Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 166-A "Priestess Shion"

Release 2022.10.23

"You're leaving?" The disappointment in those words was clear to all who heard them, helped mostly by the fact that Shion hadn't even tried to disguise it. Akishi, daughter of Aū, scowled slightly while Katsuri- a member of Hi no Kuni's House of Wolves, the High-Priestess had learned- appeared to be slightly amused.

Naruto nodded, his purple eyes moving to observe the progress her people were making towards converting the rest of the cavern into a propper temple for Great Aū, Golden Serpent of the Sun. After assuring himself that things were still going well his gaze settled back upon Shion and he spoke. "There is work to be done elsewhere." Was his explanation. "Aū has waited patiently for an opportunity for a very long time but when a serpent strikes it strikes quickly."

"Of course, High-Priest." She understood what he was saying well enough but that didn't make her any more willing to be bereft of his presence here in Aū's future temple.

"Do not worry yourself, Shion." His eyes softened kindly. "I would not leave this in your hands if I was not confident that it would be well seen to."

Lavender eyes blinked in a pleased sort of surprise, like the hopeful recipient of a reward learning they had earned it. "Me?" She asked, almost worried she was hearing what she wanted instead of what the High-Priest was actually saying.

"And who else?" Amusement flashed over amethyst gems of brilliant cut. "You are the High-Priestess of Oni no Kuni, there are none better to take up the role. Besides," Something else swam in those eyes that she couldn't identify. Still with traces of amusement it also seemed to be laying bare the entirety of her soul to him and yet still a dangerous sort of edge. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

It came close to confirming that he had indeed- or at least Great Aū had- heard her prayer. Close, tantalizingly close, but it still left that doubt that maybe his words were just a coincidence and he had only assumed she would desire to take up the service of Aū as part of her existing duties. Perhaps it simply came down to the fact that she was the ultimate authority in this country and he would not permit one in the service of Aū to be beholden to any other.

And still there remained the possibility- and the belief- that her prayer had been both heard and answered. She felt a flush race across her cheeks but if Naruto noticed it he paid no mind.

"Yes, High-Priest, I had hoped…." She trailed off, unwilling to admit just how much she had wanted to be the one to oversee thai temple on the slight chance that he had not, in fact, been privy to her prayer. Not in the presence of others, at least, even if one was a Daughter of the Sun. No, such an embarrassing truth was better left for a more private setting as far as she was concerned.

Almost as if he knew what she was thinking he didn't say anything that would even hint to her that her prayer was the reason he was leaving it in her care and instead offered her another smile. "I know you will do well, Shion."

Not for the first time did she wonder if the disregard for propriety was intended to show the closeness of family like a father speaking to his children or was supposed to hint at intimacy she did not know they shared.

If he could hear her prayers, though, perhaps it was only appropriate he spoke her name with such closeness.

"Thank you, High-Priest. I am honored by your faith."

"And Aū is pleased with yours." As if he hadn't just confirmed that a Greater Kami was looking down at her with approval he carried on to another subject entirely. "I'll need you to send a letter to Amaterasu, guest of Fushomada-Dono in Yu no Kuni. Let her know that I'll be heading to Konoha to take care of something. I'll probably end up being there for some time."

Stomping down on the initial jealousy felt at the fact that he'd be spending more time there than here in Oni no Kuni, Shion also tried not to wonder who this 'Amatersu'- which was obviously a fake name for some reason- was and what relation she held when it came to the High-Priest.

"It will be done, High-Priest."

"I know it will, Priestess Shion. I know it will."

The valleys and rivers of the aptly named Kawa no Kuni gave way to the dense forests of Hi no Kuni. Kurotsuchi thought that name was slightly misleading and if they didn't need Konoha's land to entice support for this conflict she'd be tempted to fix that by setting a few fires herself.

Though knowing Konoha Shinobi's love of Katon Jutsu- which really was odd considering their surroundings- she might get the same results without having to be the one to start them. That would be best for her report because she could very honestly lay the blame at Konoha's feet.

To have her cake and eat it too, Kurostuchi certainly wouldn't say no to the opportunity should it present itself. Sure as hell wasn't going to be putting out any potential fires unless she absolutely had to.

Then again, if everything went to plan they wouldn't even encounter Konoha Shinobi until after they'd managed to take over Kagayaku Machi and who knows if they would stick with their village for much longer afterwards. There was- though it was exceedingly slim- a very real possibility they would do their part without ever seeing a single Leaf Nin.

What they would be seeing was Samurai. Lots of them. Samurai who would be on the home field with a Daimyo to protect.

That was not going to be fun.

At least if they kept word from reaching the capital their first attempt- and Kurotsuchi was expecting this to require at least three before they succeeded- would have the benefit of surprise. That should help them take out a large chunk of Kagayaku Machi's defenses before they had to pull back and should suffice to move Hi no Kuni's Samurai forces to the back foot for the rest of the conflict.

Of course, that was going to require either superb stealth or the methodical elimination of every living soul between here and the capital.

The future Tsuchigake glanced over her assembled forces and the Kaze no KUni natives who had joined them. There was no way she was sneaking everyone halfway across Hi no Kuni without someone noticing.

She smiled.

Death it was, then. Good.

The more it came into play the more Naruto realized how absolutely ridiculous Doton techniques could be. It moved the very earth one stood on and a dedicated team could carve out roughly eight kilometers of tunnel an hour.

It had taken less than a week to dig a tunnel from his country of Nami no Kuni to one of the many outposts his godfather Orochimaru had dotting Ta no Kuni. Some of those existed with the blessing of the Ta Daimyo, the outpost in this case did not.

That was to be expected, Orochimaru wouldn't have the interesting things anywhere near his known bases. Those were mostly hidey-holes for logistical purposes. Not that Orochimaru bothered with those matters, he had people for that.

One of the overseers, probably, the legendary Sannin couldn't actually remember who that was and wouldn't bother to find out until something happened to them and the supply chains fell to pieces.

Assuming someone else didn't step up and keep things running smoothly, that is. In which case he would probably never really know.

Naruto didn't think he could ever operate in such a hands-off manner but it seemed to suit Orochimaru just fine.

