She wasn't scared.
Resigned, tired, and hungry, but not scared.
The Akimichi Estate was quiet in the early morning. She knew that the food was still being prepared and she could smell it wafting over from the training field. Even after eating a huge breakfast, courtesy of Tetsuya and Shin's combined forces, her stomach rumbled. There was a moment when Miho felt the nostalgia creeping up on her, settling on her chest like a vice. She used to play over there when she was little. She remembered sitting in that grass eating snacks with Chōji and reading book borrowed from Shikamaru.
Back then, the world didn't seem so complicated.
Her mother greeted her at the door, pulling her into a comforting hug. As if she could read from a simple glance that Miho was hurting. The embrace was soft and Miho desperately wanted to just stay there. If she stayed there, then she couldn't hurt anyone with what she was about to do. What she had to do.
"Did you eat breakfast?"
"Tetsuya made pancakes." Miho smiled into her mother's shoulder.
Tetsuya and Shin in the kitchen, expertly navigating each other as they cooked. Miho sitting at the counter watching as she sipped her orange juice. Naruto and Sai, newly introduced, and already bickering in the living room. Well, Sai was baiting in that irritatingly nice way of his, smile never faltering, and Naruto was barely withholding his shouts of frustration. The morning sun through the windows.
When Sakura showed up at the end of her Intensive Care shift, exhausted and thankful for the first plate of food, Naruto nearly got himself knocked through the window.
It was Sakura's first visit to their apartment.
Miho was sure it wouldn't be her last, given how she'd blushed when Shin called her 'mochi.'
"Morning, Miho."
Her brother was in the doorway to the kitchen. How would he take this? Panic struck her harder than it had when she'd been lying in bed awake earlier. She stepped from her mother's arms and made a decision on the spot. Miho hid her shaking hands in her pockets. Chōji seemed to realize immediately that something was off. He straightened, attention flickering from her face to check the rest of her for injuries or anything else that was off.
"I'd like to talk to Chōji first, if that's alright."
"Of course, Miho." Her father entered from the hallway. The last she'd seen him had been at the cemetery after Hayate-sensei's death. Before she could linger too long, Miho met her brother's eyes and jerked her head toward the door.
Chōji followed her in silence, right to the Akimichi archives. To the reading room at the back corner. She didn't feel the fear she thought she might feel, returning to that room again after so many years. Her hand ran along the wood of the table. There were still dents in it, imprints left by her and Chōji back then. She heard him close the door and Miho lifted her left hand to press against the wall, pushing chakra into the seal.
"Something's happened." Chōji said after a moment.
Miho drew in a breath and turned. "I wanted you to know first." She swallowed, forcing the fear away and focusing on the reality of her situation. After a moment, Miho moved to lean against the table. It creaked under her weight. "I went to the Hall of the Okuda. I wanted to take up the Okuda legacy, master the Storm Release. After what happened— I knew that I would need it." Pressing her lips together, Miho tried to find the right words. "I didn't know when I went there. I didn't go there with the intention of…" Her head shook.
"Miho, it's okay." Her eyes lifted to Chōji's and he smiled a bit, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever it is, it's going to be okay."
"I'm now the Clan Head of the Okuda."
Chōji's mouth opened and his grip on her shoulder tightened.
"I didn't know, Chōji! I didn't know that I was going through the rites of a Clan Head. I thought I was just taking the next steps with the Storm Release. There was a test, rites. I didn't know until after it was over. When it was over…I was already…and I couldn't not do it."
Slowly, his hold on her shoulder loosened and he stepped away, moving around her to one of the chairs at the table. Miho forced herself to breathe. She drew what confidence she had around her like a shroud and her shivering slowed and stopped. She couldn't lie to him and say she would have chosen differently. She couldn't say that she regretted it. So, she stood there in silence and let him have a moment to think, to absorb this new reality she'd dropped on him.
Since they were little, she'd been trained as his second. Someone that would support him in running the Akimichi Clan.
And after she'd just taken over the philanthropy, too…She was going to disappoint him. She knew it was going to—
"You're still my sister."
Miho spun.
Chōji was standing where he'd stood all those years ago. He was so much bigger now. Like a different person. This was the man her brother had become. So much had changed in this room. Miho held onto the table to steady herself.
"I told you. You'll always be my sister, Miho. No matter what. Nothing will change that. I will never abandon you. Never." When he turned, her brother was smiling. Miho felt the tears welling up. His smile faded and Chōji's expression became stronger and more stoic. "You did it though? You advanced with your release?" Miho grinned and nodded, brushing the tears away. "I'm proud of you."
