Damn, twenty-six chapters already. I can't believe how fast time is flying. More than that, however, I can't believe that we should be breaking 200k words with chapter XXX. 100K felt like a lot to me but it looks like I'm going to have to get used to it. At this rate I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we pushed 400 or even 500k. Though I have to admit I'd be very happy to be finished with this story by 300k. Maybe I can split it into two parts or something?
Other than that there isn't much to say beyond the usual thanks to ncpfan for all his help with the story.
Let's begin, shall we?
It had been months, many months, in fact, it had been well over a year, and yet she had absolutely nothing of value to show for it. Sure, it had paid well and she had been able to train to get back up to- and a bit past- her old skill level, but that's not what she had wanted.
She had to be the worst spy ever because despite her cover there was nothing for her to actually spy on.
At this point she had little more than names for the members of this organization and who knew how many underlings were in the village alone. She was certain there had to be spies of their own peppered throughout the world reporting anything even remotely interesting.
If the Daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni choked on his yakitori during lunch Pein would probably know about it. She doubted he really cared, but he would know none the less.
And while she'd like to deny it, that was pretty damn impressive, far more impressive than her own work. Hell, she was supposed to know more than any save Pein and Zetsu and yet she had no idea why they were supposed to be capturing Biju. If Pein was to be believed it had something to do with world peace, but that was just ridiculous.
No, Zetsu had mentioned the Juubi, the original Biju, but even then what was the point? Madara, or at least the bastard who claimed to be him, was supposed to be resurrected later but once again no one had seen fit to inform her as to why.
She really couldn't see the point of bringing her into this plot in order to have yet another person working in the shadows of Akatsuki when no one would inform her of the work that needed to be done.
Briefly, she had to wonder if Zetsu was somehow unable to use the resurrection technique or if Madara just wanted an Uchiha to bring him back rather than a talking plant. She really wouldn't blame him for that reason.
Of course, it was just as likely, she supposed, that he didn't fully trust the plant to actually attempt to bring him back.
Like with many other things involved in this plan, she was completely ignorant as to why the two of them were working together and what their history was.
Fortunately, she could console herself with the thought that even if she did, she doubted Naruto would really be all that interested and, in the end, she had joined this group to keep an eye out for him.
So far it didn't look like they were going to be a direct threat to him unless they tried using him to draw out his sister but even then they had no real reason to kill him. Capturing him would draw her attention and keeping him alive might keep her complacent. Once they had her they really had no use for him anymore. Chances were pretty good that they would release him but even if it came down to it she could always step in and take him for her own.
Only Zetsu would protest that, and that was simply because he'd miss out on being able to devour his corpse.
But there wouldn't be a corpse, not while she drew breath, so Zetsu would have to look elsewhere if it ever came to that.
Then again, the entire point of this was to keep a situation like that from happening. For that to work, however, she had to keep him informed of their movements and therein lied one of her biggest problems-
They weren't doing anything!
A bounty here, a mission for a village there, nothing they did so far was for any purpose other than increasing the funding they had at their disposal.
'Oh, Naruto-Kun, we killed some fucker for money today, isn't that exciting?'
Like that would be of any real help to the boy.
No, she had absolutely nothing of real value to send to the boy. She could, however, supply the names and general goal- no matter how stupid it sounded- of those within the organization. She could probably supply a little about each one of their personalities and a bit about their motives, but even that would be mostly speculation.
It was still better than nothing, she supposed.
There was still the matter of getting him the letter but she could figure something out.
After all, just about anything was better than lying around the damn tower all day.
If there was one thing about Hyuuga Neji it was his belief in fate. Now, belief in fate wasn't unusual amongst the Hyuuga, they all, to some degree, believed in it just as they had for countless generations. For how could they have remained so strong for this long were it not their fate to do so?
No, his belief in fate was perfectly normal, it was, however, the degree to which he took those beliefs that set him apart from the others. Comparing Neji to even the most devout believer in fate was like comparing a fanatic zealot to someone who had never heard of such things as fate.
In his faith he had no equal.
That in itself was not a bad thing. In fact, the entirety of the main family found it to be rather beneficial and even in the branch such belief would not be frowned upon.
There was, however, another problem.
Neji didn't just believe in fate, he believed that he knew the will of fate.
Almost like some kind of prophet.
But he wasn't a prophet and everyone knew that.- everyone but him. Again, the main family benefited from this as his belief that it was their fate to lead him and his fellow members of the branch family kept him loyal, but he was not so accepted by the branch family.
There were plenty of whispers about him being the lapdog of the elders whenever he was out of earshot.
And most unfortunately, it was not just the branch family that whispered such.
