Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 159-A "Smells Like War"
Release 2022.06.15
"Ibiki," There was surprise in Asuma's greeting as the man in question allowed himself into the Hokage's office. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
This really wasn't a good time but if Ibiki was bringing something to his attention personally it had to be mighty important. A folder was tossed onto his desk and Asuma took a second to send Ibiki a questioning look.
Ibiki only nodded pointedly towards the folder. With a mental shrug Asuma reached out and opened it. There was a moment of confusion as he poured over the contents of the report. At first glance, it looked like any other well-written report from a Jounin. In fact, it immediately called to memories of reading over ANBU reports.
It took some time for him to realize he didn't actually recognize the names within the report. Blinking in surprise he started again from the top, verifying his suspicions. He didn't know of any Jounin or ANBU under his command by the name of Akunaki and certainly no groups under the designation 'Ravenous'.
Then there was the fact that some of the information here was redacted. A report handed to him by Morino Ibiki contained redacted information. There wasn't a goddamn thing in the entire village that the man didn't have clearance to access. For fuck's sake, the man had higher clearance than even Asuma as the Hokage was privileged with. Ibiki was the one who maintained the full, unredacted copies of the records that every other department and Shinobi requested from KIT.
Either Ibiki had felt that the information here was something that not even the Hokage should know about- unlikely- or this report had been handled before reaching Konoha's master interrogator.
Skipping to the last page of the report Asuma confirmed his suspicions.
'Thus signed by Motohira Akunaki, First-Marked of Lord Tsukuyomi's Ravenous Wolves. This report is sworn to be truthful and accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time of its writing.
By the grace of the Father, let it remain so.
April 17th, 1685'
Signed and sealed, this was a report from one of Naruto's Wolves. How in the hell had Ibiki managed to get his hands on it?
"This is-" He started only to be cut off by the large division head.
"Read it." Asuma glanced up for a second, noting the severe look on his face- not that it was often anything otherwise- and gave a nod as he returned to the report. The source, apparently, was not nearly as important as the contents as far as Ibiki was concerned. Seemed like a reasonable judgment to make, Ibiki wouldn't have brought it to him otherwise.
Iwa Shinobi, Takigakure, a larger force moving south-east.
Asuma closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. So it was true, then. He had been afraid of that.
"A Ninkai Taisen."
"According to that report. I'll be sending out some agents to verify it but I wanted you to know of the possibility first."
Asuma shook his head. "Don't bother, it's accurate." He moved a hand towards a scroll on his desk in an invitation that Ibiki took, quickly scanning the contents.
"A report from the capital, they received word straight from Takigakure." Ibiki muttered as he read. It was a little strange that it had been sent to Iroh directly instead of their actual ally Konoha but Hi no Kuni's standing army could be immediately deployed to that area so maybe it was a decision for the best.
He noted the fact that word needed to be passed to the Kirigakure Shinobi in Kaze no Kuni in case Iwa was planning on moving in that direction too before returning the scroll to the Hokage's desk.
"So we already have confirmation, what did you want us to do Hokage-Sama?"
"What else, Ibiki? We prepare for war."
He was Hokage during a new Ninkai Taisen. Another deep sigh escaped Asuma's lungs. There was a very good chance he was not going to make it out of this. That was the precedent, anyway. Only his father and the fourth had survived the previous Ninkai Taisen and the Fourth had been lost soon after his in sealing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.
He still didn't have a successor.
In a simple matter of strength, there were only a few people who qualified and he was pretty sure he'd approached them all already in his attempts to get out of this mess his father had dumped him into. The best option, actually, was probably Kakashi and that was a terrifying thought.
He could try some of the clan heads, a lot of them would be capable of leadership. Only, not really. Inoichi was capable of leading but he and his clan were under the vassalage of the Uzumaki, which would give a clan control over the Hokage. They couldn't have that.
Choza wasn't the leading type, preferring to follow the lead of Shikaku who, while capable, didn't have the drive to actually take up the position.
Hyuuga Hiashi was a decent choice, or he would be if he wasn't currently under indefinite house arrest due to "clan matters". Gods he hated those two words together. There was nothing that bound his hands quicker in Konoha than clan matters, which he wasn't able to directly interfere in without due cause.
Unfortunately he had no real justification for getting involved in that. The way the branch members of the Hyuuga had been treated and enslaved by their own family had been an open secret of Konoha for decades and the uprising was more than justified. Really, as Hokage he should probably just be grateful the man hadn't been killed outright as the previous head.
And speaking of the Hyuuga headship, Hinata was nowhere near strong enough for the position of Hokage and while her clan loved her leadership that seemed to be more because she was the representation of their freedom more than any reflection on her actual ability.
Asuma was also certain that elevating the Hyuuga head to the position of Hokage was the equivalent of just handing Konoha over to the Wolves. He may as well just make Naruto his successor in that case. If Haku was to be beloved he was strong enough for the position and his work leading the Wolves sort of spoke for itself.
When a foreign Daimyo was actually a viable candidate for Hokage you knew you had a serious problem with your other prospects.
Speaking of handing over the village, he was fairly certain Tsume was working with the Wolves too so she wasn't really an option. Kushina, similarly, was likely to try to aid her son. Then again, their relationship was noticeably strained and as of late the woman appeared to be moving on from trying to entice him back in favor of looking after the clan she'd been neglecting.
Maybe she wouldn't be such a bad decision after all.
Other than her….maybe Shibi? He was competent enough, decently strong, and could probably be persuaded to take up the position in case of Asuma's death. He wasn't very popular with the people of Konoha- the Aburame rarely were, tending to keep to themselves as they did- but that wasn't a deal breaker.
Kakashi, Kushina, Shibi. Gods,were those really his only choices? It was basically entrust everything to Shibi or give Konoha to Naruto. At this point he was half tempted to just throw in the towel and offer the boy the hat. It might not even be the worst decision to make, all things considered.