Miho moved before she realized it, throwing her arms around his shoulders. He returned it immediately. It had been forever, she realized, since she'd hugged him so tightly. Their embrace was just as fierce and strong and warm as it'd been when they were kids.
When they returned to the house, Miho felt as if they'd reached a different point in their relationship. Chōji respected her actions. He accepted them. More than that, he was proud of her. Proud that she'd faced down that gruesome past, that she'd buried the dead, that she'd mastered something so wild. That she'd gotten stronger.
So, Miho pushed away the fear that threatened to make her heart leap from her chest.
She told him her plan.
As the Clan Head of the Okuda, what she was going to do.
She knew her brother saw what this was. Risk.
Trust.
In his eyes, she could see…her brother wouldn't betray her trust again.
Less than an hour later, Miho blinked away the tears as she stared at the floor from only a few inches away. "I feel like I am abandoning my clan. With everything that is happening, for me to become an Okuda now, I am leaving you when you need me most. That is something I don't— I don't want. I'm— I'm so sorry."
Her bow was a formal one.
Respectful. Asking for forgiveness.
She could hear her mother quietly crying.
Miho counted to ten.
When she rose up to her seiza posture once more, she met her father's eyes steadily. He is staring at her with no expression. No sadness. No pride. Nothing. It was the emptiest she had ever seen her father's face. Her heart stuttered a bit as she tried to find the right words. Finally, she swallowed and straightened her posture even more. "I—"
"You have nothing to apologize for, Miho."
Her mouth opened and snapped shut when her father lifted his hand. Life finally returned to his face. Grief was etched there as heavily as it ever was. She wondered how clearly he saw her sitting here. Did he see Okuda Keisuke instead? Or Akimichi Chisato? But there was something else there, too.
"This is your rightful inheritance. You no doubt earned the title of Clan Head as you ancestors dictated." Miho thought his tone was too formal, distant. He shifted a moment later and his eyes finally met hers again. "This does not make you any less of an Akimichi. It doesn't make you any less our daughter. It doesn't make me think any less of you." Her father stopped, eyes falling closed as he let out a breath. His eyes opened once more and the grief looked…as if it was ebbing. Like the tide drawing out. "You have become a strong, brave kunoichi."
Her mother was trying to hold back her sobs, eyes swimming with tears. That fact alone made Miho want to stand up and throw herself into her mother's arms. Instead, she stayed right where she was. Miho swallowed, trying to keep the edging panic at bay.
Miho felt as if the air had been knocked from her lungs.
She saw her father swallow and lift his eyes to hers again. Morning light filtered in through a crack in the rice paper door, making the tears in his eyes glitter. His attention flickered to Chōji and then back to her. "The two of you are our world. We love you. Whatever you decide to be, whatever you decide to do, whoever you become. None of that will change our love for you. It won't change how proud we are of you. Nothing can or will ever change that. You are our world. The two of you— our little ones— you are…everything."
Miho tried to roll her shoulders back. Tried to sit straighter. Seem stronger. Seem like she wasn't about to lose all of her hard-fought composure. It was crumbling. Chōji's hand fell on hers and he gripped it, giving her a reassuring look under his lashes.
"When you were born, your name was Okuda Miho." He smiled through the tears that were now falling down his jowls. Miho watched her mother lift a hand to cover her mouth. "You were just a little thing. A mix of Chisato and Keisuke. The clan markings on your cheeks were all Akimichi. Your laughter, all Keisuke. Your eyes, a mixture of both— Akimichi and Okuda."
Her hands shook. "You'll always be my parents." Miho found herself saying. "I—"
"You will always be an Akimichi. You will always be my daughter. The stories and teachings run through you. I ask you…I ask that you—" He took a deep breath and shifted to bow forward toward her, hands braced on his thighs. His voice shook as he lifted his head. "Do not forget that we will always be here— to lighten your load, provide food to eat, or a place to rest."
Chōji was crying now, holding tightly to her hand.
"Okuda Miho, Twenty-First Head of the Okuda Clan… We will always be here if you need us. Always."
Miho pushed herself up, letting go of Chōji's hand as she moved. Slowly, she took one step forward, two, three, then she rested her hands on her father's shoulders and pushed him upright enough that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders as she sank to her knees. Her father quaked in her arms. She could hear him murmuring soft apologies. Promises to do better. Be better. Just as he had years ago. Miho couldn't find the strength to reassure him, so she just held tighter.
There were no flashes of bright lights in her mind. No sense of impending doom.
Just…
Just her holding tighter than she'd ever held onto anyone.