However, as pathetic as this was to an outside observer, she found the arrangement suited her just fine when she came across him while wandering the halls of the compound.
"Neji." He bowed to her even before he saw her face. The voice alone had been more than enough to tell him who spoke.
"Hanabi-Sama." There was resentful poison in his words that she picked up on clearly enough and she found it difficult to keep from smirking at the pathetic creature before her. He was supposed to be a Hyuuga, noble and proud, and yet he was no more than a dog that sat by their feet. What's worse was that he had the potential to be like the other branch members who served with pride and dignity but the arrogance of his own beliefs held him back and bound him to those he hated most.
It served to amuse her to no end.
"Tell me, Neji, have you noticed anything strange with your fellow branch members lately?" His scowl grew larger at the reminder of his status but he answered nonetheless.
"I admit, they do seem to be acting oddly as of late."
"And you wouldn't happen to know why now, would you?"
"No, Hanabi-Sama. I would not." The response brought a slight frown to her lips. Neji wouldn't dare think to lie to any member of the main family, especially not her or her father, so he must have been speaking the truth. And here she was hoping it would be easier for her to figure out what was going on.
Perhaps that was wrong. It would still be just as easy, it would simply take longer.
"That's both unfortunate and unacceptable. Something isn't right and I want to know what. I'm leaving this to you Neji. Whatever other tasks you had before mean nothing now unless they come from the mouth of my father. I expect an explanation soon."
"Of course, Hanabi-Sama. Will that be all?" She gave a quick nod which he answered with a deep bow.
"Then by your leave."
As she watched him walk away she couldn't help but wonder if he would be the best person to use for such a task. He was loyal, certainly, but he was not ell received by those he would need to be near to uncover the truth she desired.
Perhaps one of the maids could be made to talk after a few activations of the cage bird seal.
It would certainly prove faster though, at the same time, that would make things far too easy for her cousin. She'd just have to save that plan for after he'd failed his task and been properly punished.
And if he actually managed to find out for her?
Well, he should know better than to keep her waiting, she'd just have to reteach him.
It had completely fallen apart and somewhere, deep down, Kushina knew she should have expected it. He had been right, of course, she didn't look into the situation anywhere near as deeply as she should have and instead jumped headfirst into the situation using only what she had heard from others.
They had all underestimated her son and because of it she had too.
And for that she deserved her failure with the Yamanaka, accepted it, and now she needed to go after those who had rally caused her family these problems. The Mindwalkers had been far too obvious and she saw that now. Even though Ino had seemed genuinely terrified by the thought of being given to Naruto and even more so when he dragged her into his lap, it was clear that the clan wasn't about to lift a finger against him and that he was perfectly comfortable with the broken clan.
Of course, if she couldn't blame the Yamanaka for her son's distance from his family and offering them to him wasn't going to repair the rift between them, then it would reason that someone else had been the cause of her divided family. To Kushina, there was only one person who really could have been to blame.
Senju fucking Tsunade.
She had left Naruto in Konoha trusting that the slug Sannin would keep an eye on his health and keep her informed. Instead the woman had remained silent and Naruto had not only ended up in the hospital twice but had managed to start a miniature war within Konoha.
And Kushina wanted answers.
The path to the Senju compound had been taken by her countless times and she didn't even need to think about her destination for her feet to take her there.
As it would seem, just in time, too.
Tsunade's apprentice, one Kato Shizune, was just leaving the compound when she arrived. Looking at a piece of paper in her hand- likely a shopping list- she didn't see Kushina vanish in a burst of speed to appear next to her holding open the gate.
"Good morning, Shizune-San." The way she spoke was cheerful but something about it put the startled medic on edge.
"Ah, Kushina-San! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She took a moment to notice how Kushina was keeping the compound gate from closing and gave an almost resigned sigh.
"That's fine, Shizune-San. Is Tsunade available?" The smile on her face was usually pleasant but it seemed distinctly malicious to the young woman today.
"She should be." Hesitating, she puzzled the situation over. She really should be helping Tsunade avoid the woman simply because Tsunade was her master but she had been avoiding this for far too long. The sooner the two of them got this over with the sooner they could focus on something important- like Naruto. Gods above the two of them seemed to forget what this was all actually about. "Why don't you just head on in. I'm sure she wouldn't mind seeing a familiar face after so long."
Kushina, understanding that the medic wasn't going to stop her- or attempt, anyway. She knew well enough that the woman stood no chance against her- gave a much more pleasant smile.
"I think I'll do just that. Have a pleasant day, Shizune-San. I would recommend taking a bit of time for yourself, Tsunade and I have a lot of…catching up to do." The last part was practically growled but Shizune made no mention of it.
