Naruto
Out of all the nobles in the capital, Naruto despised General Ren most of all. He reminded Naruto of Danzō's worst aspects combined with the raw ambition of Madara. His dark eyes swam with false kindness and a lust for battle. Shinobi and civilian opinion on the man remained high despite his absence from the war. Naruto wondered if the sudden illness was a lie to avoid combat.
"Tell me, Naruto, how is Konohagakure recovering?" General Ren took a sip of wine. "Academy graduation numbers have yet to return to the levels seen before Pain's attack on the village."
Naruto noticed the other guests, including Lord Asakura, looking at him. He formulated the response with a deep breath and remembered Kakashi's lessons. "Konohagakure suffered many casualties during the war against the Akatsuki compared to the other Hidden Villages. Much of the infrastructure needed to be rebuilt due to Pain's attack. Many civilians chose for their children to enter a trade rather than the academy. Beyond that, upon closer inspection, our shinobi program needed to undergo major changes for a world at peace. These two factors have seen us accepting fewer enrollments. Lord Seventh, along with the other Kage, has decided to restructure the entire rank of Genin to fit in a post-war world as well."
"A post-war world?" General Ren finished his glass of wine before placing it on the table upside down. "You make it sound like war is impossible from now on."
Naruto shook his head. "All Hidden Villages have formed the Shinobi Union to resolve conflicts better. For the first time since the age of the First Hokage, ambassadors from the different villages travel freely to negotiate. Of course, war is always possible, but we have tools to resolve conflicts."
"And what of the Five Great Nations not bound by any such union?" The man's smile grew larger. "What good is this 'Shinobi Union' if the Land of Wind decides to invade our home?"
He frowned and shook his head at such a notion. Unlike in the Land of Fire, the Wind Daimyo regulated foreign policymaking to the Kazekage and focused on civil matters to appease the civilian population. The thought of Gaara actively trying to make war upon the Land of Fire almost made him laugh. This new peace brought too much joy to his family for it to be thrown away so easily.
"The Hidden Leaf would proudly defend the Land of Fire if called upon." Naruto dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand. "Not to mention, most great nations no longer have a standing army. Our land is something of an oddity in that regard. Not that I am complaining, of course. Tradition must be kept alive."
General Ren's smile dropped at the notion of his army being little more than a ceremonial relic of another age. "A fair point, Naruto. No matter how well drilled, a soldier has little hope of standing up against a shinobi as it stands now."
"As it stands now?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"General Ren. Naruto." Lord Asakura held up both hands to silence them. "Please. This is a gathering of friends, not a council meeting. Let us turn our attention to the find food my servants have prepared."
"Apologies, Lord." Naruto nodded. "Your hosting skills are second to none."
"We can agree on that, Naruto." General Ren stood and bowed before the Daimyo. "Thank you, your highness." The guests around the table echoed the man's words and raised their glasses to give thanks for the food.
The rest of the dinner passed with light conversation between the different nobles, most of which Naruto tuned out to focus on his thoughts. General Ren, according to Kakashi, ranked among the most influential opponents of the current-village system. The man wasted no time hiding his disdain for shinobi, even among the Daimyo's court. Most of his supporters ranked among the lower classes of society that viewed the shinobi as just another form of the political elite. He agreed with that sentiment. Most of the shinobi families, such as the Inuzuka and Hyūga wielded wealth unmatched by all but the Daimyo himself. The average Genin made more money than the ordinary citizen multiple times over. As Hokage, he wanted to balance the economy out to ensure all levels within Konoha managed to prosper. With five years of hard work, he tried to transform the village into an industrial powerhouse.
Naruto broke from his brooding once Saika began to speak with Lady Chieko about cats. She talked like water: gentle yet with limitless power. Her lips twitched into a smile as she acknowledged him with a single, impartial glance as if she saw an insect. He knew the game and accepted the challenge. Something about this woman called to him in a manner no one ever had. They came from different worlds but connected on a level beyond the world.
"Lady Chieko," he bowed his head in respect. "Please tell us about Tora. How is that old lady doing?"