Her mother laid a soft hand on her elbow, and she felt Chōji settle a hand on her shoulder.
For the first time, they felt like a family again.
A whole family.
Miho hauled in a breath, forcing herself to straighten her posture. Around her neck sat a beaded mantle she'd found hanging on a wall in her grandfather's home, partially scorched and time worn. She'd seen pictures of previous clan heads wearing it for ceremonies in the past. Her great-grandmother wore it as she stood next to the First Raikage. The mantle sat heavily over her shoulders, just over her leather vest and flak jacket. No one would see the still-there Akimichi symbol etched into the leather under her jacket. She would not remove it.
As if it were meant for such a purpose, the mantle was wide enough for the fur.
She hadn't bothered to repair it. It kept the burns and lost beads.
Purposeful theatre. Her clan had been massacred. She'd buried their bodies. As far as she was concerned, the mantle would never be repaired. Maybe, if she survived long enough, she'd bead a new one, one to be passed down to the new Okuda Clan.
It was a heavy weight on her shoulders. To anyone else, it might be too heavy. The intricate beads and leather weighing it down. She was sure there were seals embedded in the beads and leather etchings, making it heavier.
But Miho'd been weight training for years.
She was strong enough for it.
And she needed to look the part. She needed to look strong. Fierce. Not just like another noble Clan Heiress, but as a Clan Head. A Storm. A Bear. If she was going to reach her goals, fulfill her plan, then she needed to be a force to be reckoned with. It was for that reason that she wore her bracers to the meeting as well. Her hair was a wild riot set at the top of her head in a ponytail, but the mess was escaping into her face as a cool wind passed over her toward the east.
"You look like a badass."
Miho snorted, shaking her head at Ino's assessment. The blonde paced around her in a circle, absentmindedly fixing how the bear fur cloak laid on her shoulders and reaching to pull a curl down to tickle a cheek. "I'll show you when I finish this."
Ino hummed and shook her head. "I don't need to see. Just tell me." For a moment, Miho was a bit thrown. Her lips pressed together in a frown. Ino didn't need to see, Miho realized. It was unhealthy for Ino to see everything and take that on herself. Miho smiled slightly and nodded. Ino grinned in return before her features morphed into a stern expression. "You've thrown Shikamaru for a loop though. He didn't see this coming. Been trying to figure out your game all day."
Despite the grave voice Ino was affecting, Miho could see the amusement sparkling in her eyes. "You're enjoying this."
"Of course I am. I think some part of you must be as well if you haven't chased him down to explain." Her friend ran a hand through her hair and reached forward to brush her fingers over the burnt mantle fringe over Miho's left shoulder. "This is beautiful. I'm sure that your ancestors would be proud to see you wearing it." Stepping forward, Miho immediately returned the hug that Ino offered. Ino's voice dropped to a whisper. "We'll talk more later. I'm off to a shift at Intelligence. I have a team meeting this afternoon."
With that, Ino stepped away and Miho turned.
Tetsuya landed right next to her, easing out of his crouch with a smirk. "You sure about this, Chubs?"
Miho rolled her shoulders and started walking, affecting the same air that she put on in front of the Grass Daimyo, if a bit more lethal. She felt Shin at her other shoulder. With both members of the Book Club at her side, Miho felt even more confident than before. What she was about to do would shake the Konoha leadership. She needed as many friends with her as possible.
"I'm sure."
Tetsuya nodded, accepting her words as easily as anything. "The Senior Council— my grandmother— will be there. The Clan Council does not need to approve the acceptance of a clan. Only a Hokage has that right. It is only the Hokage that can enter into any negotiations with a clan. Neither council can interfere in clan affairs. My grandmother will try to. She'll fail." Miho smiled at Tetsuya's recitation. She knew all of what he was telling her, but she didn't wave him off. It was his way of helping. "They already know your political leanings, particularly regarding the Akimichi and Naruto. They will not want you to sign the contract of allegiance."
"You have many allies, Miho." Shin reminded. "Don't forget that."
Miho nodded, hauling in a breath when the Hokage Tower came into view. "Where'd Naruto get to?"
"Before or after he and Shin painted Sasuke's door orange?" Tetsuya sighed.
Miho caught herself before she tripped. Stopping still, she turned to see Shin trying and failing to look innocent. "You did what?" She couldn't help but laugh. "Orange?"
Shin shrugged with a grin. "It was the only color Naruto had left over from before his trip."
"Sasuke's not gonna take that lying down. You know that right?" Miho stopped, pressing her hands over her stomach roll to wipe away the sweat. "He'll get re-revenge." Her mouth stumbled over the word in a way that clearly caught Tetsuya's attention. He shifted his weight a bit to press a hand to her lower back. Shin, having been read into the 'Images,' only scoffed.