For the purpose of justifying the existence of this particular tunnel, it should be noted that digging away the earth from Nami to Konoha already took up half the distance and because beneath Konoha now existed an entire station those assigned to the project had no trouble using it as a hub when branching out to other places Wolves or supplies might need to be sent en mass.

With Orochimaru's numerous operations in Ta no Kuni and the fact that advertising their close ties to him was a terrible idea, having a way to bring things between Orochimaru's outposts and places under Wolf control without having to risk being seen was considered a very worthwhile use of resources.

To be perfectly honest, Naruto found a majority of the value for the railroad project in the fact that his Wolves had something to keep them busy and out of trouble. He was sure other parents could probably relate, though there was no real comparison between the type of trouble any child from toddler to young teen could get into and the sort of trouble a single Wolf could get into. Considering he had dozens of Wolves, the potential for chaos was incalculable.

His thoughts screeched to a halt around the same time the train he was currently riding began gently applying its breaks for the upcoming stop in Konoha.

The type of trouble a young teen could get into? He was a young teen. A frown tugged at his lips. If he could get into the sort of trouble that left greater Hidden Villages mere piles of rubble what was saying others around his age couldn't manage the same? And considering that all those Wolves who were currently being kept out of trouble were very much his children in the way they acted it was probably safe to say that any parent could, feasibly, have the equivalent of himself as a child who, in turn, would have their own 'children' who could get in quite a bit of trouble too.

Maybe those parents could relate to him far more closely than he'd given them credit for.

Danzō, the old warhawk, was waiting for him when the train arrived beneath Konoha. No doubt the activity of Wolves had tipped him off and Naruto could only assume the sound of the train had been the source of his children's excitement.

Of course, Mai could have also sent word ahead of them depending on how quickly Shion's letter reached her. Instant communication was a useful thing, in that regard, and Kakashi was probably aware that Naruto was on his way to Konoha within seconds of Mai reading his intentions- or as much of them as Shion was aware- in the letter.

Naruto himself could have spoken to Amaterasu through the seal had he wanted to but having Shion send a letter accomplished several things at once. First it gave the High-Priestess of Oni no Kuni- and now Priestess of Au- the name of a foreign ally she could reach out to if she needed to, especially if she needed to get ahold of Naruto for some reason but could not. Secondly it informed Mai of where he had been and, depending on what Shion wrote or any further correspondence that could occur between the two of them, what he'd been up to which led into the third reason-

It didn't give Mai a chance to yell at him. He enjoyed the sight of an angry Mai, there was no question there- it was incredibly arousing when she got worked up- but he did not enjoy being on the receiving end of that fury. He most certainly would be when she learned he was off playing with a demon bent on world domination.

He was not looking forward to that.

Okay, well, maybe just a little because, as he'd said earlier, Mai was really hot when she was mad. It just wasn't very good for his health. He still distinctly recalled the feeling of that coffee mug, thank you, and she was only mildly frustrated with the fact that he was doing the work of three people when she chucked that at his poor clone's head.

No, it was in his best interest in the moment to keep his distance and give her time to cool down in case Shion had mentioned Moryo and even if she hadn't Mai wouldn't expect him to reach out unless there was a problem so he didn't want to find himself stuck trying to convince her that he really was fine and was just checking in to reassure her. She would immediately suspect there had been some sort of catastrophe which would distract her from whatever it was she should be working on.

The fact that she'd know where he was now should help alleviate any worry she'd had since his departure too, hopefully. They still had plenty of support in Konoha so she knew he'd have allies at the ready should anything go wrong and Konoha wasn't too terribly far away from Yu no Kuni or Nami no Kuni so he could have reinforcements sent out too.

That Asuma wasn't about to do anything should also reassure her. Probably.

Probably, that was, for both Asuma not doing anything and that it would probably reassure her to know that.

Asuama probably wasn't going to try starting something with Tsukuyomi while he was in Konoha considering how little it had helped him last time and Mai would probably consider that one less thing to worry about.

Naruto did, however, know better than to utilize absolutes in those statements.

"Danzō-dono," Naruto greeted the closest thing he had to a mentor. "I hadn't expected any sort of reception. Have you been well?"

"Well enough, thank you." One good eye trailed over the Yuki train. "Similarly, I had not expected your arrival. What brings you to Konoha and, more importantly, beneath my base?"

"Figured I'd give it a try considering there was access to the tracks on my way back from Oni no Kuni." Naruto shrugged while Danoō raised a brow at the mention of the country he'd just left, no doubt wondering what sort of trouble the young Daimyo had managed to get into in the Land of Ogres. "And I'm in Konoha because I need to repurpose a cult."

Danzō stared at him. "...A cult?" He asked. "What are you doing with the Hyūga now?"

"Turning Hinata the Goddess into Hinata the Goddess, Priestess of the Sun."

After a moment of silence Danzō blinked. While his first question was why, his second question ended up being the one he asked.

"And how are you going to do….that….." The mostly-retired Shinobi found himself trailing off as Akishi snaked her way out of the train carriage and onto the station platform, her copper scales reflecting the artificial lights as a miniature sun. "...Naruto…..?"

"Hmm?"

"What on earth is that?"

"What, Akishi?" Naruto frowned, not really seeing what was being questioned. "I know I mentioned a godling to you before." He was pretty sure he had, at least. Maybe he was mistaken.

"Why did you have a…godling…on a train with you?"

"Well I was hardly going to make her slither all the way back." Naruto defended.

Danzou took a slow, deep breath and held it for several seconds before releasing. "On second thought, I don't think I want to get dragged into this so I'm not going to question it. Try to stay out of trouble and don't make a mess of my base on your way through."

With an almost negligent flick of his wrist, Naruto waved off the man's concern.

"You fret too much, Danzō, there's nothing to worry about. It's not like I brought back Mōryō with me or anything."

Danzō- who had turned to make his way back into the depths of his base- immediately came to a stop and turned sharply to face the young Daimyo. "You didn't, did you?"

"Of course not, there wasn't anything left of him to bring back." Danzō was thankful for that but also more than a little concerned. What the hell had the boy been up to that resulted in the complete destruction of that ancient demon?

'Please tell me he didn't seal this one in himself too.' He pleaded with whatever spirits might hear his prayer. He had the strangest feeling Naruto was grinning behind him but he refused to turn around and check.

