, of course." Tsunami's head slipped from her grasp and hung even lower, nearly impacting the tabe as she seemed to deflate.
"Can't he just use Nami's flag? He is the Daimyo." It made perfect sense to Kabuto and it would avoid whatever argument these two were currently having.
"Tsukuyomi's more than just Nami," The woman argued, her previous opponent nodding in agreement. "So he needs a flag that will represent him in everything he does."
"..Okay." He could see what they were getting at. He didn't really think it was necessary but he could see the logic they were following. "So beyond the argument of the moon, what have you decided for the flag?"
"Black." The answer came simultaneously from the four, though Tsunami's was followed immediately by a deep sigh.
"That's all they've been able to agree on." She explained, shaking her head lightly.
"...And….how long...exactly….have you four been working on this?"
Miserable black eyes looked up to him. "An hour and forty minutes."
Kabuto winced in sympathy.
"Okay, so you must have proposed several things by now, at least, so let's go over some of the elements you think should be in the flag first and then we'll see what we can incorporate into the flag, alright?"
The two arguing Wolves shared a look before nodding to each other and then to Kabuto. "Alright."
The third Wolf pushed their completed sketches across the table towards Kabuto before speaking. "I've been trying to sketch the things they've talked about so we can see what they'll look like." Kabuto nodded absently at that, more focused on the fact that even the voice didn't give him any clues as to the Wolf's gender. At least when Orochimaru swapped back and forth they were picking one. This Wolf seemed determined to either be both or neither at the same time.
Tsunami didn't even try to hide the gratitude in her expression. "Thank you, I've been trying to get them to work together since they joined." Her head tilted slightly and Kabuto had the distinct impression she was indicating the female and androgynous Wolves.
The Mistress of the Palace had been working through brainstorming flag ideas with the first wolf for about ten minutes before nearby Wolves had realized what they were doing and joined in. That's when things had started to go wrong and breaking up fighting children was a lot easier than breaking up fighting soldiers who were acting like children.
"So I'm seeing moons and waves mostly, along with a sketch of-" Kabuto squinted at one of the pictures. "-Nami's flag, if I'm not mistaken. I see some Wolves at various angles, Kunai, swords, and…" He paused, head tilting to the side slightly. "Is….is that supposed to be a village on fire?"
"Kirigakure." One of the Wolves explained and Kabuto shook his head.
"Fine, whatever. I'm guessing you wanted to use the Nami flag as sort of a base, then?"
"It seemed appropriate."
"But we don't want it to match too well," Added another. "Tsukuyomi-Sama didn't really start out with Nami so we can't build up on that as if it was the base of who he is."
Kabuto wanted to point out that as Nami's Daimyo it sort of was but he knew better than to try explaining that to them. "Okay, so Nami's flag is Hi no Kuni's fire emblem sinking or rising from a set of blue waves. I guess it represents the sun in this case. Let's keep the waves but turn the emblem into an actual sun because Tsukuyomi is not Hi no Kuni."
"That would also represent Amaterasu-sama." The female Wolf nodded in approval, the others agreeing.
Amaterasu? Kabuto nearly asked but thought better of it. The less he tried to understand the better. It did, however, remind him of the most important part of the design.
"You know what? Why don't you all write down what you think should be represented in Tsukuyomi-Sama's flag- the things he would want to honor- and we'll choose the things you all agree on. Once we have them we'll organize them into a design."
The three grabbed paper and started to follow his suggestion as Tsunami rose from her seat and pulled him into a grateful hug. "Thank you so much, Kabuto-sensei."
"It's no problem," He assured her. Not that he didn't like the embrace but he'd really like to get back to his reading. "I was happy to-"
"I have to return to my duties, I leave them in your capable hands." Without waiting to hear from him again she escaped to the door, slipping through it and shutting it behind her.
...what?
It took a second for him to process what had just happened and turning back to the three Wolves- the identifiable man and woman now fighting over who got to use the one red pen- he felt his shoulders slump and the air vacate his lungs in a deep sigh.
Looks like he was puppysitting now.
His hand reached out and snatched the red pen away for himself, earning a united glare from the two Wolves which he returned blankly. "Stop fighting and get to work or Tsukuyomi-Sama's never going to get his flag."
He wasn't paid enough for this.
Kabuto paused.
Actually, he wasn't paid at all. Why the hell was he the one doing this?
Damn that woman.
"I think Naruto's planning to start working immediately."
Mai paused her unpacking to glance towards the Orochimaru leaning in her doorway, raising an incredulous brow. "Of course he does, all he ever plans for is work."
Orochimaru frowned. "And you don't see a problem with that?"
"Of course I see a problem with that!" She tossed the shirt in her hands onto her bed and turned around to better face the Snake Sage, arms crossing. "You seem to be under the impression that I can single-handedly stop that immediately. I assure you, if that was an option I would have done it a long time ago."
"Okay, so what can we do to stop him?" Was Orochimaru's next question. "I think the trip here was the biggest break he's had in gods know how long."
"I've already looked at Hanabi's new admin system, it should drastically reduce the work that makes it to Naruto's desk. More importantly, he knows that his workload should be reduced. I was thinking that Hanabi and I would split some of his work to give him a few weeks of light duty."
"Why not just do all his work?"
"Because then he'd know we were keeping it from him. I'll give him more than half tomorrow, then maybe a third, and we'll level it out over the next week to be about half the work he should actually be doing so for the two weeks after that he thinks it's the normal volume. If there's no work at all not only will he know we did something but he'll start making work for himself that will probably end up exceeding what we kept from him."
"So what I'm hearing is that you have a plan?"
"Yes, Orochimaru, we have a plan."