"Iroh wants us to take over along the western borders so commander Hatsumari can withdraw his troops and begin fortifying the central towns in case the conflict spreads further into Hi no Kuni." Asuma continued. "So that's what we'll do. You have our contacts for the Kiri forces in Suna, make sure they get ample warning about this before Iwa tries something there."
"Very well." Ibiki was about to take his leave when Asuma stopped him with a question.
"Say, Ibiki, have you ever considered becoming Hokage?"
"I would sooner promote Anko to the head of KIT; it's never going to happen."
Damn. Ibiki actually would have made a pretty good Hokage.
Yondaime Raikage Ay was not a man who enjoyed paperwork but like every other obstacle he encountered he faced it head on as just another challenge to overcome. That mindset had served him well over the years he'd held his position and continued to aid him now as he slogged through the paperwork necessary to host the next Chunin exams.
Why in the hell did he need to sign every single waiver that was to be passed out for every individual event? Ignoring the fact that not every Genin would even make it past the first test, someone needed to sit down and explain to him why there was a sixteen page liability and accidental death or dismemberment waiver for the first test when it was only supposed to be an exam of Shinobi theory. What the hell was Shu playing at and was it too late to swap him out for a different examiner?
Either that man had a serious hard-on for paperwork and bureaucracy or he was planning something absolutely insidious for that first test.
Possibly both.
Shaking out his cramping hand and wondering why the hell the Kage had never adapted the Hanko favored by the imperial houses- using a stamp would save him so much trouble these days- Ay felt a slight tingle down his spine and old scars began to itch.
He returned to his work with a strange feeling in the back of his mind only to stop halfway through a signature, the ink quickly seeping into page seven of the waiver, and take a deep breath.
And then another.
Slowly, a smile stretched across his lips.
"You know what that smells like?" He asked his empty office. The smile became a hungry grin.
"War."
She was going to kick that man's ass when she found him. Kick his ass, attack his lips, make sweet love to him, and then kick his ass again for good measure. Kari didn't know what the hell it was Jūgo was thinking when he decided to just run off without so much as a note but she was determined to knock it firmly from that thick skull of his.
Next time he wouldn't forget to let her know what he was up to or, you know, take her with him.
Mostly because she was going to buy a leash to keep him on and he'd never again have the opportunity to do something so stupid.
Some foolish part of her had also hoped that he might return or send a letter when he arrived at a different port- because of course he'd be at a port, that was the only way he could have gone back to the mainland with his stolen train- but she'd been covering his position for well over a week now and there was no sign of him.
That made a certain amount of sense. She didn't know when he would arrive at his destination in the first place, let alone be able to send a letter back and even then there was no telling how long that would take to make it all the way to Yuki no Kuni. The ship could be heading back immediately or it was doing a loop which would make Yuki no Kuni the very last stop.
Either way, it would delay things much too long for her to hold on here, especially when it had recently come to Doto's attention that Jūgo had slipped off and one of his trains was missing. She'd already overheard one of the other crews being questioned by some of Doto's men and it wouldn't be long until they knew just how close she and Jūgo had grown over the months.
That was not a position she wanted to be in, especially when Doto would be furious about the stolen train.
Storming through her hotel room, she quickly packed all of her things and, after a brief moment of consideration, packed all of the Jūgo's things too. The fool hadn't even come back for his stuff, how the hell was he making the journey to deliver that train?
Shirtless was the first answer to come to mind, mostly because that was his default state of dress. Still, it probably wouldn't be pleasant to have absolutely nothing on you as you traveled across the world and while he had taken a train Karin really didn't think Jūgo was the kind of person who would steal from others just to meet his own needs.
Which made absolutely no sense when she put it like that but felt absolutely correct when it came to the man she knew.
And part of what she knew was that whoever he was ultimately working for- because the person he was working for directly worked for someone else who was doing something for another person if she remembered correctly- was in Nami no Kuni which meant her best chance of finding her wayward man was in going to Nami no Kuni.
It also had the benefit of getting her the hell away from Doto and his men before she could be questioned or held as a bargaining chip to get Jūgo to return with the train. That stay in the palace dungeons was guaranteed to be beyond unpleasant and was something Kari very much intended to avoid.
As a major trade hub of the world- if not the major trade hub- it would also be a common destination for any vessel visiting Yuki no Kuni which meant she should have no shortage of options for getting off this hunk of ice.
She wouldn't even need to pay for passage, seeing as Jūgo had been kind enough to leave a majority of his savings hidden among his possessions. She was sure he would only be too happy to pay her way to rejoin him. If he wasn't? Well, he probably should have considered that before running away.
Jūgo was hers, damnit, and she wasn't going to be letting him go without one hell of a fight.
Standing on the docks in the early afternoon, Naruto- or, rather, a clone- wondered what exactly was so important that he needed to be here for it. The second Orochimaru had brought word about Iwa movements discovered by Akunaki and her ravenous but there had been more- apparently- that demanded his attention.
Yet, despite being so important Orochimaru- the second that had been sent to Yu no Kuni and the original currently stood next to him- refused to actually tell him what this was about. All he knew was that it was supposedly good news- evident both by the fact that Orochimaru felt comfortable keeping it from him and the man's many reassurances that he'd like it- and that it had something to do with Akunaki and her Ravenous.
He was pretty sure she was supposed to be heading to MIzu no Kuni to visit family, so he had no idea what she would be doing coming into Nami no Kuni by ship. Leaving, sure, that made sense, but where on earth had she and her group- which should include a Konoha Genin- procured a ship and, more importantly, why?
Knowing his Wolves as he did, he was almost afraid to ask.
Slipping his hand behind the bright red fur of the Commander's mantle he was wearing he scratched the back of his neck and peered out over the sea. It was a lovely day, all things considered. Reasonably clear, not too hot, and there was a decent breeze he'd love to be able to feel. Unfortunately the Wolf mask he was wearing put a stop to that.
Because Naruto wasn't in Nami, even as a clone, and he was determined to keep it that way. Couldn't have Asuma and Iroh letting their guards down thinking they'd found him, after all.