Kurotsuchi frowned, an expression harshened exponentially in the shadows cast by a small town currently engulfed by flame. She wasn't displeased due to that- far from it, she was quite pleased to destroy yet another settlement within the boundaries of Hi no Kuni- but because there had been Shinobi here.

Konoha Shinobi.

They should have all been occupied with Akatsuchi's eastern forces up in northern Hi no Kuni. A full confrontation between the eastern group and Konoha's full might would likely see Iwagakure Shinobi defeated- or at least driven back- as a simple matter of numbers, seeing as Kurotsuchi had half of Iwa's mustered might, but Akatsuchi wasn't meeting Konoha head on.

No, much like regular Shinobi skirmishes they were striking when they could and retreating before retaliation could be brought to bear against them. Guerilla warfare. Shinobi tactics.

With Konoha evidently trying to avoid escalation and Iwa able to strike quickly from the earth itself before vanishing, Konoha's forces should have their hands full repelling any wave of Shinobi Akatsuchi sent their way- as was the plan.

And yet she had come across Konohagakure Shinobi down here in the southernmost parts of Hi no Kuni. It would have been one thing if it was a Genin team returning to Konoha or out on a mission- Konoha had a tendency to keep their Genin from the front lines for as long as they could- but a squad of Chūnin should have been much farther north.

She didn't like it. Scouts would have been expected initially, right after Iwa's first assaults, but Kurotsuchi had taken longer going through Kaze no Kuni specifically so that Konoha would be confident in their western border when it came time for her to march beyond it.

Granted, a few Chūnin weren't going to do much and it wasn't that unreasonable to have someone in the area- though they were a bit far east for a regular patrol of the western border- the problem was that her Suna tagalongs were terribly eager and in their exuberance they'd nearly lost one of the Chūnin. That was unacceptable, they had to ensure Konoha didn't hear anything about this for as long as possible.

Which led to a further problem because if this group of Chūnin was supposed to be here there was a good chance they were expected to be checking in and reporting regularly. Now that they were no longer amongst the living that was going to be rather difficult.

She had no idea when their next check-in was, either, nor did she know how long Konoha would stay their hand after the missed check-in before investigating. Before Akatsuchi's attack they would probably be lax enough to give anywhere from six to twelve hours for a missed check-in but with the conflict up north they were bound to be on alert for such occurrences.

They would probably be lucky to get an hour's grace before someone was sent out to check on them and while they could kill them too- assuming it wasn't a Hyuuga who saw them from a mile away and rushed back to Konoha before the Iwa Shinobi had the slightest of chances to detect them- it would still confirm an issue here in the south. At most it would buy another four hours or so which was less than ideal but she'd have to work with what she had.

Of course, for all she knew this group of Shinobi had a Hyūga in their midst and the others had been a distraction to help them put some distance between them and the Iwa forces. She really hoped not and that the only reason the Konoha Shinobi had stayed was because they'd only seen the advancing Suna Shinobi initially and were caught surprised- and mostly surrounded- by the Iwa Shinobi behind them.

Chances for that were actually rather decent, so she wasn't worried too much about an additional Shinobi who may or may not have been there. What she needed to worry about was any other groups of Shinobi they may run into and keeping the Suna Shinobi from charging in and alerting them too quickly.

Either way, they were going to have to pick up the pace if she wanted to reach Kagayaku Machi with minimal resistance.

It might even be worth splitting off small groups from her forces to clean up any settlements they passed and rejoin afterwards. It would cut down her initial manpower some but speed up their procession quite a bit. With how tightly linked her success was to reaching the capital quickly she was giving it quite a lot of thought.

'Temporarily sacrifice some of our offensive might in exchange for speed in hopes of striking while they're still unaware or continue at our current pace with all the manpower I have available but risk Konoha or the Hi no Kuni Samurai having forewarning of our attack?'

They both had their pros and cons but this decision would be the difference between a swift or a hard-fought victory for her forces and determine just how well they could support Akatsuchi's forces afterwards.

Unfortunately she didn't know which one was which.

Why couldn't these decisions be easier?

"For you, Doto-Sama." The manila envelope wasn't the traditional form of communication for the elemental nations- that honor belonging to scrolls- but his brother had switched to them many years ago for most of Yuki no Kuni's internal communications and over the last decade or so many groups around the world had started the same. It was just so much less bulky and cumbersome and there was no waste if a message didn't take up an entire scroll. As of yet, Doto had never heard of a single scroll that had been used entirely for any official purpose. He was sure someone out there utilized some as scratch paper to record notes or to aid in quick calculations but none of those were ever passed on and he was fairly certain the parts that were used were tossed as soon as they were no longer useful.

He couldn't imagine anyone keeping them, it wouldn't serve any purpose as far as he could tell.

Accepting the large, folder-sized envelope he made note that it had already been opened and cleared by his Samurai as safe. The envelope itself was tilted over and a folder slid easily into his waiting hand. The first thing he noticed in the folder was the picture securely paperclipped to an invoice he recognized.

His eyes narrowed. That was the bill he'd passed on to Nami no Kuni for his missing train. He couldn't help but note the fact that there was no sort of payment with it which had him frowning. A few seconds taking in the picture, however, had that frown deepening significantly.

That was his train and standing before it was a group of people he didn't entirely recognize.

At first.

"...Senju Tsunade?" He mumbled, taking in the busty blonde giving the camera a vicious grin. And if that was her…he squinted at the tall, pale man with yellow eyes and a smile that threatened to swallow you whole. No one could quite agree on what the infamous Snake Sannin looked like these days but he was willing to bet that was him. "Yashagorō Orochimaru…."

And next to each of them- Doto reeled back slightly as he took in the black cloaks with red clouds. Akatsuki? He didn't know the blond one- though anyone in an Akatsuki cloak was bound to be trouble- but that red-haired one seemed familiar. A name didn't come to him but a certainty that this one was especially dangerous did.

Between the four were a half-dozen individuals wearing armor halfway between that of a Samurai and Yuki's own Chakra armor. Was a train all Jugo had stolen or had they managed to create something similar on their own?