"Good." They turned to leave. "I just had to make sure he would be taken care of."
"Then why didn't you stop him?" Orochimaru paused, glancing back over Sasuke's shoulder.
"Because I can't tell Naruto-kun 'no'. Your habit of disobedience has its uses."
Mai really didn't know how she should take that comment but it was still clear that the Snake Sage wasn't too fond of her for whatever reason.
"Okay, you want to represent Tsukuyomi with a moon, Amaterasu with a sun, the country of Nami with waves, and you want to include something for the leaders Tsukuyomi-Sama has influence over." Kabuto went over the lists, picking out things that were shared between all three. "Is that correct?"
The Wolves shared a look followed by agreeing nods. "Yes, that should do it."
"Good. Now we just need to figure out who's being represented, how they'll be shown, the arrangement of the elements, and the colors. We already have the Nami flag to work off, so we'll be using that as the base. Changing the Hi no Kuni emblem to Amaterasu's sun has already been agreed upon, where do you think the moon should go?"
"If we want symmetry then it either has to curve up or down . Maybe it should be wrapping around the sun?"
"It would be like a halo around it if we put it above facing down, an aura of light."
"That would just serve to elevate the sun, though. People might not realize it's Tsukuyomi"
"We could mark the sun with the moon. Probably on the top edge facing down. Amaterasu's mask bears the mark of Tsukuyomi in a similar fashion. It both represents him and reminds everyone that the sun, no matter how large, still serves under the moon."
"I like it. I'd rather a larger moon but this fits the design while maintaining proper symbolism."
"Good," Kabuto pushed them forward, hoping to conclude this as quickly as possible so he could move on. "Now, who was being represented along Tsukuyomi and….Amaterasu?"
He still wasn't sure who the hell that was.
"We need to focus on the people who don't just answer to Tsumuyomi-sama but who also have people who answer to them. The other leaders he has command over."
The three Wolves shared a look before turning to Kabuto in unison. "Orochimaru."
Well, yes. Kabuto supposed it was hard to argue against that.
"Okay, who else?"
"Hana and Sai." The man nodded. "They control Nami in Tsukuyomi's absence."
"Hinata no Mikoto." She added. "And probably Tsume too. They represent his control over clans in Konoha."
"Tsunami is the mistress of his palace, she maintains his home." The androgynous one added their own suggestion. "It might not be a bad idea to add the prince either. He doesn't really have control over anyone but…."
The other two shared another look. "Yes, probably for the best. He is the prince."
"Prince?" Kabuto thought he generally had a good grasp on things that were going on around here but had he missed something? No, wait, there had been talk of a prince for some time a while ago too. Something about him visiting but when people stopped talking about it Kabuto had decided it was unimportant.
He had not, however, made the connection that this person was apparently Nami's prince. He figured it must have been a prince from somewhere else but thinking about that now it didn't make much sense for something so important to only be brought up casually by the Wolves. Surely there would have been a more grandiose reception for a foreign royal that would have even caught Kabuto's attention.
Or, perhaps, was it just Tsukuyomi's prince? That made a bit more sense considering he'd never heard anyone in Nami mention a prince- beyond speaking of Hana's future husband, anyway, as they seemed to be of the impression she was some sort of princess- but it also left him wondering when the young man had managed to have a son.
And, more concerning, who had he had a son with?
He was, admittedly, old enough to be capable of reproduction and as much as Kabuto tried not to think of it he knew Orochimaru had been more than willing, but he couldn't recall her ever being pregnant.
Unless she hadn't carried the child herself, either placing it in a surrogate or growing the thing in her lab. Both were equally as likely but Kabuto desperately hoped it had been with someone- anyone- else. The thought of Orochimaru reproducing was bad enough but the idea that she -he?- had created a child with someone nearly as bad as they were was a terrifying concept that Kabuto really, really did not like even considering.
"Yes, the prince." One of the Wolves nodded. Kabuto was too distracted to realize which one it was. "We are Tsukuyomi's children but the prince is Tsukuyomi's son."
"What's the difference?" Kabuto had a bad feeling the answer was about to be something along the lines of 'blood' but maybe there was something he had missed that might relieve his worries that there was a little Orochimaru-spawn running about.
"He is the son of a Biju, the Ichibi."
"He…." Kabuto really, really hoped this was more of that 'Tsukuyomi is really the Tsukuyomi and is a genuine deity' stuff and not something even remotely close to the truth but he had a really bad feeling that they might be more accurate than he was entirely comfortable with. "He's the son of Tsukuyomi and the Ichibi?"
"Yes."
Kabuto thought for a moment before deciding he really, really wanted to get out of here before he learned anything else. "Well, in that case we should definitely add him. We have seven names to represent, how about we stick with the celestial theme and make them stars?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Me too."
"Good. So now we have it figured out why don't you three come up with ways to draw the flag and then decide which one you like the best." Kabuto grabbed the book he had set on the table and started for the door not unlike Tsunami had earlier. "When you have one to like bring it to me and I'll sent it off to have someone make it."
He figured Jirobo would probably appreciate something else for his team to do while they tried to find legendary items for the prince. Not an easy thing to be tasked with considering those legendary items were as such because they had been lost to history and those that were found tended to be quite jealously guarded.
The fact that he had been producing things that Orochimaru found satisfactory for the prince is probably the only reason he's managed to keep his position- and his head. It was also to his benefit that Orochimaru had been preoccupied by being in the presence of the prince and this hadn't been scrutinizing his results too heavily.
With the Wolves that had been entrusted to his care by Tsunami now busy working on how to incorporate the agreed upon elements into their designs Kabuto wasted no time slipping through the door and making his escape down the hall to the public reading room of Tsukuyomi's private floor.
