Fuck yeah! We actually have an update on time this week, even though I sent it to ncp latter than usual. Started this one earlier than normal too, so I'm still not entirely sure how it's always done on the same day, but regardless we seem to be pretty lucky this week
Before we start, there is something I should address.
I keep getting questions about or recommendations to change the name of my story and while I'm not going to, I felt I should probably take a moment to explain why.
The thing most often pointed out is how little Naruto uses SealKeeper [His seal, if you hadn't gathered] despite it being the name of the story. I'll say it now- the story is not about his seal. The story is about Naruto as he leads the Wolves. None of that would be possible, however, without his seal.
SealKeeper can be attributed to just about everything that's happened to him since the beginning of the story. It allowed him to connect to Mito, it started his trouble with the Yamanaka and secured a valuable ally within the Hyuuga, and without it he wouldn't have the Wolves. Because of that, one may think of the name as tribute.
Of course, there's also a second reason for the name. Naruto is Mito's warden, the keeper of her seal. SealKeeper is as the name of his seal as it is his identity. As this story is about him and has been shaped undeniably by his possession of such a valuable tool, the name remains quite appropriate.
Having spoken of the first part, let's move to the second. 'He Who Binds' is a part of the name both because his chakra chains physically bind things and due to the bonds he's creating between himself and various groups. Everything is coming together around him, he is the one binding it all together around him.
That said, if you want to suggest a better description, I'm all ears. Mine works, but I was also eager to have the story posted. Considering I didn't know exactly where this story was heading it was mainly meant to be a placeholder and I'm surprised I've kept it this long.
The boring stuff finished, thanks goes to ncpfan for all his help with the story.
On with this week's act!
She walked cautiously down the halls of her home, footfalls light and silent. It wasn't long ago she would confidently strut down these very paths, certain of the safety provided her by her standing within the clan. Back then she knew that as the daughter of the clan head she had a target on her back, she just didn't think those who might strike the target were so close.
Or so many.
Kumo had always been after the Byakugan and Iwa would be happy to strike against Konoha's greatest clan.
Never before had she ever entertained the idea that danger might come from not just within her village, but from her own clan- the very clan she was expected to lead when her father stepped down.
She knew better now, knew that pieces were moving on a board she couldn't see. She was no longer a player of the game, just another square that would fall beneath the movements of those who were. That left her with two options, she could vacate the board or be crushed.
She was often described as arrogant and self-centered, but she was no fool.
She needed to get out.
Plans had been made, scrapped, and planned again, as she sought some way to avoid this mess without losing everything she had. Either way the loses would be great, but her life wouldn't be one of them.
If her father and the elders somehow managed to stop the cult that had formed within the clan, ready to strike, then she would be able to return to a broken, failing clan for none of the branch members would be left alive in fear of another uprising.
If the cult her sister led won, however, her fate could be anything from death to something far, far worse. She was not willing to test the tender mercies of those she had happily tormented using her status and curse seal against.
As was previously said, she was no fool.
No matter what happened further involvement with her clan would end in disaster she couldn't face alone. Nor could she hope to face the outside world alone. She was too sheltered, not from the world of Shinobi and the horrors it involved, but in the day to day living of everyday people. She would never be able to fit in after being taken care of servants for years.
She also knew the safest place for her was still in Konoha, which meant she couldn't leave the village entirely. Somehow she needed to get out of the clan without arousing too much suspicion and set herself up within Konohagakure. That alone wouldn't guarantee she get out of this mess, but it was her greatest chance by far.
Setting herself up, however, meant she had to find some way to protect herself and those she brought with her from her soon to be former clan. She needed, as much as she hated to admit it, someone to protect her.
It was a pity she was still too young for marriage, as arraigning something with the easily controlled Nara heir or the mature Aburame heir would have been a viable option. Even the jovial Akimichi wouldn't be too hard for her to accept if it meant her safety.
The Uchiha didn't have an actual clan these days, the son of the Inuzuka head was unsuitable as the husband of a noble woman such as herself, and the Yamanaka couldn't provide the protection she needed.
The Uzumaki had potential, she supposed, if the head could get her son back into the clan a marriage with him could offer more protection than the others. He may not be as easily manipulated as the Nara or simple as the Aburame but even the somewhat wild nature of the Uzumaki was better than the Inuzuka prince. It certainly helped that from what she had heard of him he was more calm and collected than Uzumaki of the past tended to be.