Finally, as if to mock him, a massive armored monstrosity stood behind the entire group, nearly level with the top of the train. It was obviously some sort of armor and he could see the individual encapsulated safely in the torso but the size of it made him worried. If that was also a form of Chakra armor and they had made proper use of the available space they'd have in such a huge form…..

He had not missed the Kunai launchers mounted above each shoulder, either. He usually needed trains to utilize such weapons but if they had those working….

The Daimyo of Yuki no Kuni shuddered. The potential it represented was terrifying.

'And that,' He thought. 'Was probably the point.'

Four S-rank Shinobi, a demonstration that they didn't just have some of his armor but obviously possessed the capabilities to reproduce this version of theirs as much as they required, and an adaptation his own engineers hadn't even considered served as an ample show of force. There was no doubt in his mind that this was a threat and, as much as it galled him to admit it, a potent one at that.

"Try it," A note on the other side of the front begged him. "And we'll be happy to take everything else from you too."

Yuki may have been the most technologically advanced country in the elemental nations but their population was rather small compared to the rest and for as small as Nami was- really, it was tiny- they possessed a disproportionate number of Shinobi thanks to the presence of the Wolves. A country as small as Nami would never have been able to support such a large number of trained soldiers otherwise.

If they really could outfit all those Wolves with any sort of working Chakra armor he wouldn't stand a chance.

Perhaps disturbing sleeping dogs had been a poor plan and discretion was the better part of valor.

A pity he wouldn't be able to collect for that train.

Only briefly did he consider sending them a much more reasonable bill for the train, perhaps citing a typo in the invoice, but that idea was quickly discarded. He didn't want to be giving them any sort of excuse to make good on their promise.

As Wolves he knew they were only too eager to strip his country to the bones.

It was best to keep from offering them a tempting target.

Sometimes the ability to utilize Naruto's sealscape for meetings was almost too easy Mai mused as she glanced down at the large map representing Hi no Kuni and its immediate neighbors. Because this was the domain of Karura- or, at least, Naruto had set it aside for the Tanuki. She was pretty sure Naruto was the ultimate authority here, even if only because Karura would do anything he instructed her to- the Ichibi was able to adjust it to suit their needs which was more than a little convenient.

It was unfortunate that they couldn't actually bring anything from the physical world in with them, though, because it meant existing maps and reports couldn't be brought in and poured over.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

Naruto had gathered competent associates to manage his other children and it hadn't taken them long to recall that any Kage-Bunshin the Biju made from their own Chakra was just that- a clone. Not just that, but the Biju-clones were still able to speak into the sealscape which included the real Biju. It was still a bit slow but they could convey information without anyone else having to leave.

That's why three Karuras currently sat around Mai's office, looking over maps and reports and trying to pass them on to the original who, with the help of Mito- who had nothing better to be doing at the time- produced copies within the seal. Karura was busy with the reports so everyone in the council- were they a council? It felt like the right word for them- could look them over for themselves while Mito's focus was translating the information to accurate troop movement on the map.

Not that there was much at the moment but she had been the one to correct Karura's original attempt at a map. As it so happened Mito was much more well versed with the elemental nations and their borders than Mai would have given the Biju credit for. That wasn't something she would have expected a sentient mass of Chakra to concern themselves with and she had only barely managed to refrain from asking the fox-woman why it was she possessed that oddly specific knowledge.

They had more important things to be focusing on, she'd just have to remember to ask later.

Mai watched as miniature wolves- actual wolves, rather than Tsukuyomi's similarly named forces- were moved into place on the map near Hi no Kuni's east coast to await the next report of their progress for more accurate placement. As Mai had only given the order some minutes before it was as good a guess as any for their current location. There was, in fact, a rather large chance they hadn't left Hanahime yet as they gathered supplies for their latest mission.

A scattering of tiny figurines painted red- a mix of armored Samurai and cloth-concealed Shinobi- and brown were brought into existence near the north-western corner of the map. They didn't have any solid figures or reliable sources of information in that area, all they had to go off was the fact that Hi no Kuni forces- Shinobi and Samurai alike- were in conflict with Tsuchi no Kuni Shinobi.

Though now that Konoha was in the area the Samurai were probably retreating to better protect the capital and the Daimyo who resided there.

If it wouldn't seem too forward- and suspicious- she would entertain the thought of inviting Iroh to come make use of the small palace- Gato's former mansion- he had here on the edge of Hanahime until this mess was settled. It would be much safer for him, there was no doubt about that, but Mai could recognize the fact that she was only able to say that because she knew the Wolves had no intention of doing anything to the man.

She doubted he would be quite so certain of their intentions.

Which reminded her, she needed to send word to him before he assumed the worst about Wolves tearing through southern Hi no Kuni to reinforce the western border. The last thing she needed was for Iroh to think the House of Wolves was trying to use this opportunity to move against him.

….Then again, maybe she should reach out to Naruto and double check that he didn't want that. They were being handed a rather unique opportunity here, after all, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste if he was already planning to take out Iroh at some point in the future.

Maybe she'd send Isobu off to go visit her daddy and ask, that should keep the turtle out of trouble for a bit too.

Now if only she could keep 'daddy' out of trouble.

Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 166-B "Go Naruko"

Patron Release 2022.11.07

Well, that had been easier than he'd expected. He knew Akishi's presence would be an incredible aid in convincing the Hyūga of Aū's glory and with Hinata's help it shouldn't have been too hard to claim she also served great Aū.

But there was a difference between 'too hard' and 'too easy' and this was leaning towards the latter so much that he was actually a little concerned. Had he overestimated the Hyūga's resistance to the change or was their faith so…malleable?

That was probably being a little too generous, honestly, but he couldn't think of a nice way to describe how easily they had been swayed to believing what he needed them too.

He glanced back to the center of the gardens where Hinata was having her hair brushed by Akishi and the Ak'Gyun in question was having a collection of flowers added to her own by several of the younger Hyūga. They had really taken a shine to the half-serpent. Hell, the whole clan had. He wasn't sure if it was the divinity Hinata claimed the woman possessed- which wasn't exactly a lie- or if something about her appearance or personality simply resonated with the large clan.

Purple eyes moved from the small group kneeling in the grass to the mass of Hyūga who were maintaining a respectful distance but paying the utmost attention to Akishi's sibilant words as she recounted the history of Aū's children in the mortal world.