"MY TORA! Oh! How I love her so much." Lady Chieko's shrill cries of love for the cat echoed into the night. General Ren winched at the noise before giving a soft glare at Naruto. Even Lord Asakura gave him a quick look of irritation. Tora stood above all the other felines of Lady Chieko's many cats.
Saika finished her cup of wine quickly before standing. Then, without a word, she moved away from the feast into the gloom of the night. He followed her without a word as everyone watched Lady Chieko take out an album full of cat pictures.
Saika
"I pray that our Lord does not take offense to our wanderings," Saika ambled along the shore of the lake with Naruto following close behind.
Naruto placed both behind his head. "Asakura is a pretty cool guy. If he does get upset, I'll take the blame."
His lack of formality puzzled her to no end. How did he expect to become Hokage with such a relaxed personality? According to the ancient poets, leaders needed to wield formality like a spear. So she was surprised that he bothered to wear something somewhat formal. Whoever decided to become his advisor had their work cut out for them.
"Lord Asakura," she corrected in a manner reminiscent of Orisa. The thought sent a chill through every fiber of her being. She loved the old woman but wanted at least another four decades before taking on her mannerism. "Tell me what brought you to Kobe, Lord Uzumaki."
"Do you really have to call me that?" Naruto groaned and quickened his pace to walk alongside her. "We're friends, ya know?"
Saika raised an eyebrow at him. "Friends?"
"Yeah," Naruto mimicked her gesture with a large grin. "You're the smart one here, ya know? Of course, you should know what that means."
"Of course, I know what a friend is, ya know?" Her lips curled at throwing back his trademark phrase. "When did we become friends? I am unaware of such a development."
She enjoyed the slight pout on his face. The challenging of a man's ego always brought joy to her. No matter their age or ranking, all men still acted like little boys when confronted with someone that refused to play along. For some, it deterred them. For others, it increased the thrill of the chase. So which one did Naruto fall into?
The answer came swiftly as Naruto swept her into his arms. She yelped at the suddenness and gave a soft glare at him. He merely smiled. "Is this how you declare friendship?"
"If you're an animal! Put me down right now."
Naruto smirked and began to walk onto the water. "Are you sure? I don't think you can swim in that."
Onyx eyes gazed into the dark waters below before darting back into blue seas of warmth. She tightened her grip on him. "I demand that you return me back to shore!" Her voice softened into a whimper. "I am unable to swim even inappropriate clothing."
His smirk disappeared into a sheepish smile. "Sorry, sorry. I tend to get a little carried away, ya know? Have you ever walked on water?"
Saika rolled her eyes. "I am not a ninja. Such things are beyond my abilities." He closed his eyes briefly and slowly lowered her to the water. Her protests died in her throat. A faint golden glow kept her feet inches above the water as if walking on an invisible platform. "What is this?"
"My chakra." He took both of her hands gently. "I can give some of mine over to others and control it."
"You must've been a prodigy," she leaned into his embrace while looking into the water below.
"Far from it," his breathing slowed as her head rested against his chest. "I failed the academy three times and only graduated due to special circumstances. But, according to Iruka-Sensei, I still hold the record of most flunked tests."
She knew the situation well.
"My early days' training under Mistress Orisa came with much doubt from the other women. Most believed I was a lost cause and a waste of time. I remember spilling wine on a client on my first dinner service and ruining his robes. I thought my days were numbered after that."
"And look at you now: you're more beautiful than any of them."
While she had heard those words a hundred times, he spoke with an enthusiasm alien to her world of hollow sweet seductions. His smile was like sunrise at midnight, a promise that every word from his lip came from the heart.
"Do you know what I am?" Saika shifted to look into his face. She needed to stop whatever this was before it went too far. Heroes did not need whores. Never the one to shrink from reality, she knew that her position as a courtesan was little more than a prostitute in the grand schemes of things. The nobility demanded more from her than a common streetwalker, expecting entertainment beyond the carnal. Still, they came for a single reason at the night's end.
"I do," he nodded slowly. "You're Saika."
"Idiot." She closed her eyes as his hold on her tightened. "If you know what I am, then why not take me? I shall not decline your company."