"Sure, sure. I'm just terrified." Shin's chuckled with an implied 'I'd like to see him try.' And Miho was reminded of a silent prank war that went on for months between Shin and the ever-elusive ANBU who haunted their apartment. Apparently, Naruto's return was the perfect kindling for a rematch. Shaking her head, Miho patiently patted his arm. "Naruto's visiting with Team Eight."
Tetsuya scoffed, but turned his attention to Miho as they arrived to the front of the administration building. "Team dinner tonight. I'm declaring it." Giving a purse lipped smile, he leaned forward and brought his lips to her temple before whispering lowly: "Give 'em hell."
Miho grinned.
She was wearing that bear fur cloak again. This time, she was adorned with a half-burnt beaded mantle. Swirls of clouds and cuts of lightning in the design. She wore her bracers, made from the finest metal and sealed to hold her weapons— costing quite a bit at market. The brat was clearly putting on a show and Tsunade didn't bother to hide her smirk as Akimichi Miho stepped into the conference room.
The expressions on Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's faces was sweeter than any sake.
"Lady Hokage, I have come to formally declare the allegiance of the Okuda Clan to Konohagakure, pending contractual negotiations."
Miho did not execute the Akimichi salute this time. Instead, she merely bowed her head. The action drew attention to the formality of the way she held herself. Back straight and chin raised, the young woman had the bearing of a court lady. Hell, she was raised as part of the nobility. She'd several times had tea with the Daimyo himself.
Clearly, that training would be a tool today.
Tsunade gestured for Miho to sit, eyes cutting over to the third member of the council.
Though he looked positively bored out of his skull, Nara Shikaku's eyes were narrowed at the Okuda Clan Head. His attention flickered to the beadwork mantle, back to the girl's face, and then to the Hokage, who smirked. Not surprised to see her, but uncertain of her play.
That meant that his son didn't have a clue either. Miho kept the Nara in the dark regarding her plans.
Interesting move.
Tsunade opened her mouth to begin, but Utatane Koharu interrupted. The old woman was clearly sizing up the younger kunoichi as she settled into the seat. There was bad blood between the two. Tsunade knew of Miho's suspicion that Koharu had been more than just complicit in Danzō's dealings. The old woman was a propelling force in the Akimichi Sanctions. And she disowned her own grandson, one of Miho's closest friends.
"And who are you to pledge such loyalty as a member of the Akimichi Clan?"
The young woman levelled her dark stare across the table. "I am Okuda Miho, Twenty-First Clan Head of the Okuda. I am no longer an enrolled member of the Akimichi." Her lips tilted in a facsimile of a smile.
In another circumstance, such a coy smile might've seemed polite and sweet. The dough of her cheeks making her seem less threatening. Only a fool would think that. Tsunade could imagine the girl wearing it when visiting with the Daimyo, drinking tea and negotiating contracts with Elder Torifu. She could see a shadow of him there in the light of the girl's eyes. Here, there was an edge of caustic humor. Confidence that the Hokage had watched the young woman grow into over the years flourished.
Just by that smile alone, Tsunade knew that the Okuda was not going to back down or waver.
"Why should Konoha accept a clan of one? A former clan of Kumogakure at that? We are aware of what happened to your kin before the arrival of Okuda Keisuke to our gates." Koharu would remember that. By Tsunade's memory, she wanted to turn the Okuda away.
Tsunade could still smell the burning flesh of Okuda Ryosuke as he stumbled to the gates— his young son cradled in his arms and tears in his eyes. Her eyes cut to Miho.
Eyes sharp and unyielding, a look that reminded Tsunade of the determination in that poor young man's eyes, Miho lifted her chin. "The Okuda existed long before the hidden villages. They allied with Kumogakure in the First Shinobi World War, but were never incorporated into the village. They were betrayed by that village after Kumo attempted to steal their kekkai genkai." Something about the light in the Okuda's eyes changed. "A clan of one? It's a Konoha adage, isn't it? 'A single seed can become a great tree.'"
Tsunade laughed a bit at the rhetoric. Quoting the First Hokage was a bit heavy-handed, but she'd never known Okuda Miho to be subtle. "And why do you want to restart the Okuda at all? You had a comfortable life as the daughter of the Akimichi."
The answer was one that Tsunade knew. Everything that motivated the Okuda was tied up in the future of the world, in the protection of her friends and family. In Uzumaki Naruto. In her family. She took up the legacy of the Okuda to gain power and strength.