Making a note that he should seek out a mirror of exceptional quality if he ever needed a gift for Elder Aba'ri, he turned from the garden and headed back inside.

They had accepted her easily enough but it was still going to take time to teach them all to the point where they would be able to spread the faith of Aū on their own. Once that was done, well, he'd have to see what else needed his attention. Maybe another visit to Oni no Kuni to check on their progress and then locating other possible sites for temples. The more places it was originating from the easier it would spread.

Maybe Kaze no Kuni or one of the island countries would be best for the next one.

Kin had known that she and her team were going to find themselves spending quite some time in Kumogakure because of the Chūnin exams. Arriving a week before the first task, knowing the second task in Konoha had taken about a week, and then expecting a month break that she wasn't going to bother returning to any Oto outpost for before finally getting to the final exam she had been prepared for two months in the mountains that raised so high they seemed to be islands in a sea of clouds.

Kumogakure no Sato, indeed.

Only, she thought she'd be participating in the exam or at least maintaining her training, not sitting around a hotel room because they- and presumably every other non-Kumo team- had been restricted from moving about the village.

Obviously Kumo was up to something, but she had known that since Konoha pulled their own teams. Maybe they had seen this coming and decided to bounce before they were stuck too but Kin had a feeling they were probably more involved than that.

And if Kumo and Konoha were both involved in something it didn't really bode well for the rest of the world. While it wasn't quite as bad as Konoha and Iwa, those two had never really gotten along.

Which meant there was probably a Shinobi War about to erupt.

Lovely.

Part of her wondered if they should be trying to escape Kumo and return to either Otogakure or head over to Nami to support Tsukuyomi. If Konoha was becoming involved with something it would drag in Hi no Kuni and as allies and members of the Imperial Fire Court she was sure Nami no Kuni was going to end up involved to some degree too.

Even if they weren't, she had a hard time imagining Naruto not making some sort of move during a global conflict. The opportunities it could present were simply too much to ignore completely.

Of course, that would require them to get out of Kumogakure and that seemed….unlikely. Even assuming a large majority of Kumogakure's Shinobi had already departed to wherever they were going- to do whatever it was they were up to this time- there would still be a significant force remaining to defend Kumo in their absence. It wouldn't be all that much against the might of one of their rivals- such as Konoha- but they would still have the home field advantage and Kin's team was in no way equal to the military might of Konoha. They were, at most, three Tokujō and a proper -albeit unranked- Jōnin.

They could cause significant damage, sure, but that was hardly her goal.

Unless they could get in contact with some of the other villages. Each one had sent their team with a Jōnin- as was tradition- so there were a handful of other foreign Jōnin around who might be persuaded to aid in the escape attempt if it meant their Genin teams had a shot of getting back home.

Unfortunately Kin didn't actually know where the others were- presumably in the same hotel, though probably not near any other team for security reasons- and even if she did she had no real way to communicate with them.

When she got back she was going to find some supplemental Jutsu for her and Dosu. Being able to shatter rock with your hands was great and all but as these past few days proved it was hardly appropriate for all situations.

Though Wakamono-Sensei might argue otherwise.

With a sigh she flopped back onto her bed.

At least Kumo was putting them up in one of their premier resort hotels for the time being, probably to placate the minor villages that they didn't want to have to keep an eye on or drive to opposing sides of their latest conflict.

It was rather unfortunate that they were limited to their rooms, as spacious as they were, because she heard the view from the Onsen at this resort was incredible.

Well, if nothing else, at least their house arrest was keeping Anko out of trouble, though she had a feeling the woman would be driving them all crazy if they were stuck in here for too much longer. Kin grimaced at the thought. Maybe finding some way to escape was for the best, she didn't want to spend the next month and a half- or longer- trapped with a bored Anko.

That was just asking for mischief and Anko was always more than happy to oblige.

Genma was….frustrated. That was probably the best word to describe it at the moment. Even knowing that only part of Iwa's forces were rooted in the nearby minor countries- or perhaps, in part, because he knew it was only part of Iwa's total strength and had to worry about where the rest of them were and what the rock-heads were up to- Konoha Shinobi were having a devil of a time pushing them back.

With a very much expected proficiency of Doton techniques, Iwa Shinobi were able to easily travel beneath the battleground and launch surprise attacks at Konoha's flank leaving the Leaf-nin to little more than reactionary measures against what had been the aggressors in this conflict. Their strange behavior in falling back and fortifying their positions didn't make any sense and the lack of their full forces had Genma absolutely positive they were up to something his scouts hadn't been able to find.

But perhaps that wasn't being completely honest about the situation. While Konoha was mostly reactionary at the moment, ensuring Iwa could not push forward, they were not entirely reactionary. Beyond maintaining fires that covered a good portion of the battleground that now engulfed the borders between Hi no Kuni and the surrounding minor countries- Iwa Shinobi were more than welcome to pop their heads out of the ground and into that inferno, the fucking gophers- Konoha Shinobi had also taken the time to bury some…gifts…for the people of Tsuchi no Kuni.

Uzu no Kuni had been the center of the Fuinjutsu world before its fall and while a vast majority of the art had been lost with it their old allies of Konoha in Hi no Kuni had taken up their position as the foremost Sealing experts of the world. They didn't even scratch the surface of what Uzu no Kuni could do with them but as far as any other country was concerned Konoha was the last bastion of the Sealing Arts.

What that meant in this case was that their explosive notes were much more effective than those of the other major- or minor- villages and should one compare the quantities possessed by Konoha against the rest of the world combined it could still be claimed that Konoha had access to explosive notes without number. Konoha had never needed an answer to Iwagakure's Bakuha Butai because every single one of their regular Shinobi held the same potential when properly outfitted.

Granted, most of Konoha's Shinobi were not normally outfitted with such a surplus of Explosive Notes that they could match Iwa's Explosion Corps in sheer destructive capability and neither were Konoha Shinobi often trained to specialize in identifying structural weak points and analyze global supply chains to ensure maximum efficiency in disrupting enemy operations with every attack- the Bakuha Butai were specialists, after all - so as much as Konoha could match them with sheer damage they didn't have the same expertise.