That said, he wasn't' available and marriage wasn't' an option yet. She could always add it to the end of her plans, but she would need something to protect her until she could enact them.
Pale eyes scanning around her for threats again she was quick to deactivate them when she came to the dining room of the main family. It was considered rude to have them activated during a meal and her father would start asking questions that would further tie her to this mess. It didn't stop her from taking a quick look around the dining room, however.
Her father sat calmly at the head of the table nursing his morning tea, as usual, and besides a single branch member off in a side room tending to the food from the neighboring kitchens the room was empty. Her sister, though officially a branch member, was sometimes seen at the table both because she was his daughter, branch or not, and because he hoped she might eventually slip and let loose some hint as to how she had escaped the branding.
The elders were still more than a little nervous that the seal didn't take but in their shortsightedness didn't realize that it was more than fate decreeing her free from that bond but that it mean the bonds themselves were soon to be loosened from those who followed her.
Civil war was being threatened and yet they couldn't look past the single event and see the signs in the future.
Bu that was good, she supposed, they wouldn't expect her to bolt the second they received sign of trouble and would therefore be unable to stop her.
That is, if she managed to put something together.
Her sister wasn't' here this morning, though, either eating with branch members, holding a meeting of her cult, or simply not yet here. She honestly didn't know what she would have preferred to be the case.
She and her sister had certainly had their differences, but did the girl hold that against her? She always seemed to kind and caring for such, in fact, she didn't seem suited to a cult at all. If that was the case, were the Wolves the real one's in charge?
That-
That was an option.
She couldn't go to them directly, of course, but Naruto, the former Uzumaki prince, was tied to them somehow. If she could get protection through him then it wouldn't even matter whether or not he returned to the Uzumaki clan because a marriage with his would still grant her protection form the Wolves.
And if it were the Wolves controlling in some way the cult of Hinata no Mikoto- which would make sense considering her sister's ties to Naruto- then by having their protection she could avoid the wrath of the branch family when they rose up.
It was perfect, should it work.
If Hinata had something against her, or if Naruto didn't want to help her, she would have to risk the Wolves themselves. What were the chances of her being silenced as a mere precaution? She shivered slightly even as she entered the dining room. She didn't even want to think about what might happen should they deem it too risky to let her live.
Death would once again be a pleasant fate- there were plenty of ways to make people disappear.
She was no Neji but perhaps fate itself had a hand in her latest thoughts. First warned and now directed to her best chance of surviving the coming storm. Almost as if to solidify such a belief as soon as she had taken her seat her sister entered the room- a connection to her salvation just as she was the key to her destruction.
It was a humbling thought to know fate was using her sister to determine her future. Even if the older girl wasn't fate's chosen as the branch family seemed to believe she couldn't deny that her fate was now tied to her sister, the same sister she had belittled and tormented just like the other branch members.
It would serve as a lesson that fate was above all and would work in ways they couldn't hope to know. Despite its plans for you each and every action could change which path it sent you down. Perhaps it was a bad idea to place herself above others when they were all below fate. For favored or not, she didn't know what role those around her were to perform and the best way to anger fate was to somehow interfere with its plans.
Those plans couldn't be stopped, all that fate decreed would come to pass, but that did not mean any actions taken that could affect it wouldn't bring its displeasure down upon you.
Fate was more than willing to punish you even if it disrupted other plans. It would adapt soon enough, stealing away whatever path you were to walk and instead cursing your very existence as a warning to any others.
Seeing her sister brought just how close she may have been to disrupting fate's plan she had really been.
She'd have to be more careful from now on.
No one spoke as her sister silently took her place at the table, her father didn't even look at her. She, however, watched carefully. Her sister was tied too closely to both the future of the clan and her own fate for her not to and the trademark pale eyes of their clan searched her sister's face almost desperately to help her get a feel of her current mood.
Like a proper Hyuuga- something that couldn't have been used to describe her before the failed branding- her face remained carefully controlled. The eyes, however, were not so easily influenced. Many had trouble reading the all-seeing eyes of their noble clan but those born with the Hyuuga blood came to identify tells of the Byakugan's deactivated state almost as well as they could normal eyes.
Her sister was at peace.
And she didn't know what to make of it.
There was a mix of confidence and worry, but both were overshadowed by a serenity that shouldn't have been able to exist in their presence. She knew of trouble, accepted it, and felt that she would be able to deal with it. For one dreading such events, positioned opposite in this great game, it was not comforting.