Naruto snorted. "Maybe I am a guy that wants to wait. But, really, I am just enjoying your company."
"Then you have poor taste in company," she shook her head. "If you were seeking company, you better return to the feast. They will help you become Hokage."
"You're right," he smiled. "You cannot help me become Hokage."
Saika flinched at the statement but accepted it. No matter how much it hurt her feelings, facts ruled the world. In many ways, the conversation needed to happen to stop whatever she felt brewing between them.
"However," he pushed her back slightly to peer into her onyx eyes, "you are helping me become something better than a Hokage."
"What is better than becoming a Hokage?" She held no love for the shinobi world, but the rank of Kage rivaled that of the Daimyo. Moreover, given his status already, Naruto would become, politically, the most powerful man in the nation, if not the world.
"A man."
Naruto made the first move toward her lips, but she refused to allow him to take control and met him halfway. His surging tide of warmth, a promise of protection, drained the resistance in her body. She moved, ran delicate fingers through his blond locks, and pulled him forward to increase the intensity.
He broke away first with a massive blush on his face. "Saika," the ordinarily raspy voice had turned low to the point of a growl.
"Hn. I never expected the world's savior to so blush hard at a single kiss." Saika relaxed in his arms to allow him to hold her. "You look as if this was your first kiss."
The blush began to spread across his face. She had her answer.
"Well," she placed a finger on his lips and smirked. "This is the first kiss I actually liked."
Her practical side worked behind the scenes. Naruto provided her an entire world of opportunity if things went well. His reputation guaranteed access to social circles that would allow her to expose influential people to her work. According to Orisa, he inherited much from his dead parents. No more private clients and she would be able to work part-time, allowing more time to work on her projects.
"I would very much enjoy learning more about you," she said slowly with false hesitation. "However, Orisa…"
Naruto nodded. "Your contract to your mistress." He smirked at her shocked expression. She did not expect him to understand how her life worked. "I traveled with a man who loved visiting places like your work. Tomorrow morning, I shall meet with her to discuss buying your contract."
A slight twinge of guilt washed over her. While she did enjoy his company and loved the idea of spending more nights like this, he seemed inexperienced in matters of the heart and came into this far too quickly. Yet, if he helped her, she vowed to help him…somehow.
Naruto opened his mouth to continue but closed it upon hearing General Ren call out.
"Naruto! We need your presence immediately." General Ren's voice sounded severe and laced with anger. Naruto walked her back to the shoreline to meet with the general. She wanted to hear the conversation but got shooed away with a dirty glance from the older man.
Saika watched her future-lover walk away with the man. She needed to talk with Orisa immediately about the new development.
Naruto
Shun Oguri laid face down in a pool of his blood. A massive wound wrapped around his neck that nearly decapitated him. The shattered remains of a wine bottle rested next to him. Three women sobbed over his corpse while a pair of the city's guards tried to pull them away.
"What the hell happened," Naruto growled at Kiba with all the anger he could muster. The thought of one of his friends, a proud son of Konoha, getting into a bar bawl ripped at the thin wall of patience he had developed over the last two years to prepare for the mantle of Hokage. He tried to calm the growing anger by repeating a few mantras Jiraiya had taught him years ago when trying to master Kurama's chakra.
Anger is emptiness. Hate is emptiness. All is emptiness.
Kiba, still under the influence of alcohol, whined. He leaned into Sakura before snorting. "Guess he ain't so tough now." His mood shifted when the medic-nin sent a vicious punch to his side, laced with her chakra to purge the wine flowing through his system.
The Sleeping Pig ranked among the lowest bars in all of Kobe, situated in the poorer 'Labor Quarter' southeast part of the section. Most of the cliental worked manual jobs for the various guilds that ran the city's civil works. Naruto remembered spending a night in the inn during his travels many years ago. He never expected to return, especially under these conditions.
"What happened," Naruto repeated his question with raw aggression in every syllable. "Speak!"
Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Naruto, you need to calm down. Yelling won't accomplish anything."
General Ren snorted. "A man is dead, and you're asking him to calm down. Is life so worthless to you?" Sakura ignored his words, keeping her eyes on Naruto.