The same could be said of Iwa in this case. Not Fuinjutsu users themselves and not as used to utilizing Explosive Notes as Konoha Shinobi- in other villages explosive notes were hard to come by, they couldn't just toss them about like Konoha Shinobi who had such a surplus that they were handed out with orders of curry- Iwa didn't really have a way to disable - or even detect-set explosive notes in the ground.

So Konoha had busied itself digging.

A lot.

What had once been a natural border between Hi no Kuni and Taki no Kuni- Hi no Kuni's sparse farmlands leading into the rocky forests of Taki's southern territory- was already reduced to a battlefield within a matter of days due to the skirmishes of Iwa and Konoha.

Now that battlefield was also a minefield.

The only difficult part was ensuring there were no Konoha Shinobi too close to the tags when they were set off which wasn't as easy as it sounded. If Konoha stood in safe areas then Iwa would simply burrow directly beneath them and avoid the tags entirely. With their ability to create earthen spikes without having to surface immediately meant Konoha Shinobi would be vulnerable to being skewered.

Instead, Konoha had to scatter their forces evenly across the field including directly over set explosive notes. Their tracking teams helped tremendously in getting out of the way- especially the Hyūga Shinobi- but even they could only do so much when the battlefield was entirely saturated in old and active chakra alike.

And as far as Genma was concerned there was nothing worse than blowing themselves up just to take out a few rock-rats so he was frustrated.

In fact, he was quickly reaching a point where he was a single step away from being beyond frustrated.

So when a deluge of Raiton Jutsu flooded the battlefield, feeding into the earth and catching Iwa Shinobi who poured forth from the stone in an effort to avoid it he was only pleased for a single second-

Because the Raiton Jutsu was hitting his Shinobi too.

Apparently Kumogakure had been starting to feel a bit left out.

"Ah, found you, you little slut!" Dosu blinked, trying to understand what was happening when a cloaked woman pushed her way past him into their hotel room and launched herself at a suddenly panicking Anko.

'Did she just call Anko-Sensei a slut?' He found himself wondering. What was more impressive was the fact that Anko didn't seem bothered by that. Of course, the woman had announced herself as 'Sexy Crazy Bitch-Sensei' so for all Dosu knew she liked being called a slut.

Or maybe it was just a form of endearment reserved for the woman's close friends.

"No, get off me you fucking nympho!" Anko fought against the new woman but seemed to be losing more than just the struggle as pieces of her clothing flew into the air and scattered around the common room of the suite. "Your succubus-ass is supposed to be with Naruto-Kun!"

"You thought I would let my favorite toy get away?" The woman asked, amused. "Not on your lovely tits, girl."

Dosu closed the door- very careful not to make any noise that might draw the women's attention away from…whatever it was they were doing…and reached down to pinch his leg.

Nope, not dreaming. There was a woman straddling what was probably a mostly-naked Anko in the middle of the room.

Unfortunately the cloak of the stranger had also settled over a majority of Anko's form hiding her from view. Or, at least, from Dosu's view. From the way the new woman was peering down at her catch he would put money on her own view not being obstructed.

He didn't really know what was going on but what Dosu did know was that he didn't want it to stop.

This Chuunin exam was already leagues better than the last. Kumo really should host every year if this was the result.

After spending months working at a single mission- though, admittedly, Jūgo had gone far above and beyond what he'd actually been instructed to accomplish during his stay in Yuki no Kuni- it was rather amazing just how quickly Tsukuyomi- or at least some of his agents- had been able to secure a house outside Nami no Kuni for them.

If it had been somewhere like Konoha itself- where rumors said the Wolves had started and, thus, were bound to still have plenty of connections- or even Hi no Kuni's capital Kagayaku Machi where the Wolves' status as members of the Imperial Court could be leveraged to quickly obtain a dwelling it wouldn't be nearly as impressive. Instead, a home had been found in southern Yu no Kuni.

To be fair, that was somewhere the Wolves were already working on spreading their influence from what he understood, it just wasn't a place that was publicly controlled by the Wolves. It also wasn't far from Hi no Kuni where they did hold influence. The small town of Sekken had been established right on the border of the two countries and over the years spread in either direction. Its encroachment into Fire soil was less than its growth in Yu no Kuni, to be sure, but at this point one could reasonably say that Sekken was a town shared by both countries.

It was a good thing Yu no KUni maintained amicable relationships with all of its neighbors and the greater villages- a must considering they didn't actually train their own Shinobi these days- or there may have been some contention over Sekken's dominion.

Iroh could have easily used it to take a bite out of Yu no Kuni territory by claiming the whole thing- and a respectable boundary around the village- as Hi no Kuni land. As it was, Konoha Shinobi enjoyed a majority employment throughout Yu no Kuni which brought more money to Konoha and, in turn, more money to Hi no Kuni. The Fire Daimyo was thus content to let things be for now and unless something happened it would probably stay that way for the foreseeable future.

But the fact that a house had been chosen that straddles two countries the Wolves had dealings in was not lost to Juugo- nor was the proximity to both Yu no Kuni's capital or Nami itself something he had missed.

Tsukuyomi had made it clear that he still expected to make use of Jūgo in his plans, especially when it came to the railways he was having built.

Having been the one to oversee the projects- though at this point he was more of a consultant while Ganju actually directed things now that he understood what he was doing for the most part- Jūgo was also keenly aware that there was a rail line that traveled along Hi no Kuni's coast all the way up to Yu no Kuni's capital.

And what would you know? It just so happened to pass directly under this village. What a strange coincidence. Surely it was also a coincidence that one of the rooms in the house- a room that had been made absurdly secure from everywhere except the intended entrance- led down to that very railway so that Jūgo could easily travel down and catch a ride to either the Yu no Kuni or Nami station.

Again, Jūgo found it amazing how quickly things had been put together for this.

Kari was just pleased that their new home was directly on the beachfront and the property extended down to the water. It may not have been the warm waters of the Hangari Gulf, Kanashii Ocean, or Kaijuu Ocean but the waters of the south Kaizoku Sea were much more inviting than the cold of the Haran Bay just on the other side of Yu no Kuni or the Hokubu Ocean that covered the entirety of the upper northern hemisphere where it was broken only by Yuki no Kuni and the odd icefloat.