That didn't mean that the Okuda had to be revived as part of Konohagakure, which meant that Miho was planning something political. She needed the weight of a clan name behind her, without putting the Akimichi at further risk. A clan had a vote.
Once Naruto became Hokage, she would be a member of his Clan Council as well. Others in her generation— including her brother— would be Clan Heads. The political weight that would carry would be something the Senior Council could not overcome or sway.
Of course, that wasn't something that the girl could say outright.
"I'm not restarting the Okuda, Lady Hokage. I am continuing the Okuda. Continuing the Okuda here in my home village— a village I serve with pride. I intend to raise my children and grandchildren to support the community of Konohagakure. More than that, I bring the true Storm Release."
Miho's attention moved from Tsunade to the two elder council members, whose expressions were twisted in distaste. Tsunade noticed that there was a quick look exchanged with Shikaku before her dark eyes blinked back to Mitokado and Utatane. Shikaku, for his part, looked he tiniest bit…amused.
"The Storm Release is a kekkai genkai and would be protected under clan rights." Shikaku spoke for the first time. "This is standard practice in the acceptance of clans. Konoha cannot benefit from the Storm Release for many decades to come with your descendants."
Tsunade watched the Okuda's mind work. Her posture shifted again, weight centering in her chair before she pursed her lips and nodded.
Vaguely, Tsunade recognized Chōza's habits in negotiating there. She knew Shikaku saw it as well when the man's lips pulled into the slightest of smiles.
"Then, in several decades, Konoha will have what Kumogakure does not— true Storm Releases in its ranks."
If there was anything that could get the two old bats to favor an argument, it was one-upping Kumogakure.
They were, after all, part of the Second Hokage's Guard. Their hate of Kumogakure was well-known.
Miho smiled, all pretty manners again as she folded her hands on the tabletop. "Of course, this is not without necessary tributes."
"Tributes?" Homura questioned, lifting his brows.
The old man really thought this girl didn't understand clan politics so profoundly?
The Okuda reached for her hip and withdrew a scroll, settling it on the table in front of Tsunade with an air of satisfaction. Like the girl had a winning hand and damn well knew it. She settled more comfortably into her seat then, no longer keeping her back as ramrod straight or her chin tilted up. She was at-ease.
Tsunade felt her own smile reflect the girl's.
The chips were on the table.
"It is not in the habit of Konoha to accept clans based on bribes and monetary compensation." Utatane commented with a shrewd lift of her eyebrow. Her nose was scrunched as if she were smelling something bad. "Tributes and clan allegiance taxes are a thing of the past. They ended with the Second."
Miho's eyes became a bit wild as her attention turned back to the old woman. There was a flare of something the Hokage didn't recognize. It wasn't Killing Intent. It was something else that made the air in the room feel thicker, heavier. "Is that so, Lady Utatane? I was under the impression that taxation of clans is a common practice in Konoha. I merely wanted to make it clear that I understand this as Clan Head."
The teen never broke the stare she leveled at Utatane Koharu.
"Yes, you would be familiar with clan taxation, child."
Tsunade met Nara Shikaku's glare. He didn't intercede, clearly wanting to see how this would play out.
More particularly, how Miho would handle it.
It seemed though that Okuda Miho was all-too-ready for this particular battle.
"Indeed, Lady Utatane. I am very familiar with clan taxation. I've read the original taxation contracts for every clan in Konohagakure— the ones that are still at play, despite the practice being phased out with the Second Hokage. After all, no new clans have joined the village since that time. Those contracts are public record, as I am sure you are aware. A friend of mine is very well-versed in clan politics and counselled me to read up on individual clan agreements."
It didn't take a Nara to figure out which of her friends was this maven of clan politics. Utatane looked as if she'd eaten something sour.
Miho smiled demurely, but her eyes were still wild. Tenpenchii, Tsunade realized. That's what she felt. "I am also aware that initial tribute does affect the taxation scheme of the clan interest rates." Miho paused and leaned forward, folding her hands under her chin. Her eyes flashed. "Or were you referring to the Akimichi Sanctions? I was under the impression that those taxes were outside of the clan taxation purview and are time-bound, limited taxations. As an Okuda, I cannot speak to that."
Koharu's Killing Intent may have been potent to anyone below low jōnin rank. Or anyone that hadn't experienced torture and Orochimaru up close. Or seen the things that Okuda Miho had seen.
The Okuda didn't bat an eye.
And now— it was time for Tsunade to lay down her own chips before things got out of hand.
"The Okuda Clan has already signed the contract of allegiance."
The room was silent.
As it damn well should've been.