It was then, at that very moment, that Hyuuga Hanabi, heiress of the great and noble Hyuuga clan of Konohagakure no Sato knew- whatever the coming conflict- her sister would emerge victorious.
The belief that she needed to escape was only solidified and a flare of desperation pushed her to ensure her survival as quickly as possible.
That desperation, however, would not be seen.
"I haven't heard much of your friend lately, Hinata-San." Hanabi's voice was calm and controlled, despite the nervous knot in her stomach and rapidly beating heart. Maybe doing this in front of her father wasn't such a good idea. "Is he laying low now or just waiting for his next move?"
Her sister's eyes snapped to her so quickly she nearly jumped back in surprise. Evidently she had not been expecting for the former Uzumaki prince to be brought up. Neither, one might note, was her father, who, after a suspicious look to her, gazed questioningly at his first born.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Hanabi-Sama. Naruto is a very private person and tries his best to avoid attention."
"Yes, but he received quite a bit of attention when he declared you under his protection and went against the Yamanaka. I hear they're still recovering."
While the eldest sister tried to come up with something to say in response, their father seemed to look at her for the first time, as though something hadn't clicked until just then.
"He did declare that, didn't he?" The clan head seemed almost troubled by the thought, not that Hanabi knew why. It was likely it somehow involved the Uzumaki clan, though. "And the Yamanaka did indeed find themselves in a rather poor condition afterwards."
She hadn't expected any input from her father, as he usually preferred to silently observe any discussion- rare as they were- between his two daughters. It could, however, work to her favor.
"A-ah, yes, he did." Hinata had been doing better lately, the lack of expectations on her shoulders as clan heir giving her more confidence than she once had, but now she was caught off-guard and Hanabi was well aware there were things about Naruto she knew but needed to keep silent about.
Those truths, unfortunately, would actually be detrimental to her own plans should they come to life. Therefore, despite the fact that she could get her sister to spill them without too much trouble, Hanabi made sure to avoid anything about the group he may or may not have ties to.
"The Yamanaka wouldn't have stood a chance against our clan, but did we ever show him the due appreciation for coming to the defense of one of its members?" This was directed more towards her father than her sister but she continued to look across the table as if it weren't.
Her father, as expected, was the one to answer.
"No, we didn't. It didn't seem something to concern ourselves with at the time but he did stand against an entire clan for the sake of our blood." He made no mention of what had happened to the clan he stood against, but it was clear he was still thinking about it. "It's rather shameful, actually, to think I have not so much as met him two years afterwards."
He paused in thought, his tea forgotten on the table. There was no doubt that his thoughts were directed towards the returned Uzumaki clan and their new vassals the Yamanaka. More than that, his thoughts were on young Naruto's connection to them.
"Hinata."
"Y-yes, Hiashi-Sama?" Hanabi only barely caught the wince of her father when he was addressed like that by his eldest daughter.
"Can you get into contact with Naruto-San for me?"
"H-hai, Hiashi-Sama, but it may take some time."
He rose a brow.
"And why would that be?"
"Ah- Naruto-San is currently outside the village on leave. He doesn't have a team so he's got a lot of freedom."
"I see, do you know when he'll get back?"
"N-no, but it's been a while so he should be back soon." Their father ignored the slightly hopeful expression on the girl's face. It was obvious she wanted to see the boy again.
"Very well, as soon as you hear word that he's back I want you to contact him."
"Of course, Hiashi-Sama but, um, can I ask why?"
"We need to thank him properly, of course." He turned to his youngest daughter. "You, Hanabi, will make preparations for a dinner to be held once we learn he's returned. It will be good practice for when you take the mantle of clan head."
Hanabi inclined her head gracefully.
"As you say, Tou-Sama."
He nodded to himself before looking back to his tea. With a frown he tested the cold tea before returning it to the table and standing up.
"I should be getting to today's work, remember your tasks." He left the room after that, despite having not eaten yet.
Her father gone, Hanabi let a small smirk tug her lips. Yes, that worked out better than she could have hoped. A formal dinner would provide an opportunity to observe the boy and, with a little luck, make contact. If she could get him alone for just a few moments she might be able to arrange a later meeting to obtain the protection she was going to need.
Her sister, on the other hand, seemed dreadfully confused by the sudden development. At the same time, the idea of spending time with the boy seemed to please her. Had this been any other situation Hanabi- and quite possibly Hinata as well- knew that the eldest would not be present for the dinner.