It was pleasantly refreshing, Jūgo thought, though brisk was also an apt description of the clear waters.

He didn't mind it and Kari seemed pleased enough. In the end, that's all that really mattered.

"So does getting us this house mean I'm not sleeping on the couch tonight?" He asked his older lover, one orange brow rising with his question.

"Of course not," She quickly dismissed his hope of avoiding that particular punishment. "You ran off without telling me anything, you're damn lucky I bothered to come after you."

He really was and they both knew it.

"...But it does mean you won't have to sleep on the couch alone."

Oh, well, that wasn't too bad. He'd have to remember to thank Tsukuyomi the next time he saw him.

With Sakura…somewhere- the girl's own mother didn't actually know where her daughter had gone, only that a group of Wolves had shown up asking for her and the Kunoichi had left with them- and Kakashi more than happy to not be training his team, Naruko wasn't left with anything team seven related. No missions and no training. Normally that would mean training with her mother instead but Kushina seemed to finally be making headway in strengthening the position of the Uzumaki clan now that the Yamanaka had been cut loose so Naruko was loath to disturb her.

This was- excluding her tricking Karura to commit to her family's presence for dinner- one of Kushina's only victories in the recent years. Naruko was going to let the woman have it.

Naturally if her mother was occupied by clan business that would mean it was the perfect time for Naruko to likewise focus on clan matters but she'd already worked something out with Ino for the Yamanaka- Naruko had definitely gone easy on them because as far as she was concerned the Yamanaka had been through enough and the Uzumaki coffers didn't really need the money they'd spent on the younger clan back anytime soon. It was really more of a token than anything- there was nothing that would benefit from her direct attention.

She supposed she could spend time with her mother observing her work in the spirit of being trained to take up headship of the Uzumaki but it looked like today was mostly going through correspondence from old Hi no Kuni investments and writing letters to those here in Konoha who could make use of those ties.

Necessary, yes, but also completely boring and it didn't give Naruko anything to do.

Not that she was doing anything now, she reminded herself as she wandered down Konoha's main road. She really should head to an empty training ground and work on something- anything- instead of aimlessly strolling through the village. Beyond purely physical exercises, however, there wasn't much she could do to improve all by herself.

Maybe she should ask Mito what clone technique she used to make herself a physical body, it seemed solid enough that Naruko was sure she could somehow incorporate it into training even if it was only to have it throw Kunai her way to block and dodge.

She briefly considered heading into the seal to spend time with Mito- some company was better than none- but she didn't think the fox would appreciate her unannounced- and uninvited- appearance in her personal space. Maybe she could invite her out into Konoha and they could find something to do together? Beyond the possibility of that clone, Mito could model any clothing she could think of which put a brand new spin on window shopping.

They could probably amuse themselves for a few hours 'trying on' various styles without actually having to change. Well, Mito could with each clone. Naruko would have to settle with either a henge- which she was sure the shopkeeps wouldn't appreciate- or the old fashioned way of actually stripping down and wearing whatever caught her eye.

That sounded like way too much work at the moment.

Before she could make good on her new afternoon plans, however, a familiar red caught her eye.

'Kaa-san?' was her first thought and not without good reason. Seeing long red hair as its owner was sat on a stool at the Ichiraku stand was a common enough occurrence here in Konoha- her mother was their number one customer, after all- but her mother was usually not dressed in purple robes and she didn't have a black blade strapped along the small of her back either.

"Naruto?" She queried, questioning both the individual and her own vision as she stepped into the stand. The young Daimyo in question turned slightly on his stool to better face her though he was currently occupied by his lunch; one hand holding the bowl up at neck level while the other used a pair of chopsticks to deftly guide the noodles into his mouth.

He made a sound in response which could have been 'yes', 'what', or perhaps just a grunt to acknowledge the fact that he was being spoken to. With his mouth full it was a bit hard to tell. Regardless, it seemed to confirm the fact that it really was the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni sitting at the Ichiraku ramen stand here in Konoha.

She did wonder if he'd bothered to come in through one of the gates this time but that was eclipsed by curiosity as to whether this was the original or just one of the clones he was fond of using. She didn't remember any popping out of the seal on her abdomen anytime recently but there was no telling who else here in Konoha might be capable of allowing him through. He had, after all, brought that Suna Kunoichi with him to the family dinner. She was assuming that meant he was able to create a Bunshin anywhere that Kunoichi was. Likewise, she supposed, the Suna Kunoichi- Temari- could probably make a Bunshin anywhere Naruto was too.

Probably.

That really wasn't important right now though, and- come to think of it- whether this Naruto was a clone or not didn't matter much either. The real question was what they were doing. So she asked.

"What are you doing here?"

His purple eyes- had they always been so bright?- looked pointedly down at the steaming contents of his bowl and he lifted it slightly in emphasis as they flickered back up to meet her blue. One of his scarlet eyebrows rose in a delicate arch to silently question why she would even need to ask.

The Uzumaki heiress rolled her eyes at the answer. "Not here as in Ichiraku's," She clarified. "What are you doing here in Konoha?"

He finished off his noodles with a slurp and raised his bowl at her again. "I'm having lunch."

"You expect me to believe you came all the way to Konoha just for lunch?" She found herself crossing her arms and raising a golden brow.

"No." Naruto shrugged and caught the eye of a returning Ayame. "But for great ramen and Ichiraku hospitality it would be worth the trip." He winked at the young woman and proceeded to finish off his broth, missing both the dusting of pink on Ayame's cheeks and Naruko's decidedly unamused expression.

"So what, other than lunch, brings you all the way to Konoha?"

"Would you believe a religious pilgrimage?" Was his counter question.

"No."

He gave another shrug. "Then let's just say I've come to admire the taste of ramen and the pretty young woman who serves it."

"...The taste of the pretty young woman who serves it?"

"...That's not what I meant and you know it, Naruko." He turned his attention back to a now very red Ayame. "But if the young woman is amenable to the idea….."

With a squeak Ayame fled to the relative safety offered by the back of the stand.

"Oh well, guess my afternoon is still free then."

"Do you seriously have nothing better to do at the moment that you've just decided to pop into Konoha?" It sounded absurd but she had been just wandering around the village minutes earlier so she was hardly in a position to criticize.