Tsunade had been waiting to play that hand for years. Since she'd discovered the contract in the girl's file during her tenure under Danzō's care. Smirking, Tsunade opened the file and turned it to the Okuda and the council members.
She noticed, with no little amusement, Shikaku sit back with a roll of his eyes.
"I am happy to have the Twenty-First Clan Head follow through on the promise of her father." Tsunade glanced over to see Miho's wide-eyed stare. Her eyes were unmistakably fixed on the Okuda seal. Okuda Keisuke's signature next to Namikaze Minato's. "The Okuda have been a clan of Konoha since the time of the Fourth Hokage."
"This meeting was a sham! Fifth Hokage! How dare you call us into this meeting if the acceptance of the Okuda into Konoha has already been decided?" The Utatane cried, pointing recklessly toward Miho with obvious distaste. Miho did not acknowledge the crone's words, carefully drawing the contract to her on the tabletop with a kind of reverence that Tsunade recognized. "What is the meaning of this?"
"The meaning of this is that the Okuda Clan has no need to negotiate today regarding the rules and regulations of a clan contract. They have already long been a part of this village." Shikaku snorted, shrugging his shoulders as he stood. "The council's input, regardless, is not needed in the acceptance of a clan. I assume you accept the terms outlined by the Fourth and Okuda Keisuke, Lady Fifth?"
"The Fourth Hokage accepted the terms. I will do so as well. They are more than fair. However, I will ask that Lady Okuda review the terms and add her own signature."
Miho's head rose and Tsunade saw a flicker of the little girl she'd once been. Uncertain. Distrustful. World-weary. That flicker faded and the young woman stood, bowing formally at the waist. "I will do as you say, Lady Hokage."
"Okuda Keisuke was in no position to restart the Okuda in Konoha." Utatane Koharu commented as she sniffed and shook her head. Homura's hand reached for her arm. The man was far more cautious and discerning than his counterpart. "The Fourth Hokage's soft heart—"
"Careful, Lady Utatane." Miho interrupted before either the Nara or the Hokage could. Her eyes were hard and unforgiving, voice rough and dark. "Do you really want to disparage the Fourth Hokage to get a dig in at me, my father, and clan?"
In a fit of anger, the old woman turned on her heel and stormed to the door. No, not stormed. The storm was resuming her seat at the table, back to affecting the airs of a noble lady as she reviewed the contract terms her father outlined. She ignored the old woman as she paused in the doorway.
"A dead clan will hardly bring Konoha much regardless."
Tsunade watched the two elders leave and the door slam shut behind them.
"For someone with one foot in the grave, those are bold words."
Miho's head snapped up as if she couldn't believe those words came out of her own mouth. Immediately, she looked to the Hokage and over to where the Nara Clan Head began laughing, covering his eyes with his hand. The girl blushed, hand reaching for a bag of cookies that were hidden in her cape.
Tsunade watched as the persona Okuda Miho had affected over the past hour crumbled away to reveal the same cookie-eating, self-sacrificing troublemaker that frequented her office over the years. The girl that she watched claw her way back from torture, that endured the pressure with grace and strength, that did everything in her power to care for her friends and family, to protect Naruto and everyone else she deemed 'hers.'
Now, she had a bit more power to do that work.
Her wide eyes turned to Tsunade and, despite herself, Tsunade reached over to settle a hand on the girl's arm.
"Lady Tsunade… There was a contract this whole time?"
The Hokage smiled. "There was no way to know it would ever be useful. I didn't show you because it needed to be your choice."
Senju Tsunade knew that she mostly held Okuda Miho's loyalty because of Uzumaki Naruto. Miho's trust was difficult to gain, and for good reason. Inoichi said that Miho's trust in Sarutobi-sensei had been brittle, shaken by the Uchiha Downfall and the way he treated Naruto. The knowledge that she had made him a difficult figure to trust. Still, she'd tried to save him— her Will of Fire demanded it. To earn and keep her trust was a difficult venture.
As those dark eyes lit with a new kind of light…
Maybe, just maybe, this bet would pay off.
Shikamaru drew in a breath and watched his father move the piece.
His mind wasn't focused on the board. It was instead focused on the bombshell delivered by Chōji at a team meeting this afternoon. Halfway through a bag of chips, Chōji announced that Miho had been removed from the Akimichi rosters. She was no longer a member of the Akimichi clan. Ino had not reacted to this news and so, already knew. Shikamaru had been the only one blindsided. Sighing, he moved a pawn and stared at the floor.
Clan Head of the Okuda.