Then again, his plans had been put into motion before Iwa had decided they were recovered from his father slaughtering them in the hundreds and were ready for round two. Getting Hi no Kuni and her allies through another potential Ninkai Taisen was more important than creating a rift between the Hokage and Greater Daimyo to keep them out of his business.
Actually, on that note, he probably should reach out to both of them to see how Nami could aid in this conflict. Granted there wasn't much more than logistics they could cover from their current position unless Iwa was going to try taking the battle to sea and sailing around to Hi no Kuni's eastern coast but that seemed unlikely. If anything they would come up the Hanguri gulf between Kaze no Kuni and Cha no Kuni and then head directly north for Kagayaku Machi.
That's what Naruto would have done, anyway. There was nothing quite like slaying a daimyo and taking over the capital city to help break the morale of a country. Of course, that could also galvanize a force and there was nothing like hatred to bind people behind a common goal.
So, really, Naruto would have moved forces in that direction and then taken the Daimyo and his family hostage. Preferably with the rest of the capital being unaware. Then he'd just use them as a puppet to make things easier for his larger invasion force.
Kind of like what he wanted Akishi to do back in Yu no Kuni, now that he thought about it.
He frowned behind his mask. Maybe there was a good reason the Wolves had the reputation they did, if those were some of his first thoughts on the matter. Not that he would, Naruto only ever felt beholden to two individuals previously and after Hiruzen's interrogation that had dropped to the Fire Daimyo alone. At the end of the day Naruto was still a Hi no Kuni citizen and a member of the Imperial Fire Court which meant Iroh remained his Daimyo.
The Wolves still came first but so long as Iroh didn't make any moves against them he'd still acknowledge the man's authority, even if they were technically allies.
Allowing Asuma to proceed with his actions in Mizu no Kuni came pretty close to breaking that, but fortunately for Iroh Naruto could recognize the opportunity that had presented itself to the man and couldn't really blame him for not being able to pass it up. Having two of his allies on either side of a decades long conflict as it came to an end? He was in a favorable position either way, risked none of his own forces, and couldn't be blamed for the actions of either.
Naruto would have taken it too. In the end, that's what kept him from holding it against the man.
Besides, it hadn't been Iroh's Samurai who had slain his Wolves it had been…Yugao. His gut briefly writhed as his chest tightened at the thought of the woman. He was still fairly confident that trusting her had been the single greatest mistake of his life, though perhaps trusting in Hiruzen enough to make brash statements about the Uchiha massacre was a close second.
Part of him still wondered if it had been something he did to turn the woman against him or if she had been untrustworthy from the start. He'd probably never know.
Pushing the thought from his head, he glanced to his side where Orochimaru stood patiently. He tried to hide it, but it was obvious something had him excited.
"How long did I need to be out here, Orochimaru?"
"Just wait, Naruto-Kun, you'll like this." Promised the man inhabiting the body of Sasuke. "Besides, you didn't have anything else to be doing, did you?"
Considering this clone had been made for the sole purpose of…whatever this was supposed to be…Orochimaru knew damn well he didn't. Then again, maybe he could organize a delivery of books from his library to the original. He was sure to appreciate that.
And, while room was limited, maybe some of the other girls should be sent that way too. Gods knew Katsuri, Anko, Kurenai, and Guren could use some backup. Maybe Mikoto was a succubus after all, he really couldn't come up with any other explanation.
Hmm, he should probably invite Karura out in Yu no Kuni or maybe just have her send out a few Kage-Bunshin. He supposed that was one way to increase the numbers. Then again, he still didn't know how well Kage-Bunshin would last in that situation. That second Orochimaru was there now and he could still call on Tayuya and…Chizuru. Yeah, she would probably be ecstatic for the opportunity to join in and he was sure Mikoto would love her personality.
Those two were actually the only two he could really pull at the moment. Temari could join as a Kage-Bunshin from time to time, he supposed, but that brought them back to the issue with how fragile they were. The real Temari would need to stay here in Nami to look after Gaara and Tsunami still had to manage the palace. That really didn't leave him with anyone else to sacrifice to Mikoto.
He really needed to talk to Orochimaru about those bodies of his.
Naruto blinked. He had the opportunity right now.
"Orochimaru."
"Hmm?"
"These bodies of yours, have there been any issues with them?"
"Not yet, no. Why, were you looking for a new one?" Maybe it wouldn't be as hard to convince him to start body swapping as he had originally suspected. That would go a long way towards ensuring Naruto's immortality and take a weight off Orochimaru's mind.
"Their use in conjecture with the Kage-Bunshin has a lot of promising possibilities. Just how much have you tested them?"
"Not enough to be completely comfortable with you utilizing them right now." He admitted. "Of course, if you want them I'll be sure to provide. I'd just rather get through some more tests so we don't get hit with anything unexpected."
"And you've been testing them? How many more do you have planned?"
"Ah, no." Sasuke's hand reached up to scratch the back of his head nervously. "I haven't really been testing the matter after my success. I've been working on some other projects and I really didn't see it as a priority. The one I sent to you in Yu no Kuni is serving as the first test. As it is, I don't know exactly how permanent they really are."
"But you do know they're a physical being who won't be dismissed by superficial damage, yes?"
"That is correct."
"So even if they aren't permanent they have much higher potential than a Kage-Bunshin alone."
"...Also correct."
"Then how, exactly, are these not a priority?"
…That was a good point. "I'll get to work on them immediately, Naruto-Kun. Shall I have some bodies prepared for you in the meantime?"
"Just one, I think. There's not a lot of need for me at the moment."
Orochimaru very much disagreed but he kept his opinion to himself. He wasn't about to argue with his prince over the matter and, in a way, he supposed there was some truth to the statement. Only in the sense that there didn't need to be three of him running around to run Nami and the Wolves now that everyone else was back from their vacations.
Technically Naruto was supposed to be on a vacation, too, and perhaps he really was. Orochimartu sort of doubted it, though. He didn't really know if Naruto was capable of not working. He found it rather difficult to imagine him lying on a beach somewhere with a fruity drink unless he had a Wolf or two physically pinning him down.