He rocked his hand back and forth, the palm down, and nearly lost his chopsticks "Eh, yes and no. I have things to do in Konoha but none of it needs my attention right now so I'm just wasting time until I'm needed again. Akishi and Hinata have everything well in hand for the moment, no reason to steal their thunder."

"...So it's something to do with the Hyuuga?"

"Yes?" His empty bowl was set back on the counter. "Do you have nothing better to do than to try guessing what it is that I'm not doing at the moment?"

"Well if someone's Wolves hadn't stolen away my sparring partner…."

Naruto blinked. "Oh, that's right, Sakura's off with Akunaki's group, isn't she?"

"I wouldn't know." Naruko found herself in the unfortunate position where she wanted to fold her arms but they were already crossed. She settled for squeezing them for a second instead. "Her mother only knew they were Wolves and didn't have any idea where they were going or what they were doing."

There was an unasked question there and Naruto chose to indulge it.

"Well they should be in Mizu no Kuni about now, probably close to Kirigakure…or, well, what's left of Kirigakure."

"Oh, gee, I wonder whose fault that is."

He waved her comment off, unconcerned. "And speaking of Kirigakure or what's left of it, I did mention that I'm paying for Haku's mission in Namihime right?"

"That may have come up. Why?"

Naruto used his chopsticks to point towards her stomach. "You know how we come out of the seal? She has one. Used it to take Karura out for a date night in Namihime last week." Speaking of which, he should probably do that again soon. He wasn't doing anything here anyway so he should take advantage of the free time to make sure she got her date this week.

On second thought, she might appreciate a family outing more. They could pop over this afternoon and do something, maybe a movie? He'd run the idea by her in a bit.

"Wait, she has a seal? Does that mean I can talk to her in the seal now?"

Naruto blinked. "Well, yes, but I think you're missing the important part."

"Which is?"

"Your clone can now visit her." He waited a beat and when she didn't immediately grasp the implications he elaborated. "You know, physically."

Understanding struck her widening blue eyes and a pretty blush soon followed. "Oh."

"Thought you might like that. If you don't know the clone technique I'm sure Mito can teach you. Just remember that you need to use someone else's Chakra for your consciousness to move over- Mito, Karura, or Isobu are your options, we've not tried it with another human's- otherwise you'll just be sending over a clone." He paused. "Not that sending over a clone would be a bad thing, it just might not be what you want."

"And I could teach Haku so she could visit me, too."

"If you like. It's a Konoha Kinjutsu, so try not to get caught. You'll probably get in trouble for knowing it and they may start asking questions you can't really answer. A Genin like you shouldn't be able to access the Forbidden Scroll after all."

"...Wait, how do you know it if it's a Konoha Kinjutsu?"

"My godfather likes to spoil me." He shrugged. Naruko wasn't actually sure what he meant by that. Was he talking about Jiraiya? If so, why hadn't the old toad given her the Kinjutsu already?

"Well, I should probably get going before Asuma realizes I've snuck into his village again. Have fun with the seal."

He stood up to leave, a few bills on the counter covering his meal and a generous tip, but his sister stopped him before he could make his way out of the stall.

"Hey, you can put that seal on anybody, right?"

"Pretty sure, yeah."

"So you could give Ino one too?"

A red brow steadily rose. "Yes, I could."

"Would you please?"

It was already getting kind of crowded in his head but at this point what was one more? Besides, it could prove useful at some point. Maybe.

"Sure, just don't get mad at me if your girlfriend picks a spot for it that requires her to remove her clothes for me."

He was expecting some sort of denial or outrage, not the large blush that spread over his sister's face.

Oh. Well, he hadn't seen that coming. Not that he could blame Naruko for her tastes, Ino had already been well on her way to becoming a fine young woman when he left Konoha.

It did make him wonder how Haku fit into things, though.

On second thought, considering Naruko was his sister, maybe he shouldn't be pondering that all too much. Those thoughts weren't going to lead anywhere even remotely appropriate.

Still-

'Go Naruko.'

Sekkan - Soap. Wanted something bath/onsen themed for a town mostly in Yu no Kuni but my first choice of towel was, apparently, not a word native to the Japanese language. From what I was able to find- granted, I was looking it up on my phone while at work and I'm absolutely pants with phones for some reason. Give me a good keyboard and mouse any day- towels were introduced to Japan by Europe sometime shortly after the Meiji period.

Assuming I'm remembering what I read correctly. I can't be bothered to look it up again.

I should probably mention this before it comes up but Orochimaru is utilizing a Henge in the picture (Doto's Scene) so that he would be more easily recognized. Having Sasuke there wouldn't provide nearly the same impact.

My gratitude to my patrons and their patience. Thank you all for your continued support.

Lord Generals

Cephalon Keeper, Michael Huber, B4NH4MM3R, Jacklefrackle

Lord Marshals

Ronji, MythicFool, Pope Gregory Trivium III, Luxano,

Lord Majors

The SHARP fox, Malte Krain, StayFrosty, Noah, Alex Robb, Jeremy Webb, Jamel, McKinzie, Tjk9399, Raymond Saragian, magicheart 0, Gamer91, Marcothephoenix, Xerxes8796

Lord Commissars

Tim Keizer, Daron Smith, gabriel reynoso, Romulan, Shi_no_Kage, Whatzzzzzzzup, Nick Payne, Christopher, Desertgem1, Liam Kearney, TormisD92, Sedition, Michael Vargas

Lord High-Inquisitor

Janus

Lord Inquisitors

Angel Morales, 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, Brandon Romero, MB, Brandon, LoneSaiyan, Para, Nekrull DeUmbrus, Jennifer carpenter, HKaz, Pantheras, MasterT941, J. G., Tyrell2000, Gobo, June Tai, james escobedo, Sebastiaan asselbergs, James, TheGreatBubbaJ, TheAbsoluteMonarch, Polo Pannini, JonCotterill, Zack Crum, SMatatabi, Theepicslime, Matthew Smith, Wrex, DamnedThrice, DualEquinox, Carl Confoy, James Fleming, Sivellan, Marin Dimovski, J. G., Matiu Patuwai, DARKAR

Until I next have your attention, I remain,

-Eyazahrid