But with her being in part the reason for the event and because she was the one who knew how to get ahold of Naruto- who had proven rather elusive within a village of Shinobi- she would be permitted to join. If her Mark was gone, like the first one, it would be another point in her favor. Unfortunately, the second one had just stopped working which meant her forehead was still marred by the seal.
She'd have to find some way to cover it for the dinner, but that was none of her problem.
Still pleased, Hanabi almost didn't notice when the food was served nor did she care about the confusion of the branch member at the absence of her father.
It would seem fate was finally starting to bring its plans together.
She might get out of this yet.
"I have your mask." He murmured quietly, his left hand brushing through her midnight hair. Sunset had not long passed but it would be a few hours more before they stopped to rest the horses. With her curled into his side as she was, he wondered if he'd even bother leaving the carriage when they stopped.
She moved only slightly at the sound of his voice. Had he not been able to feel the movement he wouldn't have even noticed.
"My mask?" Her orange porcelain mask was atop her cloak in the seat across from them. Looking up to him, bleary eyed from a recent nap- as there wasn't much to do in the carriage but talk or sleep- she searched his face as though it held all the answers.
"Your ANBU mask."
"Oh." She accepted it easily enough, turning back into his warmth as she settled down to sleep again. "Oh!" Her sleep-addled brain processed what he said, her eyes once more turning to meet his with a mix of surprise and delight. "Really?"
"Really. It's back in Wave." She pouted slightly that he didn't have it now- most ANBU, regardless of time spent in the division, became rather attached to what they liked to call their second face- but it quickly morphed into a pensive frown.
"How did you get it? We would have seen it when we packed for my journey, wouldn't we?"
"You left it outside and I was more concerned about the woman sobbing in my arms. Kakashi picked it up for us and used the daughter of his client to send it to me when they were in Wave."
She blinked a few times as she processed the important parts.
"The daughter of his client?"
"Oh yeah, Tsunami is an attractive civilian whose home his team stayed in for the duration of the mission. I ended up giving her a job working with Hana-San."
"Hana-San, huh? Is she attractive as this Tsunami?" A single elegant brow rose in question. Most men would be very careful about what they said next in this situation. Naruto, however, was not most men.
Scratching his chin in honest contemplation, he eventually shrugged.
"I don't know. Tsunami is a woman with the curves to match but she also has the softness of a civilian. Hana on the other hand is a young Kunoichi and her body shows it."
"So if you had to choose just one, who would you keep?" One might note by the tone of her voice that this was a trick question and the proper response would have been her. Regardless, Naruto answered.
"Hana, of course." A faint smile tugged at the edge of his lips and there was a mischievous glint in his eye. He had, naturally, recognized the question for what it was. As she began frowning he continued. "She is leading my country, after all."
Her frown became a pout.
"How am I supposed to be jealous if you put it like that?" She asked, earning a soft chuckle.
"You're not supposed to be jealous." He admonished her. "Those two aren't about to take you away from me."
It should have been said the other way around, stealing him from her, but it still gave off two messages very plainly. Neither of them would be leaving for others and, more importantly, he was the one who possessed her. The first thought she found comforting and the second blossomed warmth within her chest.
It was not because she wanted to be thought of as belonging to him, but because he recognized her as being there for him. As far as she was concerned she was his new mother, no matter what anyone- even he- might say, and in taking care of him she would be able to heal her own damaged heart and give purpose to the life from which everything she cared about was stolen.
He needed her, and so she would be there for him, a guardian angel to look after the boy who had grown up too fast.
"Those two? Are there others you aren't telling me about, Naruto-kun? Don't hold out on Karasu Kaa-Chan now, tell me everything."
"Others? As in other women? Well, I suppose there's Yugao-Sensei, though she doesn't want me to call her that anymore, Anko-San, Kurenai-San, Mai-Chan, Shizune-San, and perhaps Ino-San. Ah, can't forget Hinata-San, she's doing things for me in the Hyuuga clan right now."
"Oh? Is my little Naruto really surrounded by so many women?"
"I see them from time to time, that's not exactly being surrounded by them."
She hummed her agreement but pressed on.
"So, how far have you got with them?"
Naruto raised a brow.
"Come on, something has to have happened, right? An accidental grope, an eyeful they hadn't intended for you to get, a peck on the cheek?"
"I already told you you're not going to be replaced, why does it matter?"