He would be doing his best to avoid any of the Wolves- and Tsunami- as much as he could from here on out. They were simply too much of a headache.
And with Kato-Sensei and assistant Sunju Tsunade -Kabuto didn't even want to try understanding what happened there- he didn't have to worry about medical duties anymore now either.
In fact, Kabuto frowned, what was he supposed to be doing, exactly?
He might have to figure that out quickly before Orochimaru got mad at him not doing anything for her- his - prince.
Gods above he still wasn't used to that.
"Tou-sama, I heard you had returned." The soft voice of Gaara caught Naruto's attention and the young Daimyo looked up from his suspiciously low volume of work for the day to see the slightly younger boy in the doorway of his office.
"Ah, Gaara." Naruto graced his adopted son with a gentle smile. "It looks like you got back before me. You had a pleasant vacation I hope?"
The younger redhead's eyes seemed to sparkle at the thought of his vacation and a broad, warm grin stretched across his lips. "I got to see snow." He said it as if it was the most amazing thing that had happened within his life despite his interactions with an actual Biju for the majority of it.
Perhaps that was simply because the Biju had been a constant throughout it and he didn't realize how extraordinary such a thing was.
There were, after all, only a maximum of nine people in the world at any one time who had a Biju in them. Thanks to Naruto, that number might be a bit less for the next few generations.
The genuine wonder that was expressed by Gaara's statement made it impossible for Naruto's smile not to widen. "That's fantastic, son. How did the rest of them like it?"
"Kankuro didn't seem to mind the trip, he's always happy if he has time to work on his toys. He really enjoyed talking to Sasori, though. The two of them were nearly inseparable."
Naruto's smile lessened slightly as his attention went to figuring out why that name was so familiar. It certainly wasn't someone he had sent with the group and not someone directly allied with either himself or- as far as he knew- any of his people.
"Sasori….?" He tested the name on his tongue before realization struck and his purple eyes widened in surprise. "Akasuna no Sasori?" While the name was quite infamous, it was not the man's skill in puppetry or the fact that he was suspected of assassinating one of the Kazekage- the Sandaime if Naruto remembered correctly- that caught his attention. No, he recognized that name from something much more relative- Mikoto's report on the current members of Akatsuki.
"Yes, father. We met him and his partner Deidara in Shimo no Kuni. When they learned that I no longer held the Biju and that it was under your protection they decided to stick with us."
Naruto felt there was probably more to that but was also aware Gaara would have provided as much information as he had. Anything the boy didn't bring to him would be from missing the significance himself and not as a form of deception. Subtly was not a characteristic of his son, though that did come with benefits for Naruto. Mostly in the fact that it would keep Gaara trustworthy though he wasn't so foolish as to believe he should be informing the young man of any of his more sensitive plans.
There was too great a chance that the boy might unknowingly pass on information that could lead to problems in the future and it would be no fault of his own. If Naruto wasn't perceptive enough to expect the problem or proceeded to provide such sensitive information despite it then the blame for its release would lie completely upon his own shoulders.
He'd already made a similar mistake once, he would endeavor not to repeat it with his son too.
"I see. And the two of them are now in Hanahime are they?" He had been pretty uncomfortable with Kisame out and about in his- Hana's- city but now he had not just two members of Akatsuki but one of which had earned the title of 'Mad Bomber'.
There were not words in existence to describe how much he did not appreciate that fact.
Gaara gave a nod - the cheerfulness of which caused by either the fact that he had a chance to aid his father by answering questions or because he failed to see what might be wrong with the situation. Probably both- and his smile remained firmly in place. "Your red Wolf gave us a place to stay in the city. I think it was mainly to keep Jiji away from him but because I'm the only one with a room here Kankuro is planning to stay there too. We've all been there for the past two days. Temari Kaa-san said that with all the people moving in it would be easier for you if we couldn't get in the way."
"That was very thoughtful of her; she's very smart." At least he knew the Suna group would have been keeping them out of trouble so far and the fact that they would have a place to stay that wasn't his palace was quite nice too. His Wolves had put a lot of effort into this palace, it would be a shame if something happened to it.
He would need to ask his red Wolf- he was assuming that was referring to Sai who wore the red fur on his uniform as the Commander - what Rasa had done to be pushed off somewhere private though. By all means he should have been in the palace as a guest considering his status- even if the village he had ruled over had been ripped from him. A large number of Suna villagers had come with him, after all, and many were still here in Nami making a new life for themselves.
"She's missed you."
That came as a slight surprise to Naruto who hadn't realized he'd had such an impact on the young woman but that was probably an oversight on his part. He had given her back her younger brother and now her son. If she cared for Gaara even half as much as Karura did then it was inevitable her gratitude towards him would have been significant.
They had not spent too much time together and he didn't recall ever doing so outside of Gaara's presence but if one of his mothers already saw him as her husband perhaps the second did too.
Then again, with Gaara claiming him as his father maybe she wouldn't have been given much choice in the matter. He would need to spend some time and speak with the young woman at some point to see just where she stood when it came to him. Of course, if Rasa had done something to deserve being pushed away then it would be good to have her to serve as the leader of the Suna natives in his land. With Gaara being his son- and having terrorized that population over the years- they were unlikely to follow him out of anything beyond fear.
The eldest daughter of the Kazekage they followed out of Kaze no Kuni and into the safety of Nami no Kuni, though; she could be a figure for them to rally behind should it become necessary to influence them.
He would keep that in mind.
"I'm sure she has, I'll have to find some time to spend with her in the near future. She's done a very good job looking out for you."