It had never been in her ambitions to be Clan Head. She'd just become the leader for philanthropy in order to help the Akimichi. To ingratiate them with the masses and loosen the sanctions. She just dropped that to become a Clan Head. What was the goal? What happened?
It had something to do with whatever she wasn't telling them.
"You're distracted."
Shikamaru glanced up. A reddish piece had been promoted. The same reddish pawn that he'd always associated with Miho. A pawn promoted to gold general— Tokin. His eyes flicked from the piece to his father, whose smile was smug. He knew something. Of course he knew something. His father was Jōnin Commander and a member of the Senior Council after the removal of Shimura Danzō. If he'd been thinking clearly, Shikamaru would've realized this sooner.
"Sometimes, circumstances call for a pawn to become a gold general." His father commented, barely keeping the amusement from his voice. "In the interest of protecting the King, a pawn will take whatever actions are necessary."
"You think she's doing this to protect someone." Shikamaru sighed. When wasn't that the case, really? His eyes narrowed on the board, focusing on the new gold general and its position for a long moment. Just its mere presence changed the game. His eyes moved to the King. "The King…"
"Take care of my 'King'!"
Shikamaru shook himself out of the Image. The Image he'd grappled with since he was a kid, that haunted him as sure as the explosion that may one day kill his father or the flash of white light that drew everyone into the Infinite Tsukuyomi. A conversation he's never had, but he'd been thinking on it for years. Moves and counter-moves to keep that future from coming into being.
His father's voice was steady and certain. "Being a pawn no longer suited. A pawn is limited in what it can do."
Not too long ago, Chōji had concernedly asked him if Miho seemed off. That she'd not eaten all of her dinner. And Shikamaru didn't tell him, playing it off as Miho's nerves. "Yeah, she seemed off to me, too. Nervous, maybe? She didn't stop to get Takoyaki when she passed the stand." Chōji hadn't gone back to his chips then, sitting in contemplative silence, even as Shikamaru ran through the distractions and lies Miho had thrown up like a smokescreen.
She'd lied, tried to distract him with news of Yamashiro Aoba. As if he didn't see something was off.
Chōji said that he supported her decision. And Shikamaru did not see the heartache he expected. Chōji wasn't quiet or withdrawn. He was pleasantly eating chips, as if something he'd once seen as an impossibility hadn't happened. He wasn't trying to hide hurt or pain. There was no grief or anger. If anything, Chōji seemed…content. He'd promised Shikamaru that it all would be clearer soon, but that he couldn't say much. Miho had asked him to keep quiet.
Ino was damn pleased, only commenting that Miho looked 'like a badass' in her Okuda garb. That Miho had goals. Frankly, he wasn't sure why he wasn't being told those goals. Over the years, Ino had stopped relaying whatever the others thought and said into his own head. She'd also commented that being Okuda Clan Head wasn't something Miho set out to do. That meant it was a consequence of her journey to the Okuda Stronghold.
Which meant it wasn't in the plans when he'd seen her leaving the hospital.
It wasn't what she'd been hiding then.
The curiosity was a drag. Akimichi— No, Okuda Miho was hiding something. He couldn't shake it: the memory of her walking past the takoyaki stand.
"You know," his father interrupted his thoughts, "you could just ask her. Miho is a forthright girl."
She was, sure. Until she wasn't.
"If I overstep, she'll just clam up even more. She's not telling me for a reason. I doubt even Chōji and Ino know exactly what's going on. Troublesome woman."
His father scoffed, shaking his head. "She may be troublesome, but she was a damn force of nature with the elders. It may lead to some trouble for her down the line. A Golden General is better for defense though, isn't it? For a woman whose whole intent is defense…" His father trailed off with an aborted chuckle as he gestured down. "Well."
Shikamaru turned his eyes back to the board.
The gold general was positioned in front of the King.
And he'd lost the game.
"What a drag…"
There was so much to do. It was night before the paperwork was finished. Her hand ached with all the signatures and stamps she'd provided. It was official though. Beyond the contract of allegiance, the Okuda Clan was now an integrated part of the village. What she'd taken from the stronghold had been enough for the tribute. Now, exhausted, Miho found herself at the cemetery with the sun sinking over the horizon. A purple hue rested on the horizon to the east, slowly ebbing over the bank of trees.
The cemetery was quiet. The sounds of the village distant.
Her first visit had been to Master Torifu.
A plate of rice balls and water poured out. Akimichi custom.
Even if she no longer bore the name, she would always be Akimichi.
He would have agreed with her plan. Like Chōji. He would have boasted about it. After all, though she'd been raised a noble heiress, he taught her all she knew about politics. She hated politics. Still did. She'd never had the knack for it that Tetsuya did. If her involvement could get those elders out of power…If she could wield this power just as deftly as her bō…
Weight wasn't always physical.