"Ah, yes. I've been pretty busy lately, maybe I'll go visit some friends" And with that the apprentice of the slug Sannin quickly made her escape.
Kushina gave a pleased grin at the sight of the retreating medic. She had always thought she was a nice girl but after that she really liked the young woman. Maybe she could convince Tsunade to give her apprentice to Naruto in order to make amends. Shizune was an attractive young woman with a good head on her shoulders, having her close to her son would make it far easier to reenter her son's life.
Placing that thought with the other ideas that revolved around the return of her son, she instead focused back on the task at hand. Her smile once more became malicious. Oh yes, it was time for a little chat with Tsunade.
The compound gate closed behind her with a satisfying click and it took her almost no time to cross the stone path to the main building of the Senju compound. The main room and kitchen were, as expected, empty, but the office and bedroom where she expected to find a hungover Sannin were too. That, admittedly, was new. For as long as she had known the woman she was fallen asleep at her desk surrounded by empty bottles or had managed to make it to her bed- usually by Shizune's efforts, she would imagine- to sleep long into the morning.
Hopefully this simply meant that Tsunade was awake and not that she had managed to escape while she spoke with Shizune. If that was the case, however, she had to give props to the young medic for managing to seem cooperative as she actively acted against her.
She'd be upset with the girl, sure, but she'd still really like her. After all, there weren't many who would go against the matriarch of the Uzumaki clan, especially when they knew how outmatched they were. Yes, she'd be quite irritated, but her respect for Shizune would only be increased.
That thought, however, would prove to be pointless to peruse as stepping into the back garden allowed her to spot the woman she was seeking.
Legs folded beneath her, Tsunade sat calmly on the back porch as she stared at the Senju gardens. A drink, as expected, was in her hand, but what Kushina had trouble believing was the fact that it wasn't Sake. The Uzumaki couldn't remember ever seeing the woman drink anything else- even water- and yet here she sat with a cup of tea.
Temporarily her rage was replaced by a disbelieving confusion and she wondered briefly if she wasn't caught in some odd Genjutsu. A pulse of Chakra told here that this was real, she was dreaming, or she was in a Genjutsu she could never hope to break free from. She couldn't decide which thought brought the most comfort.
"I'm going to assume it's you, Kushina." Tsunade didn't turn to look at her but Kushina didn't need to see her face to feel the aura of defeat around the woman. Strangely, she suspected that the defeat the last Senju was feeling had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she had been found.
"It is." Her eyes had narrowed as she returned to the anger that bubbled beneath her skin. Dream, Genjutsu, or reality, it was the fault of this woman that she didn't have a son anymore. She immediately struck that thought from her head. She still had a son, he simply wasn't hers at the moment.
But she'd make sure that changed.
Soon.
Already it had been far too long since she had held her baby in her arms. Hell, it had been too long the day after they had left Konoha. Now, over four years later, there was nothing else she could think of that she desired more.
"Then this is probably about Naruto." The woman gave a deep sigh. "Probably should have asked Shizune to stick around, she's actually seen the kid."
Kushina's vision went red.
"You mean you haven't even seen him in the past four years?" The hiss that left her lips would have put Orochimaru and all his summons to shame.
"Not once." She didn't even attempt to deny it. "Shizune's met him a few times, I've heard. Supposedly they're on decent terms. It was only recently that I learned she knew him." A humorless chuckle escaped her throat. "I was angry at first, you know, I had thought she'd bring him here knowing that I needed to see him, but I can't blame her for not bringing him. Hell, can't blame him for not coming. Did I honestly expect him to not be suspicious of a Sannin who he had no known connections to wanting to meet him?"
Her blood continued to boil as the calmness of Tsunade drained the red from her vision. Idly, she made note that Naruto already had connections to Shizune and offering her as a gift was likely to go over just as well as the Yamanaka heiress had.
"So you didn't even look?"
Tsunade shook her head, still not turning to face the woman.
"No. I arrived a day late due to some collectors that were after me. By then Naruto was in the hospital and I didn't learn that for quite some time." She gave a snort. "It was actually because of Shizune that I learned that at all. I thought he was living in the compound until she made mention of a thief she had met while shopping."
"A thief?! My son was reduced to a fucking thief?!"
Another snort left Tsunade.
"Reduced? No, Shizune told me that the kid was damn skilled, a born Shinobi. She was impressed with him, I was terrified."
"And yet you sat here in the compound doing nothing." Accused Kushina. She was so used to the Sannin being quick to anger. Was simply being sober enough to keep her so calm when faced with an angry mother? As much as Kushina wanted to start screaming and attacking the woman she could not find it within herself to surrender to her rage when the most irritable of Sannin sat calmly before her.