Gaara nodded in agreement before frowning. "I wanted to introduce her to Kaa-Sama and Imouto-Chan, I think she would like them." Hopeful teal eyes looked at him pleadingly. "Is there something you can do so they can meet?"
One of Naruto's brows rose at the question and a thoughtful frown of his own pulled his lips down as he considered it. Karura would probably appreciate the chance to talk to others and especially to Gaara's sister-mother - he tried desperately not to think about some things that particular word pairing might implicate- while he was sure little Isobu - while shy - would greatly benefit from more interaction outside her immediate family.
Not that Temari visiting would change that, technically, but at least it would be someone new for her.
Assuming he brought Temari into the seal which, honestly, didn't sound like a good idea. Nothing against her specifically but allowing people into what was essentially a mental representation of the point his Chakra Network, mind, and the seals containing Biju intersected seemed like a rather foolish thing to facilitate.
He was already allowing too many people access to it as it was.
On that note, he would need to see if anything had changed in there due to his new supplementary Chakra System. He wondered how that might affect the seals or at least the way they were represented in that mental space.
He did want to be able to fulfil this request, however, and if bringing more people into the seal was ill-advised then he would just need to come up with a way to allow the occupants to temporarily leave the seal to interact with the physical world.
That was bound to be a tricky bit of business so he would do well to consult with Orochimaru and Karura before trying to do anything. If it came down to it possibly even Mito and - if he absolutely had to- maybe even Jiraiya himself. He wanted to avoid the last two options but he really, really wanted to avoid the very last one. Jiraiya may be one of the last sealmasters around but he was first and foremost Konoha's spymaster and that meant Naruto wanted the man as far away from his affairs as he could possibly manage.
"I'll look into the ways we can facilitate that and determine which would be best for everyone." Was his eventual answer. If he had to he'd grant Temari temporary access into his seal so she could visit with the rest of her family and he could satisfy Gaara, Karura, and Isobu with more company. It would, if nothing else, help tide them over until he managed to bring them out and due to her ties to the current occupants of his seal she was unlikely to be any sort of immediate threat.
Her visits would most certainly be supervised, however, because the idea of yet another person in there did not fill him with confidence. There were far too many things that could go wrong- even accidentally- for him to take such chances.
Seals were a delicate matter, as any Fuinjutsu user could attest, and unbalancing them could have dire consequences.
Space and time should never be manipulated lightly nor the ability to do so be taken for granted.
Really, he should probably be a lot more careful about what he was doing with seals in the future. He'd not been overly cautious in his use of Sealkeeper, relying on its own ability over any understanding on his part. One of these days he'd have to delve further into Fuinjutsu than the absolute basics he'd familiarized himself with thus far.
You know, if he could find the time.
Seemed unlikely.
"Thank you, father." Gaara bent at the waist in a brief but grateful bow. "I'll let Kaa-san know that we can move back into my room now, we'll be settled this afternoon."
"Of course. If she'd like her own room I'm sure we can find her one on the third floor, otherwise I know Kakashi's will go empty for the foreseeable future so she would be welcome to it."
"I..I'll see what she would like." It was obvious Gaara didn't like the idea but Naruto knew he would bring up the options to his mother simply because they came from him. If Temari felt as strongly as Gaara's words seemed to indicate, however, he would fully expect Temari to turn his offers down simply because Gaara's room was the closest to his own rooms.
She was also quite protective of the young man despite the fact that he was many more times dangerous than she was and could handle himself. That alone was likely to see her trying to be as close to his- their- son as possible.
He supposed, in the end, there were certainly less pleasant people to be in the vicinity of his chambers.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 135-B "Teal"
Patron Release 2021.03.07
Naruto was just finishing his lunch- piles of reviewed reports stacked neatly on the left side of his desk to be collected and filed by the next Wolf to check up on him- when he received another guest.
He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the young man he'd hardly seen over the last year.
"Sai," He stood from his desk to greet the Wolf Commander. "It's good to see you again. I do hope you're not here to recite that poetry of yours in person."
"If only," Sai returned his smile. "I know you were just here following the mess in Mizu no Kuni but it still feels like I haven't seen you forever."
"We didn't exactly have much time to catch up during my last visit." Naruto agreed with a nod before gesturing to one of the seats before his desk. "Please, make yourself comfortable." He lowered himself back into his own chair. "Have you already had lunch? I can send for something if you like."
Sai waived off both the offer and the concern that brought it about in the firstplace. "That's quite alright." He assured his lord. "I had an early lunch while reviewing some reports earlier." He glanced to the stacks of papers on Naruto's own desk and briefly his look became sympathetic. Sai might not be as well acquainted with the Work as Tsukuyomi was but he could certainly share in the pain. "With debriefs scheduled for noon I had a feeling I wouldn't get a chance if I didn't take it then."
That was followed by a helpless shrug, as if to ask 'what can you do?'. "Turns out I was wrong but probably only because I took the lunch."
Naruto's head bobbed in understanding. Things had an irritating tendency to happen in the most inconvenient manner only when you tried to plan for them. It was always better to grab the opportunities as they arrived and adapt your schedule to them. He'd learned that quickly enough.
"'Of course, that's always how it goes. I believe Mai stopped to visit you yesterday, didn't she? I'm sure you were both glad for the opportunity to spend time together again."
"Oh, yes, very much so. I understand I have you to thank for that."
One of Naruto's brows rose in question. "I'm surprised that came up." He admitted. He really didn't see why Mai would have mentioned it at all.
"I was surprised when Mai walked into my office the same day she arrived rather than spend it getting you settled in, that was the only explanation she could offer."
"Taking some time to visit her brother sounds like settling back in to me."
A brief laugh escaped Sai. "You know, she said you would argue that."