….Or he in his future body and Tsunade. Mmm, that was an idea worth saving. Orochimaru didn't know when he had last had a vacation, though he supposed he also couldn't really say when he had last worked. Really, all he did was practically a hobby. He had his overseers and Kabuto to do the actual work side of things. Delegation was the best when you were on top.
"I'll have it ready for you. Did you want it exact or were there some changes you had in mind?"
Naruto opened his mouth to respond, paused, closed it, and considered. He was fine as he was, as far as he was concerned, but technically this clone wasn't even for him. "...Make it a bit taller, if you would. Broader in the shoulers, too." Was there anything else? He didn't really think so. Except, maybe…. "And let's change the eyes to a….blue, I think."
The different eye colors were really the easiest way to differentiate clones or would be if he and his clones ever remembered to check the color of their eyes. Interestingly enough, when one knew the color of their eyes they really didn't question it too often and it really didn't seem like a terribly important detail.
In the case of his clones, though, it played a much more important role. Mainly letting people know they were talking to a clone. He'd have spared his left thumb a scar if he could remember to check his eyes more often.
…Well, he'd spare the original a scar. He was actually just a clone…right? A brief frown crossed his lips. He was pretty sure the original was still in Yu no Kuni. He didn't leave, did he? No, no. The body was assuredly still there.
He didn't jump into a clone body as the original, though, did he? He was pretty sure he remembered making a clone and then that clone entering into the seal and forming a new clone through Tsunami's seal.
…Did that mean there was an unconscious Kage-Bunshin back in Yu no Kuni or did that mass of chakra dissipate as the consciousness moved through the seal?
One of these days he needed to sit down and actually figure this shit out. Fumbling about with things he didn't fully understand was bound to cause major problems at some point.
Bah, the real Naruto was sure to remember this thought. He'd take care of it.
"Blue, hmm? A lighter blue, I think, I should be able to do that without any trouble." Orochimaru was mostly thinking about what a slightly taller Naruto would look like with broader shoulders and he already liked what he was imagining. The red hair and blue eyes seemed a bit off to him but that really wasn't his call to make. If that's what his prince wanted then that's what his prince would be provided with. "We'll need to go over my technique so you can inhabit it, it may take some time for you to get it down."
"How does one practice such a technique without risking leaving their current body?"
Orochimaru paused.
"...I…don't know." He admitted after a second. "When I came up with it I was trying to transfer to a new body and my Kage-Bunshin already knew it. I guess we just practice the handseals and go over the theory behind it until you're comfortable enough to try it yourself. It'll be a Kage-bunshin trying it, anyway, so even if it succeeds we can then use it as part of testing." Orochimaru took a moment to think. "Then again, maybe it would just be best for the original to practice with the body I make in Yu no Kuni. Then when he- you- succeed everything's as you intended anyway."
"Hmm." Naruto gave a hum of agreement. "You really don't develop Jutsu with the intention of anyone else learning them, do you?"
"No, of course not. Why would I ever want to give away my techniques? Ah, I mean, to anyone other than yourself, of course."
Naruto shrugged. "I don't know, just seems like it would be another form of immortality I guess. Being known forever as the creator of numerous techniques used by the rest of the world. You could even trade them for techniques you wouldn't otherwise be able to get your hands on. Your goal was to learn every technique, wasn't it?"
"That's…one way of looking at it, I suppose."
"I hardly think it wise to make enemies if you're planning on living forever. Sure, you'll outlive them but an eternity hiding doesn't seem conducive to learning from the world. Expecting to gain knowledge without sharing what you have isn't exactly going to be making you any friends."
"Well, yes, I suppose you're right." Gaining Jutsu in a legitimate manner? Orochimaru frowned. That didn't seem right at all but it did make a certain amount of sense. He just couldn't imagine working with regular people, it wasn't his style.
Then again, maybe that's what he had Naruto for. Naruto could deal with others normally and he could get what he needed from his prince in exchange for making himself of use. Wasn't really fair to place all of that burden on Naruto, though. He needed to have contacts of his own he could call on for information because Naruto could hardly be on good terms with everyone Orochimaru might want techniques from.
And having those contacts and allies would make him more useful to Naruto, too, and that was a position Orochimaru very much liked to be in.
"I'll consider what inroads I could make using some of my techniques."
"I didn't say that you had to, just that it would be a good option to have. All you really need to do is make sure any of the techniques you come up with are teachable so you have the opportunity to exchange them if you ever need to. After all, you already have them, what more could you gain from them beyond trading for something you don't have? It's not like you'll lose the knowledge."
Ah, perhaps he had lost sight of the goal. He wanted to accumulate. Whether others had the same information was irrelevant so long as Orochimaru had it. Hmm, there was some merit to being known as the immortal teacher now that he considered it. Having all the techniques and keeping them alive by passing them along generation to generation. That would be quite the living legacy and he was sure Naruto could somehow benefit from that too. The sheer influence and respect someone like that would have- especially if something happened to the original sources of those techniques- throughout the world could be a potent tool if used properly.
Yes, he was starting to like that idea very much. It even had the potential to allow him to directly surpass old Hiruzen and his title of 'The Professor'. It would be a petty victory, sure, and the man would be more than dead long before it came about but the idea still brought a smile to Orochimaru's face.
How lovely.
As Orochimaru retreated into his own thoughts, Naruto's attention returned to the sea and he was surprised to see a ship pulling into port. Between his own thoughts and speaking with Orochimaru, had he really been distracted for that long? It wasn't like he could blame his lack of notice on fog or some other form of low visibility, the day was clear enough and he could see quite a distance out into the southern Kaizoku sea.
It took another ten minutes for the crew to bring the ship to moor which seemed to break Orochimaru from his own thoughts.
"Ah, perfect. Right on time."
Naruto shot him a sideways glance. If this was right on time why had he been standing here for the last forty minutes?