"I acted then, but for all the good it did it might as well have been nothing. Kurenai and myself got into an argument, you know, about whose duty it was to look after the kid. In the end we decided that the kid could look after himself but needed someone to check up on him. Your plan, I believe. Kurenai was going to send him here to the compound when she found him so that he could live with us here. I wasn't going to baby him, wasn't even going to get close to him, but he would have been provided for."
"But he never stepped foot here, did he?"
"No. I don't actually know what happened on Kurenai's side, I haven't spoken to her since." Tsunade admitted.
"I can't fucking believe you. He's your godson! How can you sit there so calmly and tell me you did nothing to help him?!"
"Because it's the truth. I should have checked up on him and then left him to his own devices, but I didn't. Every day I put it off my guilt grew just a little bit and I drank more to compensate. By the time I realized it I had drunk away years."
"I could have accepted that." Kushina growled. "It would have been better than nothing, but you didn't even give him a fucking checkup! That was the entire reason I wanted you here, to make sure he was okay!"
"He wasn't." Those two words were enough to make Kushina freeze. The next sent her to her knees. "Your leaving made it worse."
"W-what?" No, it couldn't be. She refused to believe it. She left to protect him from the Kyuubi's chakra and the harmful effects it may have had on his Chakra System.
"It was too late to stop him from being affected, it always was. Two years ago he went through chakra withdrawal and Yakushi Kabuto examined him. Apparently being conceived in a Jinchuriki caused his body to be dependent on the chakra of the Kyuubi."
"N-no."
"I'm not sure if it was good or bad that you locked him out of the compound. Allegedly some of the Kyuubi's chakra from the defenses ended up in his seal and because of it he was able to go for two years before succumbing to withdrawal. If he had access to the compound he wouldn't have made it, and yet, at the same time, we would have learned sooner. You'd have been back."
Kushina ignored the way that seemed to indicate it all went back to her. Tsunade could have figured it out even if the compound had been unlocked, that was the whole reason she was in Konoha again after all these years. In fact, it was a good thing she forgot to add Naruto to the compound after the reset because it kept him going for so long in her absence.
She ruthlessly squashed the part of her that reminded her that Tsunade had just pointed out that the two years would have been unnecessary had he not been attacked by the compound's security features as she jumped back to her feet, anger surging though her veins once more.
"I would have been back if you had just checked up on him like you were supposed to!" It was just as true as what Tsunade had spoken. In fact, both of them were right because they were both in the wrong. Only one of them had come to terms with it. "That first day you would have picked him up from the academy, looked him over, and sent for me. Hell, you could have sent Shizune after us and we would have been back by the next morning."
"Does it really matter at this point? It's done, we can't change that."
"What, so you're just going to forget about it? This is your fault!"
"And what would you have me do?" Shot back Tsunade. "Ever since I learned the true extent of my mistakes I've stopped drinking and have tried to think of a way to make things up to him. At this point, there's nothing I can do. I may have had a chance, you know, if he had ever been told about me before you left. According to Shizune he had no idea I was his godmother. Maybe if he had she'd have been able to convince him to visit me at least once. Then again, I've already said it; there's nothing we can do now but deal with the mess we've made."
"The mess you've made." Kushina insisted. "You were supposed to introduce yourself to him when you returned. If I hadn't asked you to return it's unlikely you ever would have and we both knew it. He was unlikely to ever meet you and bringing it up would have made him suspicious."
"And my arrival was out of my hands, what are you going to do now, hunt down the debt collectors and blame them for all of this? Nothing here happened on purpose, but it happened nonetheless. You getting angry at me doesn't help Naruto and it doesn't help you."
"You expect me to just forget about all this? Forget about the fact that your inaction has cost me my son?!"
"It was your love for your son that ended up costing you him. You were in such a hurry to make sure he was safe that you left him more vulnerable than ever. We're both to blame, because between the two of us and a lot of bad luck Naruto has ended up suffering."
"I did everything I could for him!"
"And it wasn't enough. I've lost him too. He was my godson and I could have had another family member. Now, because I was so scared of making new attachments, I've lost that chance. You, however, still have one. Don't waste it by spending your time on me, go get your son back."
Tsunade didn't need to see Kushina to know her eyes had narrowed.
"I will, and I promise you now that after I do you'll never see any of the Uzumaki ever again." With that said she stormed out of the compound.
Still facing the garden, Tsunade's tear went unseen.