"Of course, how else was I to get her away from her work? Yesterday had been planned for travel, nothing more."
It was Sai's turn to raise a brow, though he somehow managed to make the gesture seem scathing and accusatory. Naruto briefly wondered if he'd picked it up from his sister, Hana, or Tsunami.
"And you expect me to believe you weren't doing any work yesterday?" Asked the Commander, beyond skeptical.
Naruto didn't even try lying, there was no way the young man would ever believe anything else - even if he hadn't been completely correct.
"There is always work for me to do, Sai, you should know that." He spared a glance to the papers on the desk. "Hanabi has spread a majority of the work that doesn't really need to be handled by Mai, herself, or myself across a team of administrators she's trained with her new organizational system. It's already seemed to have a rather big impact on how much work makes it to my desk."
Sai's look didn't let up any and Naruto rose two empty hands in surrender before looking pointedly at the neat stacks of paper. "I'm finished for the day."
Sai blinked in surprise, turning his gaze between the reports and his Lord in disbelief. "Really?"
"Really." Naruto frowned. "And now I have absolutely no idea what the hell I should be doing for the rest of the day."
"Resting, perhaps?" Was Sai's immediate suggestion. "Really, this is a good thing. We all know how hard you work it will be good for you to spend some time away from that- even if it's just an afternoon." Sai glanced over to the clock in Naruto's office. "Well, most of one, anyway."
"I don't work that hard." Naruto shook his head. "Nowhere near as hard as the rest of you do." A thoughtful look crossed his face and he spent a moment staring at Sai. "Mai's already had a vacation and Hana is leaving on hers tomorrow afternoon but you probably need one too, don't you?"
"Well, I'm not opposed to one." Really, Sai would very much like to take a break even for a long weekend but unfortunately the role of Commander didn't allow him to work a standard five day work week and instead he had to be available every day at all times. He would be lying if he said it hadn't been wearing on him but he'd managed to find a balance that allowed him to recuperate between the Wolves needing his attention for something.
He wondered if that's how it had been for Naruto in the very beginning when the Wolves were just getting their start. As much as that should have lessened as he rose up the chain he was building, Sai had a feeling Naruto's work had only managed to increase since then. He couldn't imagine what he must deal with these days.
Naruto gave him a pointed look, not unlike one Sai had shot him earlier.
"Okay, so I'd like to take one when we get an opportunity." Sai admitted. "But it's nothing urgent."
Naruto shook his head. "You've been here nonstop working every day since I placed you here. You need a break."
"Yeah, yeah I guess so."
Nodding Naruto grabbed one of the finished reports and made a quick note on the back of it. One of these days he was going to remember to get a notepad or something on his desk for when he needed to write down reminders or organize his thoughts. It would be a much better method than scratching things onto the back of reports that were supposed to be sent off.
"Any ideas what you'd like to do for a vacation?" He asked his commander. "Hana wanted to visit family in Konoha and then spend time at a resort in Yu no Kuni."
"Well, there's a new casino resort I've heard of in Kaminari no Kuni." Sai frowned. "Apparently one of the sailors heard about it and talk has been spreading through Hanahime ever since he got back."
"Okay. Did you want to spend the whole time there?"
"I...guess…?" Just how long, exactly, was Naruto expecting him to be gone for? There was no way it could be more than a few days- maybe a week, tops- considering the duties of his position and the fact that Hana was also going to be out of the country for her own vacation. A frown came to Sai's lips. They couldn't both be going on vacation, could they? Who was going to cover the work from both of them? "You know, on second thought…."
Naruto rose a brow. "Oh? Where else did you want to go?"
"No, no." Sai shook his head. "Not that, I was just thinking that maybe it would be better to wait for Hana to get back. Might not be the best idea to have both of us gone from Nami at the same time."
"It will be fine, Sai. There are more than enough people here to cover it." Because Naruto was here and he would be covering it. There was no need for Sai to worry during his vacation. "Kaminari no Kuni is a bit farther than Yu no Kuni and travel might take a bit longer even by boat-" depending on storms, of course. "- so I'll just set the dates to match with Hana's trip."
Furrowing his brows Sai came to a realization. "But wouldn't that mean-"
"Tomorrow, yes." Interrupted Naruto. "You'd best get packed and get me a copy of your September calendar so I can see to it your work gets done." he paused, remembering a conversation from the previous day. "Did you get September's Budget submitted to Hana yet? I know she expected that today."
"Yes, Naruto-Sama." Sai couldn't help the slightly sheepish smile that he wore. "And then she immediately handed me one that was vastly different."
Naruto nodded, expecting that both because he'd been aware that she had already done one for Sai and because he knew just how terrible Sai was with money on a good day.
"Good, good." Naruto started nodding in acceptance but then paused. "Oh, well, I suppose it doesn't really matter." He realized.
"Naruto-Sama?"
"I'm going to be the one who has to stick to it, you won't be back until the twenty-seventh." A slight frown grew on Naruto's face. "I wonder if it wouldn't be a better transition for the two of you not to resume your duties until October and just leave September to us."
By 'us' he, of course, meant himself and himself- Kage Bunshin were quite useful- but he really didn't see any need to bring that up.
Sai shifted uncomfortably at that. An entire month- well, most of the month if he was leaving on the second- was a long time for him to be away and if that coincided with when Hana would be gone too well, he couldn't say he was a huge fan of leaving his duties for so long.
"How about we see where things stand when I - we - get back, Naruto-Sama?" He proposed as a compromise to which Naruto nodded absently.