Smiling, Miho leaned forward, bowing to her teacher's grave. "I'm sure you're going to enjoy this, Master."
In her mind, she could hear his laughter.
Flowers for her parents. Flowers for Koji. Food at both. Water poured out for them. Offerings and hopes that they would look out for her, and what she was about to do. A stop by the memorial stone. Night fell and Miho had one more stop to make. She ate snacks as she walked, taking in the wonderful smells of the Konoha market. She stopped to pick up dinner, two bags packed to the brim with food. She picked up a pack of donuts— the sweetness was a coping mechanism, she knew— as she made her way toward her final destination of the day.
The hospital was busy, but she slipped in relatively unmarked. Sakura would be wrapping up her round tomorrow. Naruto would be so excited.
Miho resolved to go see Aoba-sensei after she finished.
There was another mission that took priority.
She stepped into Room Seven.
Miho sat the bags of food on the counter before throwing away the old flowers to replace them with new ones. She arranged them in the pitcher. Bright, neon-colored flowers. The room was beginning to vibrate, chakra bouncing around the room in a familiar way. Chōmei. When her eyes cut over to Fū, Miho noticed that her skin tone was healthier. The darkness around her eyes was nearly gone. She was recovering so well. No doubt due to Chōmei's help. Thankful that she'd left the bear fur cloak and mantle at home when she went to change, Miho moved to sit in the chair by the bed.
She was so tired. Her shoulders sagged and she leaned forward to rest her head on the bed, taking up Fū's hand as she moved. Her eyes closed as she let out a breath.
The prickling in her throat passed into her lungs and, with frightening familiarity, the light behind her eyes flashed. Red. Black. Red. Green. Black. She heard the rushing of water before her eyes eased open again.
"It is good to see you, Bear Cub."
"MIHO!"
"Hi, Chōmei. Fū!" Miho caught Fū without thought. The arms around her neck were so much stronger than before. Healed. Whole. She could feel the worry and concern in the embrace. She met Chōmei's many eyes over Fū's shoulder. She could see the question there. Vaguely, she wondered if the giant moth could sense a difference. Miho could feel it. The Storm she'd inherited. The way it blended with the chaos chakra. Nearly always now, she felt both settled and riled. "Are Saiken and Utataka okay? Did they make it to Turtle Island safely?"
"They are both safe with Killer B and Gyuki. Matatabi and Yugito Nii are on their way to the island now." Chōmei's wings fluttered and Miho could feel how pleased the tailed beast was. A thrum of anxiety ripped through Miho's stomach. Killer B and Yugito now knew. Swallowing, Miho pushed her chin into Fū's shoulder. "Matatabi and the little one are close. She considers the girl hers. It was Gyuki and Saiken's decision to bring her into their plans. She knows enough, but not all."
Miho let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
She pushed out of Fū's embrace. "Are you ready to wake up?"
Fū's expression lit up. Her smile was so bright that Miho couldn't help but to return it. "You bet I am! I'm ready to eat and meet more friends and explore your village! Oh! Do you think I can meet that Rock Lee again? He was fun!"
"Have you finished preparing, Bear Cub Miho?"
Her smile had a bit of an edge to it as she nodded up at Lucky Seven Chōmei.
"Very well. Please protect her. And protect yourself. Come back to visit me, Bear Cub." The familiar mist began to rise from the water. Miho could hear the hum of the seal as the space glowed green. Fū's hand moved to tightly hold hers. She glanced over to see the fleeting fear in her friend's face. Miho tried to give her a reassuring look. "We will talk again soon. I will keep you apprised."
The cavern disappeared. Miho could feel Fū's hand still in hers.
Three long beeps. Blaring. Loud.
"What was that?" Fū questioned, holding to her hand tighter. "What-?"
It's lonely out in space…
The tops of the trees began to quiver and shake, blowing this way and that. She couldn't see them so well in the dark. The white light was approaching, engulfing everything as it went. Pushing away the darkness and shadows, cascading over mountains and hills. Miho shifted, turning toward the approaching light.
Fū gasped. "Is that what it looked like?"
Listen to the winds blow, watch-
"Miho?"
Pulling in a gasp, Miho sat upright beside the hospital bed, jerking her head around to Fū's face as she lay there on the pillows. Holding her breath, she pushed herself up to stand and leaned closer to see if her instincts were right, to see if Fū would follow her into the waking world. In her hand, Fū's fingers flexed and tightened.
Slowly, golden eyes opened.