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 159-B "Delivery"
Release 2022.06.23
Akunaki leaned over from the deck of the ship and a smile pulled at the mark over her lips when she spotted the "Commander" standing beside Orochimaru. Sai was the only Wolf who wore the red mantle of the Commander and his hair certainly didn't match it. Not that someone outside the Wolves would necessarily know that, they would probably just assume there was more than one Commander. Considering just how many pies the House of Wolves had their fingers in these days it wasn't hard to imagine each one being overseen by a Commander, their High-Captains, and regular squads of Wolves.
…Hmm, on reflection that was actually a lot of Wolves to have on just one project. It was probably a good thing no one outside the Wolves had the actual numbers of the members of the House of Wolves. The Imperial Fire Court had a rough idea from when the members had been first declared but that was both outdated and kept secreted away by the Fire Daimyo.
Come to think of it, Tsukuyomi himself probably didn't have an accurate accounting of the Wolves under his command. Maybe Mai or Hanabi had an actual record. Well, that was of the original Wolves. Who knows if they had accurate numbers for whatever Wolves were being converted from Orochimaru's forces. Gods knew Orochimaru himself had an abhorrent admin style, the chances he had proper records for anything other than an experiment he was personally working on was low and, even then, with him being the one working on it, what did he really need a report for? He probably just kept shorthand notes for himself when he wanted to review things.
Other Wolves gathered around her, waving down to Tsukuyomi, and she could see a head of pink in the corner of her eye doing the same. She'd probably just recognized the hair. Well, that or she was just copying the Wolves.
Shouts of surprise caught her attention and looking back- yep, Jūgo had grabbed the train again. Astonished shiphands stared in disbelief as he lifted it up onto his shoulders with little issue and made his way towards the edge of the ship.
"Jūgo!" She called out before he got too far. "You're not planning on taking that down the gangway, are you? It's way too heavy."
"...I could just jump from the side?" He suggested.
"And land a whole-ass train on the pier?" Sure, it was sturdy enough to support the weight alone- probably- but that didn't carry over to the force of it landing from the ship.
"Well, what do you suggest?"
"How much does it actually weigh?"
"I don't know," Jūgo shrugged, something that looked quite odd when he was balancing a boxed up train on one shoulder. "Maybe fifty tons?"
Akunaki paused. It weighed how much? He didn't sound like he was joking, either. Gods above, what the hell did that man eat growing up? She turned to the crewmen who were torn somewhere between awe and horror. "I don't suppose you're capable of unloading that like normal cargo, are you?"
The look she received in response to that question said all she needed to know. Well, damn.
"Wait, how did you get that on here in the first place?"
"Set it up vertically next to the ship, climbed aboard, and pulled it up."
….That was some serious upper body strength. "Well, ease it down the same way I guess."
"Couldn't we just have Naruto pick it up with his chains?" Asked Sakura. "That sounds a lot faster." That it was infinitely easier went unsaid.
Jūgo and Akunaki turned to her and then shared a look. Yeah, that did sound like a much better idea.
"I'll go ask."
"Uh, Tsukuyomi-Sama?" Slipping from her fellow Ravenous, Akunaki jumped down from the ship to land beside her lord. "We brought you something, but we could use your help getting it off the ship. It's…rather heavy."
Naruto raised a brow behind his mask and gave a shrug. That must have been what Orochimaru was so excited for him to see. Making a single black chain he handed the end to Akunaki. "You know how to guide it. Wrap it around whatever it is and let me know when to lift."
He had a feeling it was probably that large container moving about up there but if they were capable of moving it around so easily he didn't know what they needed his help for. They seemed to have it well enough in hand.
"Of course, Tsukuyomi-Sama, I'll be right back." She leapt back onto the ship and vanished as she moved back towards the rest of the cargo. A minute later he felt his chain stop moving and a pulse of foreign Chakra through it told him she was ready for him to move it. With another sideways glance towards the Snake Sage he lifted whatever Akunaki had found and was briefly surprised by the weight. Gods, she hadn't been kidding. How the hell did they get this onto the ship in the first place?
The object- indeed the large crate he could have sworn he saw moving earlier- was moved off the ship and placed down gently on the pier. What on earth had they done this time?
Akunaki, Sakura, and a young man with bright orange hair joined them soon after. Sakura and Akunaki wore bright grins- probably for different reasons- but the man seemed worried about something.
"Orochimaru-Sama, I've secured this for Tsukuyomi-Sama on behalf of Overseer Jirobo." The young man addressed the Otokage.
"Yes, yes. I've heard from Jirobo already, Jūgo You've done very well. I understand you're quite familiar with what you've brought us?"
"I am."
"Good, good. We'll need that."
"And what is it he's brought?" Questioned Naruto. Orochimaru flashed him an excited grin.
"Well, why don't we open it up and see, hmm?" Jūgo took that as instructions and made his way to the container to begin taking it apart. Akunaki jumped in to help him and two minutes later Naruto finally had his answer.
"You stole a train?" He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing, though it certainly explained the weight.
"They did." Orochimaru's smile was beyond smug. "Do you like it?"
"Oh yes, very much so." He turned to Jūgo. "And you know how to operate this?"
"Uh, yes sir. I can operate it, maintain it, build the tracks- well, I can build one myself at this point, I think. I'm in possession of the technical specifications, too, though most of them are more accurate for the older models. I've examined the newer ones enough to know the improvements, so I could probably help produce those details."
"Excellent." Despite having done such a wonderful job, the young man still seemed troubled. "Is there something wrong, Jūgo?"
"...No?" Was his first answer. When Naruto continued to stare at him from behind his mask with piercing gold eyes he elaborated. "There's no issue with the train or the schematics," He assured both Naruto and Orochimaru. "But when I took the opportunity to relieve Doto of an unattended engine I may have neglected to tell anyone I would be leaving Yuki no Kuni. I don't think Kari's too pleased with me at the moment."
"I'm sure we could arrange to have a letter sent without too much trouble."
Jūgo shook his head at the offer. "I don't think that's necessary, I have a feeling she's probably already making her way to find me." That was the real reason he was nervous. Having left without telling her, he knew he was going to have to find some way to make things up to her. The problem now was that he was on limited time to do so.
"Anything we can do to help…smooth things over?"