"Yes, I suppose that would be wise. We don't know what might crop up over the next month." Checking the drawers on his desk he found a small stack of blank paper and removed a few sheets to begin drafting letters to establishments and instructions for his Wolves. Things would need to be arranged for Sai's trip now and he would have to make sure it was done quickly if he was going to be leaving tomorrow.
"Inform your team and get ready for your trip, Sai. It's time you got a well-deserved break."
"Of course, Naruto-Sama." Sai agreed with a nod but couldn't keep the frown from his face. Sure, he could use a break, but when would Naruto get his?
If Tsukuyomi could really read minds as some rumors spread by the Wolves suggested he could he made no reaction to Sai's, his attention already firmly upon this new task he had set for himself, and Sai excused himself with a shallow bow the young Daimyo probably didn't even register.
At least, he mused, once the two of them got back Naruto would be limited to the small pile he'd had today. Even he couldn't somehow create more out of that-
Right?
The lights had been dimmed to a warm, comfortable glow just bright enough that he was able to read without straining his eyes. He wasn't even sure what he was reading- the majority of his thoughts residing elsewhere- but he found the atmosphere of his private library and the simple, repetitive task of slowly turning pages as his unseeing eyes traced the last lines of text to be almost meditative.
Something his current companion seemed quite intent on interrupting.
"Come on, Naruto-Kun, I was good all day yesterday, don't I deserve a reward?"
He briefly glanced over his book to see Anko on the opposite end of the couch splayed out in a dramatically suggestive fashion and raised a brow. "So you weren't the one who raided Tsunami's room and made off with all her undergarments?"
"Eh?!" She shot up at his accusation, rubbing the back of her head and shooting him a faux-innocent grin. "You don't really think I would do something like that do you, Naruto-Kun?"
"I absolutely think you would be behind that, Anko, I'm just not sure how you convinced Clicky to help you." or why she needed help in the first place. Tsunami had absolutely no Shinobi training, though he should probably look to get her at least somewhat trained if only for her own defense. She was working in a palace housing a military group, after all. "Poor Tsunami is stressed enough as it is without having to worry about the two of you rummaging through her belongings."
"Oh, come on, you can't say you're not just the tiniest bit curious of the kinds of things she would have in that drawer, can you?"
"I most certainly can."
Anko folded her arms across her chest with a huff. After a few seconds a small grin spread over her lips. "She had pictures, you know."
"I doubt they were of her, Anko, and even if they were they would still be private."
"No, they weren't of her." She agreed. "But do you still think they're private when some were of you?" There were pictures of Kakashi in there too -unfortunately with his mask still on- but Anko couldn't expect the woman to be perfect. Everyone had to have something wrong with them.
"Yes, Anko. Those are still her photos."
"You're not even a little curious what she was doing with the photos she had stored under the fun pieces?"
"I am intimately familiar with Tsunami's taste in men and I am also very much aware that she has needs she likely takes care of. I don't need to wonder what the pictures are for."
"Well if she has needs and is so stressed out maybe we should invite her to have some fun with us…." Anko left the suggestion finished but open, her eyebrows wagging suggestively and a salacious grin dominating her lips. "I'm sure we could help her unwind."
"I suppose we could send her to Konoha," He mused aloud. "She'd probably appreciate a chance to see Kakashi again and you could take up her duties here in the meantime."
Anko blanched at that, recoiling to her end of the couch and curling into a protective ball with a shudder. "Ew, no. I don't want to have to keep everything organized around here."
"Then leave the woman alone. Gods know you'll probably be causing her enough trouble without targeting her directly."
"I don't see what the big deal is. She's stressed and she's into you; lets have some fun."
"If you'd like to try seducing her you're more than welcome to ,Anko, but I expect you to back off if she expresses any disinterest. I don't need you pestering her for the next two weeks in an effort to wear her down."
"Oh come on, don't be a spoilsport. You let me wear Kurenai down."
"Kurenai was your best friend and you'd already had relations with her."
Anko pouted. "You're no fun, maybe I should just go play with Tayuya."
"That's an excellent idea. Have fun."
"You're not supposed to agree with me, Naruto-Kun."
"And whyever not? She would probably appreciate the attention from you. I can't confidently say the same about Tsunami."
"Well why can't we just have some fun then? I was mostly good yesterday, that has to count for something, right?"
"We can do something later, Anko." Part of him argued that he should just see to her now so she would calm down but he was also aware that even if he did somehow manage to sate her in a reasonable time that he would probably be too exhausted to do anything else for the night. Time with Anko was going to have to go on the end of any day's schedule. "Why don't you keep yourself occupied with Tayuya and then you can join me when I retire for the evening."
Her pout returned full force for a moment before a deep sigh had her shoulders drooping. "Fine, when are you going to bed?"
"An hour or two, I think." he wasn't completely sure what time it was but he did know the sun had set some time ago and with him assuming the duties of Hana and Sai tomorrow afternoon it would be prudent to awaken at a decent time in order to see to his own duties before they left.
A night with Anko was sure to challenge that, though. He'd have to make sure a Wolf knew to force him awake so he actually got up.
"Okay." She didn't sound too pleased at the moment but she didn't hide the anticipation in her eyes as she leapt up from the couch. "I guess Tayuya will just have to warm me up so we can get straight to the fun part later." A wicked gleam joined her anticipation. "In fact, I might have to drag her back with me."
"Sure," He shrugged. "Just know that it will probably mean less time for you. I have to be up at a decent time tomorrow so I will need to get some sleep."
Her inner conflict was easy to see on her face as she contemplated if the merits of another warm body in their fun was worth less time with his undivided attention. Maybe if she imposed a limit on how Tayuya would participate with them? Of course, she'd have to then trust the girl to honor that limit. Gods knew Anko wouldn't in her place, so maybe not.