"Enough. Let Kiba speak," Naruto's voice lowered as the anger morphed into a headache. As the commander of the Konoha representatives, the responsibility fell on his shoulders. Despite her attempts to avoid her boyfriend getting into more trouble, Sakura was right. He needed to approach this in an even manner.
Kiba groaned from his girlfriend's blow but began to tell his story. "Sai and I just came here looking for some fun. So we bought a few drinks, mingled with the locals, and got into a little argument. This guy," he pointed at the body, "acted so tough and tried to hit me with a bottle. So I acted in self-defense."
"Killing a civilian is not an appropriate response," General Ren stomped. "I have seen your kind in battle. Any attack delivered by this man could have been avoided."
Naruto shook his head and leaned against the bar. He wanted to hear what Asuma, currently interviewing a few witnesses, thought of the situation. As ninjas of Konohagakure, their status within Kobe was complex, to say the least. The city required all shinobi, regardless of national origin, to register upon entry. Unless properly authorized by the Daimyo himself, Ninjutsu was banned within city limits. Foreign ninjas who broke the law would be dealt with by the civil authorities with the aid of the ANBU garrison. Konoha ninjas, however, did not necessarily fall under civil law due to complex treaties between the Land of Fire and the Hidden Leaf dating back to the First Hokage. Therefore, most assumed that Konoha would police their shinobi within the city.
"Perhaps," Naruto looked towards General Ren. "However, our reflexes are trained to counter with force. I need to hear what the witnesses have to say."
Even before arriving at the inn, General Ren demanded Kiba be turned over to the local authorities and imprisoned while waiting for a trial. While not official protocol, Konoha wanted all ninjas accused of a crime to return to the village to face disciplinary actions.
The smell of a fresh cigarette announced Asuma's arrival. Team Ten's former sensei looked more like his father as the years passed. Naruto wondered if the man would soon replace the cigarettes with a pipe.
"These guys are claiming you started the fight, Kiba." Asuma shook his head. "Said something about you wanting to kick their asses."
Sakura rolled her eyes. The Inuzuka heir's temper and eagerness for battle were well-known throughout the village. "Sounds about right."
Kiba rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I mean…one of them did knock into me. Didn't mean I wanted to kill them! It was an accident!"
"Enough," Naruto silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Asuma. General Ren." He walked away from Kiba and into the backroom for privacy.
General Ren spoke first once out of earshot. "He needs to be in chains for this. Justice needs to be served."
Asuma shook his head and released a cloud of smoke. "It will be. Kiba made a mistake, and Konoha will pay reparations to the man's family."
"Reparations?" General Ren spat on the ground. "No matter of money will bring comfort to the grieving widow or his children. Money cannot bring a dead man to life. Money cannot buy justice."
"A trial will be held in Konoha," Asuma replied with an increasingly heavy frown. "The Hokage is a fair man and won't allow this to be swept under the rug."
General Ren shook his head. "Naruto, you are a man of honor. Can you look at me with a straight face and tell me Konoha will hold a fair trial? People will not stand for this."
Both men stared at him to break the deadlock. He represented not only Konoha's mission to Kobe but as the successor to Kakashi, Konoha. Years of hard work and training seemed to flash in his mind in a vain attempt to give him some type of clue or battle. This was his first time making a decision that would impact the entire village. His heart began to beat faster as the seconds dragged on. What would his father do? What would the Third Hokage do? What was the right thing to do?
Naruto took a deep breath and returned to Kiba. He looked at his friend with a heavy expression before locking his eyes with Sakura. Her jade eyes, intense and filled with concern, widened at his frown.
"General Ren," he began slowly. His stomach twisted in a knot as vomit threatened to surge forward. "Kiba Inuzuka is to be arrested and transferred to the city's custody until further notice."
He turned away from Sakura and Asuma to avoid their horrified faces.
And here we go at the end of another chapter. Apologies for the slight delay. I went through a few different versions of the ending part with Naruto until something good came up. Next chapter should be a bit shorter and quicker. The main focus of the plot will be the romance between Naruto and Saika. That said, it will be set against a setting that is experiencing massive social change akin to what Japan saw during the Meiji Restoration.