"You know where I can get a mortgage for a house somewhere nice?" Nami was prosperous but it was a sort of dreary place most of the time. Clear days like today were few and far between.
"I think we might be able to arrange something." Naruto promised. "Though you understand you'll be kept on hand for your expertise, yes?"
"That'll work."
"Good. You'll start immediately." Naruto glanced back to Orochimaru. "Get him what he needs. I want work to start on the tracks as soon as possible. Doton users would be helpful too, I want it running underground."
"...Underground?" Orochimaru blinked. That was one way to maintain secrecy but that was going to be one hell of a project.
Or, it would be without doton. That would speed things up considerably. "Very well, I'll send for my most skilled Doton users." That actually might just be Jirobo himself. He'd have to go through employee files to figure out if he had anyone else. Not that they would be accurate, he tended to only update files when he gained subordinates and usually to forget to toss them when they inevitably died.
Could you really blame him? People were dying in Oto all the time, he would never get any other work done.
Naruto's attention returned to Akunaki. "Thank you for ensuring this reached me, but I do believe you're supposed to be making your way to Mizu no Kuni unless your hunt went poorly…"
"No, Tsukuyomi-Sama, the hunt went very well. We were on our way back for a ship when we ran into Jūgo and decided to ensure he reached you expediently. The other…cargo…is secure aboard the ship."
"The ship manned by an independent crew?"
"The original plan had been to steal a ship," She confessed. "But as it happens none of us actually know how to sail a ship. Our cargo is well disguised and the crew is discreet. "
"Ah." Yes, that would be quite a problem. He'd just have to trust that Akunaki had an accurate measure of the crew she'd hired for the Ravenous' little jaunt. "So Sakura got to have her fun, then?" He looked to the girl in question who gave him another bright grin.
"It was great!" She assured him. "I just wish you'd been there too."
"Maybe next time." Probably not, and she knew it too, but he wasn't opposed to it. He just didn't really have the time and he wasn't about to drag her and some random person to Yu no Kuni just to have to clean up the outpost afterwards. "Were you going to accompany Akunaki to Mizu too?"
"Yeah, I'm going to meet the others."
Naruto gave a nod. "Well, have fun. I may see you if you stop here in Nami on the way back but the chances are pretty low." He wasn't keeping a clone here normally and one being present when they returned- whenever that happened to be- would be pure happenstance.
….Wait, there was a way to know and he had already intended to utilize it with Akunaki.
"Actually, it's for the best that you're here, Akunaki. There was a development not long after you left on your hunt so I didn't get a chance to apply it to you." He paused. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to tie Sakura into the seal if she was going to be traveling with them. It would also let her spend time with her mentor when Anko wasn't busy wrestling Mikoto's inexhaustible sexdrive. "You're welcome to it too, Sakura."
"Sure."
Akunaki and Naruto stared at the Genin for a second. "...Did you want to hear what it was first?"
"No, that's fine. I'll take whatever you want to give me."
Oh. He shared a look with Akunaki who just shrugged. "Okay then, meet me in my office in the palace. I'll see to getting some Wolves to help Jūgo here with his new project and stop by Hanabi's office to secure him a place to stay in the meantime. I'll probably be ten minutes or so."
"Okay." Sakura skipped off towards the palace and Naruto asked a question with his eyes. Again, Akunaki could only shrug.
"She really enjoyed herself." Was all she could offer for an explanation.
"...Well done, I suppose."
"Thank you, Tsukuyomi-Sama."
Jūgo thought he was starting to understand why Orochimaru and these Wolves got along so well-
There was something desperately wrong with the lot of them.
Maybe he should have stayed in Yuki.
Naruto- the real one, if he remembered correctly- shot back to consciousness in the darkness of his room. It took a second for him to figure out why.
Oh, yeah, the clone in Nami dispelled. He guessed that meant the unconscious body he'd tucked away in the corner of the main room was probably gone then. Probably. He wasn't sure why that was there in the first place though he was sure he should have been. Something about transferring the consciousness of a Kage-Bunshin into a new Kage-Bunshin elsewhere without sending himself there.
Because Biju through their own seals came out as separate entities and Biju through other seals came out as…themselves. He still didn't really understand that. And then if he came out of Naruko's seal- which was technically his too- he came out as his own consciousness and left a body behind. The seal he had on those like Tsunami and Orochimaru was his own seal with no other purpose beyond tying his other seals to them, so shouldn't he be able to form a Kage-Bunshin through it as normal or was it something to do with the fact that he had to utilize Biju Chakra to do so?
Maybe that was the key. Because it was the Biju's Chakra coming through Naruto's seal it dragged the consciousness through as if the Biju were going through a different seal….right? That made a certain amount of sense but he had only been up for a handful of seconds and he didn't actually go to bed so much as he fell unconscious some indeterminate amount of time ago.
And he was up now…oh, yeah, because of the clone's memories.
…Did that mean the consciousness in the Kage-Bunshin in Nami dispelled, was sent back to the body here, and then had chosen to dispel itself again to transfer the information or had the first dispel caused a chain reaction that caused the one here to dispel too?
He pushed it from his mind, that wasn't important at the moment.
….He had a train. The memory hit him but didn't sink in immediately. He had a train.
He had a train.
The jealously guarded technology of Yuki no Kuni was now in his hands and ready to be utilized. He'd wanted to obtain one for some time now but Orochimaru's agents- Jūgo in particular- had come through and delivered one to him.
This was cause for celebration but, much more importantly, it meant there was work to be done.
Slipping out from between Mikoto and the new Orochimaru- both sleeping, thankfully- he nearly tripped on Anko who had fallen from the bed and was curled up on the floor with the missing sheets and stepped quietly to the door.
He needed to track down Ganju and send him back to Nami to work with Jūgo on the trains which meant he also needed to organize things here to continue this project. There was work to be done. That fact alone was nearly enough to make him giddy. It felt good to have things to do again.
The rest of the compound was dark with the exception of a light above the kitchen table where Katsuri was slumped with a steaming cup of coffee. He wondered when she had managed to make her escape, she was still in the bedroom when he'd last been awake.