Then again, if Tayuya did well enough with her until they could join Naruto maybe she wouldn't need quite so much attention from him and she would be deserving of a reward. It would just come down to how she performed.
With her mind made up she practically skipped out of the library, pausing only long enough to bend down and steal a quick peck on his lips before she left.
He shook his head, always amused by her antics even if he didn't have the time to indulge her on a whim, before returning to his thoughts. To be perfectly honest he probably could have taken care of her immediately- it wasn't like he was actually reading at the moment- but he was enjoying a moment of calm before his schedule became overfilled with the work of Hana and Sai. Fortunately he had a Kage Bunshin so between the two of them they should be able to tackle things without too much trouble.
He'd have a headache for the next month, probably, but that was a small price to pay to take care of his people and grant them the rest they had undeniably earned.
And speaking of Kage Bunshin, he'd really rather his current one dispelled after its task before he was dragged to bed by Anko rather than have the influx of memories- and a migraine he would need to take several minutes addressing with Iryojutsu- interrupt them. While she didn't know that was a possibility, he had a feeling she would appreciate not having her fun interrupted.
Fortunately it hadn't been active for very long- as far as he could tell, anyway, he'd been wrong about that before- and the work it was doing wasn't anything of a strenuous nature.
Well, assuming it hadn't decided to make more work for himself- a thought that had him pausing and frowning in concern. He wasn't that bad, was he? He shook the thought from his head. No, of course not. They were both Wolves, he could trust himself not to cause himself trouble.
Too much trouble, anyway.
Really the only thing it- they, he - was doing was going over maps of Nami to further familiarize himself with the land and do some light brainstorming on how Nami's growth should be directed. Hana had already ensured that her schedule reached him so he knew what he would need to see to beyond whatever work was sent to her desk or was brought to his attention over the next month which meant he was now aware that she- and now he in her place- had a meeting with city planners on Saturday to predict and guide the future expansion of the city.
He figured it would probably be a good idea to have at least a vague familiarity with his land and have some ideas for where Nami would be allowed to expand- It wouldn't do for the entire island to be covered by a growing Hanahime even if the city was more or less the only thing there anyway. Sure, it placed further restrictions on the amount of space they had to work with and what could be done with it but if it allowed them to maintain the historic identity of the island he would consider it worthwhile.
Hanahime might be the only settlement and it looked like it would continue to grow if left unchecked but Nami no Kuni was more than just Hanahime and it was his job to look after it.
Another city, too, just for some competition might not be a bad idea either. It would certainly make it easier to manipulate the economy of his country if he could leverage them against eachother to drive prices up or down to keep things balanced. He'd have to see what Hana's advisors thought about the idea. He may not have even known their names- or how many there were- but he did know he could trust Hana to have chosen them wisely.
That young woman had the potential to go far, Nami or no.
Not that he would be able to get rid of her if he tried, she was far too ingrained with the populace of his country to be safely removed even if he needed to and the damages would be substantial.
Hopefully it would never come to that.
He had absolutely no idea how the information had managed to get out to the people of Hanahime - well, no, he had a pretty good idea, actually he just didn't like it- but there was absolutely no doubt that the crowds of people who had gathered around the two carriages were here for one person and one person only-
Inuzuka Hana, Governess of Nami no Kuni
Sai was here too, taking his place in his sister's carriage- maybe at some point he should get his commander a carriage of his own but there really hadn't been a need before today- but he slipped into it with little fanfare beyond the salutes of present Wolves. His mask that he usually wore in public was gone for his vacation but he had retained the mantle of red fur around his shoulders for his departure and Naruto was sure there were whispers among the crowd of how young he was.
They were probably just as equally surprised that he was human he thought with little humor.
His Wolves deserved better than such reputation and rumors but he also couldn't blame the people of Nami no Kuni when they were provided little chance to know the Wolves protected behind those masks.
As soon as Sai had settled into the carriage it started on its journey, Wolves on the ground ushering people out of its way so it could pass on towards the bridge and into Hi no Kuni on its way to Kaminari no Kuni.
Maybe he should have requested that he make a quick stop in Yu no Kuni along the way to check in on Ganju and his team. Too late now, he supposed, and it was probably bad form to ask him to do any work during his well-deserved vacation.
He shook the head from his mind. Katsuri and Guren were both there to help Ganju's team and Orochimaru's workers, they didn't need anyone else overseeing the matter. Hell, there were probably too many authority figures as it was.
Hana was taking much more time in entering her own- his, actually - as she was swamped with the well-wishes of his citizens. Were it not for the presence of Wolves around both she and his carriage he was sure she would have been mobbed by them.
She probably wouldn't have minded.
He stood not far away flanked by a Wolf on either side. Mai had made a brief appearance to say goodbye to her brother before he started for her carriage and quickly retreated back to her room afterwards to resume her work while the others who held his favor had decided to remain within the palace itself with only the exception of Tsunami who wished to see them off.
If any of the others were watching it was from one of the upper windows of the palace and even then he wasn't completely confident on how much they would be able to see from that vantage point.
When Hana finally dragged herself away from the adoring citizens and climbed into his carriage the crowds only seemed to become more energetic- determined to be heard by the governess through the black wood of the carriage.
Even from here he could see her smiling at them, one hand waving to them while the driver prompted the horses forward. It took much more effort for the Wolves to clear a path this time, several people needing to be physically moved out of the way so she could be on her way without trampling any of the citizens calling out for her safe travels and recuperation.
Naruto tried- and failed- to avoid comparing it with any of his departures or arrivals to the city and it came at no surprise that there was absolutely no real comparison to be made. He may as well not have existed at all as far as these people were concerned- something Hana didn't seem to be able to understand.