Naruko had to admit that whatever she had been expecting this was far, far worse than she had imagined. Tazuna had spoken of Gato's iron grip on the country but she had not thought about what these people would really be going through.
Trash filled broken streets just as much as the homeless did. Houses, those still standing, were falling into disrepair as those that were not housed huddling squatters that did their best to make do with whatever they could scavenge. Misery filled the air here just like the thick, oily smoke she could smell coming from somewhere she couldn't see. Hope and fear alike lit in the eyes of all who say them but in the end they were not approached.
"This is horrible." She muttered.
The woman she was escorting- Tsunami, daughter of their client- could only nod sadly.
"Gato has been destroying this country and he isn't likely to stop anytime soon. When he's bled us dry he'll tear everything down and build it up how he pleases."
"How can he get away with this?"
"He controls the economy here and the Daimyo has been silent since before his arrival. As long as he doesn't openly start slaughtering the populace no one is going to step in to stop him."
"So he slowly kills you all."
"At first, he gave us the chance to flee, but most of us couldn't part with our homes and all that we and our families have worked so hard for over generations. I can't help but think it would be better that way."
"You can't just give up." Declared Naruko.
"And we didn't, but now, with our hope gone, many have. The difference is if we had left sooner we'd already have new lives somewhere else. We wouldn't suffer, our children wouldn't suffer. There's nothing wrong with giving up if it's better for you and your family in the end. Who can count all those who have sacrificed their own dreams to help those they cared for?"
"I suppose you're right." Frowned Naruko. "But I still don't like it."
"Neither do we, but it could be worse."
"Worse? He's hired an A-ranked treasonous Shinobi from Kiri to hunt your father down and end the last chance your country has of ever recovering, how can it be worse?"
Tsunami stopped there in the street and turned to look the young girl in the eyes.
"I could be a slave right now, violated for the pleasure of those who are destroying our country. Inari could be in a labor camp or be used as a practice dummy for the forces of Gato. They could torture families in view of each other even as they had their way with the women. Our homes could be set alight while we shiver together during the night. No, things could be far worse if the men Gato hired weren't kept on such a tight leash."
Silence settled between them as Naruko tried to come to terms with what she had just been told. All of those really were far worse than what was happening, but would people really do that to one another? She liked to think there was good in everybody, even if only a little, but for Tsunami to even suggest such things made it abundantly clear that not only were there people willing to do that but many of them were around them as they spoke. It was not a comforting thought.
"So, Gato keeps them controlled?"
"No." Tsunami shook her head and the two of them began walking again. Moments later she pointed to a man wearing a mask walking down the street. "They do."
Another identical man was walking the other direction and Naruko became aware of more perched randomly on buildings as their gaze swept over the town. Further up the street two more accompanied a small group of thugs at one of the collapsed homes. Several villagers- likely representing the various families that had sought refuge within- stood by the doorway speaking with the lead thug.
She was painfully aware of the small bags that were passed to the man by the villagers. The man weighed them in his hands before grinning and tossing them to his companions with a bark of laughter. Turning , the group moved away only to stop at the next house and repeat the process.
"Who are they?"
"The Wolves." Answered Tsunami. "They were hired by Gato before Zabuza was."
"They work for Gato? Why?"
Tsunami had no real answer as she shrugged.
"He pays them, I suppose. There may be more to it, but why else do people work for others than to put food on their tables?"
"But if he's paying them why would they keep the others in line?"
"No one knows for sure. They work for him alright, collecting Gato's taxes and going after those who oppose him but there are those who claim to have been helped by the Wolves at some point. They acknowledge Gato's control over this area but work to ensure those in the area aren't taken advantage of by Gato's hired muscle."
"But if Gato was to order it?"
"I would expect them to tear through everything here like a true pack of Wolves and devour everything in sight. They are Gato's enforcers, but they are a fair group who keep our small town running. If not for them most of these families would have already been dragged away for one reason or another."
"Why would they care though?"
"If I had to guess it's to keep their employment. The longer they're needed the more they're paid in the end."
"All of this, just for money?"
"That's the world."
As Naruko watched a man present what must have been his teenage daughter to a man in a wolf mask only to be given a large bag of coins in return she felt her stomach churn. The man had run away immediately after even as the tears fell down his daughter's cheeks. The Wolf, unmoved by the display, placed his arm on the small of the girls back and began leading her away.
This wasn't right. Nothing in this place was right.
But the Wolves, had Ino not spoken of them, and in conjecture with her brother?
If these were the same Wolves as in Konoha then was there more to Konoha than she knew, a darker side she hadn't dared to imagine?
And if there was, how involved was her beloved brother?
Thanks for joining me, I look forward to seeing you all next week for act XXVII.