"Morning Katsuri." He greeted quietly, leaning down to place a kiss on the top of her head. She groaned in response, not asleep but also not quite awake.
"Is it already?"
That…was a good point. He glanced at a nearby clock. "...Technically."
Hasn't it been morning when Orochimaru decided to brave Mikoto's domain and dragged him along? He couldn't quite remember. What he did know was that there was no way Ganju and his crew were up at this time.
Damnit, looks like his reassignment was going to have to wait a while.
Grabbing a mug from the cabinet and helping himself to the pot Katsuri had brewed, he took a seat beside her at the table. "How long have you been out here?"
She glanced up to look at the clock herself and gave an exhausted shrug. "Twenty minutes."
That probably meant Mikoto- and possibly Orochimaru- had only just fallen asleep. That was good, if he had awoken any earlier he probably wouldn't have been presented with an opportunity to escape. Maybe. He didn't actually know when he'd fallen asleep or how long he'd been out. Didn't feel like that long.
"Sorry."
She waved off his blanket apology with a lazy flick of her wrist. "You didn't know."
None of them had, otherwise they may have left that woman back in Nami. Well, they said that but they couldn't truly regret bringing her along. Really, they were just mourning lost sleep. If they could just get more of that and regularly this whole situation would be amazing.
"That woman in there? That's Orochimaru." He started to tell her the good news. "A Kage-Bunshin of Orochimaru's in a physical body." She looked up from the table and stared at him tiredly, not really understanding.
"He'll be starting work on a physical body for me to transfer a Kage-Bunshin into."
She continued to stare.
"There will be two of me, one of which will probably be remaining in the bedroom for the foreseeable future."
She blinked and understanding blossomed in her eyes. Before he knew it he had a crying Katsuri knocking him to the floor and peppering his face with kisses.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."
Technically she should be thanking Orochimaru but Naruto really didn't feel the need to correct her. Soon they would all be saved by, well, himself. It would be a noble sacrifice, too.
He still wasn't completely sure the clone would survive it, though, especially if Mikoto didn't have to worry about actually hurting the real him. Might be best not to tell her, in that case.
It was several hours- and a nap on the couch with Katsuri- later that Naruto found himself on the beach with Ganju, his boys, Guren- who had apparently managed to slip out from Mikoto's grasp when she was distracted by the arrival of Naruto and the new Orochimaru- and Isaribi.
Orochimaru's team was still asleep in their tents and Orochimaru herself was either still asleep with Mikoto or the two were keeping each other occupied. Naruto wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, thank you.
Anko was…somewhere…and he was pretty sure Katsuri had gone off to track her down before she could get up to too much trouble. Naruto didn't know what she could actually get up to out here but it was Anko so that was probably wise.
"Okay, so we have good news and bad news."
Ganju and his boys were attentive, wondering what was going on, Isaribi was collecting the seashells around her into a pile by Guren's feet, and Guren looked like she just wanted to crawl back into her sleeping bag to continue recovering from her time with Mikoto.
"The good news is that Jūgo of Oto managed to steal me a train from Yuki no Kuni, something I've had my eye on for some time now. The bad news is that I'm going to have to pull Ganju from his project so he can go play with my new train."
Ganju and the other Wolves shared a look. "I don't know, boss," Ganju grinned. "That all sounds like good news to me."
"I'm just sending you, Ganju."
"Well, yeah, but that's not so bad…"
"And that means Guren's taking charge of this project here."
"...Damnit." Ganju's boys let their shoulders slump to show their disappointment.
"Back to the positive, if this project goes well enough you may be able to join Ganju working on Jūgo's project from this side."
"Jūgo's project?"
"He's the expert in this, he spent months in Yuki learning about every aspect of the engines and tracks, so he's going to be directing things. You'll be there to make sure what he needs happens."
"And from this side?"
"I want this train running underground." Was Naruto's explanation. "Orochimaru's already securing Doton users." Ganju and his boys gave a hearty cheer. Doton was so damn useful when it came to secret bases or, in this case, secret railways.
"Well, you boys better work fast for Guren." Ganju instructed his siblings. "I expect to meet you halfway on these tracks."
"You got it, boss."
"You can count on us, Ganju."
"No sweat."
"Wait." While Ganju and his team said their goodbyes, Guren seemed to process Naruto's earlier words. "I have control over this project?"
"You do."
"Complete control?"
"Yes."
"So I can do what I want?"
"Within reason."
Guren grinned. "Perfect."
Naruto had the strangest feeling he may have just made a massive mistake.
"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking." Guren pauseed, met Naruto's eyes, and returned to the ocean. A set of handseals later and a mass of pink stretched down into the darkness. "There, done. All we need is for Isaribi to continue disguising it as coral and some furniture." She paused. "And maybe for them to run plumbing and electricity."
Naruto peered down at it. "...It's supposed to look like coral?" Was what he settled on first. Sure, it was pink and that was a coral-ish color. It was the wrong pink but he was no expert, maybe there was coral that more closely resembled her crystal.
He just didn't think one would be likely to find it here in the Haran Bay. East Nanmen Ocean and in the Kanashii Ocean, sure, but those were much warmer waters. The Haran Bay was slightly separated from the Kaizoku Sea by a series of islands but colder waters from the Hokubu Ocean still came southwards down the Kasumi Straight. Really not the place you'd find coral.
There was also the minor issue of-
"And it's a perfect cube." He pointed out. "That looks nothing like coral."
"It's a rectangle, actually." She corrected. "I made it go down pretty far."
"...Right." He paused. "That still doesn't make it look like coral."
"Not yet," She agreed. "But Isaribi will move plants and stuff around it to help disguise it. That's what we did before."
"It was much smaller before. It was also a much rougher shape."
"Well didn't you want a base large enough for a lot of Wolves?"
"That's not the issue."
"So you're saying it's the color? There's nothing wrong with pink, it's a perfectly good color for a hidden base."
"I don't have a problem with the color, I just don't think it's helping with the effect you're apparently going for."