They all but worshiped the ground she walked on, she was everything to them just as he had been everything to the Wolves as he brought them from their unfulfilling pseudo-civilian lives and gave them purpose once more.
She didn't understand the power she held over them, the influence she wielded so effortlessly, and that's what made her such a beloved leader. He had chosen well when he had offered this position to her and that was the only credit he had any right in claiming when it came to Hanahime.
His guard remained to watch over Tsunami as he turned and made his way back towards the palace. There was work to be done and he wasn't doing anyone any good standing among strangers.
His presence- and absence- went unnoticed by the citizens of his country.
Naruto stared at Naruto, a single brow on each of their faces rising in sync.
"Do you.."
"..Yeah"
The both frowned, deep in thought, before one of them cocked their head to the side slightly. "It's probably worth a try. What's the worst that could happen?"
"We piss off Mai and Shizune."
The first one shrugged. "Not really my problem, that's something you'd have to deal with."
Naruto scowled at the declaration but he wasn't wrong. Gods he hated himself sometimes.
He could ignore the possibility completely if he really wanted to but the potential that was there wasn't something he could really afford not to take advantage of. Shizune and Tsunade had confirmed that the secondary Chakra System was- unexpectedly - active even without his new Kusari no Juin- Orochimaru had described its first activation and he found it hard to deny the aptness of the name- being drawn upon.
Naruto had avoided activating it on their suggestion but couldn't help noticing upon the creation of this particular Kage Bunshin not a minute earlier the lack of strain on his primary system. Well, not a complete lack of strain but certainly a reduced strain in shaping the substantial Chakra required to form the technique.
He'd only ever been able to handle forming one at a time but if the second system was already making it this much easier for him to use his Chakra he wondered if that might not be the case any longer.
Of course, there were also plenty of risks associated with figuring that out for sure, not the least of which was the risk of either damaging his new system or further damaging his original and he wasn't oblivious to the fact that even if he did pull it off to create them he might not be able to handle dismissing them later.
He didn't usually have to worry about a single Kage Bunshin unless he left it for a few days- anything in excess of three is where major issues started happening- to a week or more, neither of which he intended to use in this case. Having a Kage Bunshin available while he slept was quite a tempting prospect but he wouldn't be good for much during the day if he was fighting a headache and he figured it was probably a better practice to have a headache in the evening and then recuperate as he slept.
He wouldn't know for certain unless he tried it though and he was sure neither Mai nor Shizune would appreciate his efforts if things went poorly but they wouldn't be able to do anything to ensure it went well either. Knowing that, they would only be upset with him if things did go wrong- and wrong enough that he ended up needing medical attention. Probably- so, really, he might as well.
If things went well he could get work done even more quickly and he wouldn't have to worry quite so much about taking on both Sai and Hana's work for the next month.
That was a good thing, right?
Looking into the golden eyes of his compatriot they shared a nod- both having reached a similar conclusion- and he turned to his seal for aid.
"Isobu-Hime, can daddy use some of your Chakra for his technique?"
There was no verbal answer beyond the faintest of happy giggles but the surge of the Isobu's Chakra that eagerly answered his request made it abundantly clear that she was more than willing to let him utilize it.
A familiar handseal was formed and with a burst of smoke a teal-eyed Naruto stared back at his twins. Gold and purple eyes met, smirks tugging at their lips, before they returned to the newest member of their team. "We're going to need a name for you."
The newest clone shrugged. "We'll think of something."
I know I'm fucking forgetting something I should probably be mentioning but I'm too damned tired to figure out what it is. I have little doubt it will strike me at some point in the next three days so hopefully I'll remember to write it down.
Thanks, as always, goes to my lovely Patrons;
Lord Generals
Cephalon Keeper, Michael Huber, B4NH4MM3R
Lord Marshals
Ronji, MythicFool, EagleE, Pope Gregory Trivium III, Konan, Sedition
Lord Majors
The SHARP fox, Malte Krain, StayFrosty, Noah, Alex Robb, Jeremy Webb, Jamel, McKinzie, Tjk9399, Raymond Saragian, Elypsus, magicheart 0, Gamer91, Kurogane, Marcothephoenix, DamnedThrice, Ben Peek, Nathan Carlson
Lord Commissars
Stan the Drunkard, Tim Keizer, Akira, Daron Smith, gabriel reynoso, Romulan, Shi_no_Kage, Whatzzzzzzzup, Nick Payne, Christopher, Desertgem1, Daniel Witry, Liam Kearney, TormisD92
Lord High-Inquisitor
Janus
Lord Inquisitors
Jaykay2307, Angel Morales, Haistos, Bob Ross, Brendon, Joe Schumacher, Michael Friede, Cameron Yourell, Nilzor, Chase, Maroner, Forseeti, Carlos Campbell, Thanyx, Chace Gannon, Slip123, Godfrey Kawi, Nicholas Hoover, Nicholas Liu, Supernowy, Milton Pereira, YGO, Louis Lennin, OldManCain, Sivellan, Brandon Romero, Vio, MB, Brandon, LoneSaiyan, Para, Angel de la torre, Nekrull DeUmbrus, Jennifer carpenter, HKaz, Pantheras, Marin Dimovski, MasterT941, J. G., Tyrell2000, Gobo, Theo McPherson, June Tai, james escobedo, Sebastiaan asselbergs, ChaosFox, Perez, Hentai Prince, James, TheGreatBubbaJ, TheAbsoluteMonarch, Polo Pannini, Neolyn, JonCotterill, Zack Crum, SMatatabi, Theepicslime
Until I next have your attention.
I remain,
-Eyazahrid