"It's not like I choose the color of my bloodline release element."
"...Have you ever tried to?"
"What?"
"Have you tried to change the color of your crystal?"
"What? No. I like pink. Why would I try to change it?"
"To see if you could?" He suggested. "Just give it a try and let me know if you succeed."
He turned to head back inside and managed a whole step and a half only for an exclamation of surprise followed by a nervous chuckle to cause him to pause. "Uh, Tsukuyomi-Sama?"
Naruto didn't even need to turn around to know what had happened. "It worked, didn't it?"
"Uh, heh, yeah." She offered sheepishly. He turned around to be greeted by Guren holding a bouquet of flowers made out of a bright yellow crystal.
"Try for a dark blue or sea green. Better yet, try for a mix of the two colors. Something that will help hide it from view when it's in the water." Were his instructions. "It's always somewhat transparent, right? That might let light in from above but it could also give us away. See if you can get it more opaque."
"Uh, yeah, sure thing. I'll start trying things out." How come she'd never thought to do this? What possibilities had she been missing out on for all these years? With a few handseals and a thought she was holding a new bouquet with green stems and flowers of various colors. She frowned at it. People would probably pay good money for that, now that she thought about it, and she'd been able to bring it into existence in a matter of seconds. Why the hell had she become a Kunoichi again?
Her parents had been right, she should have been an artist.
"Wait, she's already done?" Anko blinked from her position lounging on the couch as two of Ganju's boys lifted it up to move it to the new base. "She's only been in charge of the project for like an afternoon."
"Yeah, well she can create structures out of crystal instantly and control it with her Kekkei Genkai so once we moved past the idea of a base made of traditional materials it really wasn't all that hard." Naruto explained from the kitchen table. Ganju hadn't trusted Guren's crystal- he probably didn't trust anything he didn't build himself, actually- and wasn't willing to risk the base's integrity by using it but the time it saved- to say nothing about the material- was nothing to sneeze at.
So long as Guren was here there was nothing to really worry about because she'd be able to fix anything as soon as it was brought to her attention. One redundant layer around the actual base later and they would have time to address any issue as it popped up.
Naruto was also pretty sure the crystal would last beyond Guren's death, so there was no point in worrying about it. It started as Chakra, sure, but just as a Katon Jutsu made fire, Guren's Chakra formed incredibly hard crystal. The fire would die out just as any fire would, but the crystal would simply remain a crystal.
Probably.
He was pretty sure salt water was bad for some crystals- bad for a lot of things, really, liquid spite that it was- but he'd trust Guren to know how her ability worked.
…Then again, she really hadn't known how it worked very well, had she? Naruto frowned. Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all. He supposed that redundant layer would let them know if they needed to start moving things back out from the base later, he'd just have to have someone keep an eye on it.
Probably Isaribi, as she'd have the easiest time examining it for any damage.
"But what about lighting and plumbing and everything? Do we have doors?"
"Plumbing was easy, she can actually form the pipes out of the crystal and the Wolves just had to install the fixtures."
"And the electricity?"
"They're still running wires, we'll tie it into the outpost." He didn't actually know how it was Orochimaru's compound had electricity. There were no generators that he knew about and he hadn't tied it to any power grids- mostly because there weren't any out here to tie them to.
Naruto probably should ask but he also realized that so long as it did work he really didn't care how.
"And doors?"
"They'll get to them. I didn't realize you were so concerned about your privacy."
"I'm not concerned about privacy, I just want to make sure there's a barrier incase I need to put something between me and Mikoto."
"You think a door would stop me?" The woman in question strode out from the bedroom in a tight silk robe, stopping by the kitchen table to bend down and plass a brief kiss on Naruto's cheek, and gave Anko a hungry grin. "That's cute."
Anko reached down from the couch to smack one of the Wolves carrying it. "Faster, faster, don't let her catch me damnit." The Wolf in question shot her a dry look.
"We could move a lot faster if you were off the couch and you could move faster by actually running."
"But I'm comfy." She pouted.
"And she's horny." He returned. It went unsaid that these days Mikoto was always horny and Anko weighed her options.
"You know what? Running doesn't sound too bad."
"Good." Mikoto's tongue darted out to wet her lips. "It's more satisfying after a hunt."
Naruto had to wonder if he was attracted to crazy or if it was just crazy that was attracted to him.
As he watched Anko leap from her couch with a yelp and scurry up the ladder with Mikoto hot on her skirt he decided it was probably a bit of both.
My thanks to the Partons who continue to support my work on Sealkeeper.
Lord Generals
Cephalon Keeper, Michael Huber, B4NH4MM3R, Jacklefrackle
Lord Marshals
Ronji, MythicFool, Pope Gregory Trivium III, Sedition, Luxano,
Lord Majors
The SHARP fox, Malte Krain, StayFrosty, Noah, Alex Robb, Jeremy Webb, Jamel, McKinzie, Tjk9399, Raymond Saragian, magicheart 0, Gamer91, Marcothephoenix, Ben Peek, Xerxes8796, Joe I
Lord Commissars
Tim Keizer, Daron Smith, gabriel reynoso, Romulan, Shi_no_Kage, Whatzzzzzzzup, Nick Payne, Christopher, Desertgem1, Daniel Witry, Liam Kearney, TormisD92
Lord High-Inquisitor
Janus
Lord Inquisitors
Angel Morales, Bob Ross, Brendon, Joe Schumacher, Michael Friede, 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, MB, Brandon, LoneSaiyan, Para, Nekrull DeUmbrus, Jennifer carpenter, HKaz, Pantheras, Marin Dimovski, MasterT941, J. G., Tyrell2000, Gobo, June Tai, james escobedo, Sebastiaan asselbergs, Perez, Hentai Prince, James, TheGreatBubbaJ, TheAbsoluteMonarch, Polo Pannini, JonCotterill, Zack Crum, SMatatabi, Theepicslime, Matthew Smith, Wrex, DamnedThrice, DualEquinox, Carl Confoy, James Fleming
Until I next have your attention, I remain,
-Eyazahrid