"Akatsuki's full of S-rank criminals, not exactly somewhere I can be out seeking romance-" A slight growl rumbled in his chest at the idea of someone else getting their hands on what was quite clearly his and Mikoto had to admit it was probably a good thing she didn't get any chances to start relationships. Not that she was particularly interested in one, at the moment, but it would seem as though he wasn't too keen on losing her to another. Of course, she was Uchiha Mikoto, she couldn't blame him. "-Which means you'll have to have relationships for the both of us."
She frowned for a second before smiling wickedly.
"Or maybe not relationships." She amended. "You could always just go have some fun and tell me about it, that would be good enough for me."
He shot her a look. She was definitely channeling more of her Anko half right now.
"Maybe you'd like pictures instead? Perhaps I should just record visits to brothels for you to use during your private time?"
Her cheeks flushed red as she hit him gently.
"That's naughty, Naruto-Kun, I'm not going to use you during my, erm…private time."
"Then who are you going to use?" He rose both eyebrows, looking down at her expectantly with that mischievous glint back in his eyes.
She really didn't have an answer for that and so she buried herself back into his side with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest.
"So that's how it's going to be? You get to hear about what I do but I don't get to know about you? That's hardly fair, Mikoto-Chan."
"Not like you've told me anything." She mumbled, face still red.
"Does that mean you'll tell me if I share?"
"No."
He gave another chuckle.
"Well, in that case, I guess I won't tell you."
"You don't have anything to tell me, you're too busy taking over countries."
"I suppose you're right, not much has happened back in Konoha. Though I could probably get a cute attendant back in Nami to change that, I'm sure they'd be happy to serve their Daimyo."
Mikoto frowned.
"You're too young for that, keep it to touching until you're older."
"Are you my mother now?"
She answered immediately, absolutely no hesitation.
"Yes."
He rose a brow but didn't argue.
"Alright then."
The conversation ended there, silence spreading throughout the carriage. It was a few minutes later Mikoto's soft voice gently broke it.
"C-can you-" Whatever she meant to say was lost as she mumbled into his side.
"Can I what, Mikoto-Chan?"
"Can you call me Kaa-Chan?"
Naruto smiled gently down at her before placing a kiss atop her head.
"Of course, Kaa-Chan."
Despite the darkness outside, her beaming smile lit up the carriage.
"Thank you, Sochi."
Cold seeped from the walls and through the thin black shirt he wore. He probably should have been wearing more, especially in the cellar-like construct that was their base, but he never particularly cared to cover his torso- too restrictive, he had always felt.
He was used to the cold though, he had lived in this country for most of his life and spent the rest of it traveling with the last remaining Hyouton user in the world. It was only natural he would become accustomed to the biting lack of warmth. The numbness that spread over exposed flesh was like an old friend and he was especially grateful for it when injured.
Fortunately, he wasn't injured right now- not anymore. The weeks had gone slow at first but as he healed he was able to make better time until he returned to where he could receive better treatment. Admittedly, it wasn't much better than his apprentice could do, but at least they weren't trying to recover while on the move anymore.
One had to be thankful for small miracles.
The shuffling of feet caught his attention and he lifted his head to watch people leave the room whispering quietly about the last meeting. He didn't move from his spot against the wall- arms crossed over his broad chest- as several dozen members of the higher command structure exited the room through the door on his left.
Their number was always a curiosity- why have so many? They weren't a large group by any means, having so many in charge and closely involved with their plans was a bad idea that always set him on edge. It was like she was asking for something to go wrong, for some spy or sympathizer to make it into the vast upper echelons to have unrestricted access to information that was too critical, too valuable to loose.
Then again, he wasn't in charge, it wasn't his fight or his goal they were trying to achieve. He couldn't care less if the bloodlines were wiped out here or if they were worshiped as a sign of godhood. He wasn't here for the bloodline resistance, he was here for her, their leader- Terumi Mei.
And that's why he was concerned.
"Please tell me you were only throwing out ideas." His voice was gruff and impersonal, belaying how much he cared for the woman he grew up with, but that's how it normally was. Few could truly claim to know the slight variation in his words, the subtle change in voice, that might indicate what he was really feeling behind the persona he had made for himself with the blood of hundreds.
Some might consider it a disadvantage in their life, being known as a monster, but he preferred being a beast, it was better than being dead or, worse, being weak.
He would never be weak again.
But that didn't stop him from caring, and she knew it. Even so, she acted as though she didn't understand his meaning and maybe, just maybe, she didn't. There couldn't be too many who really knew when they had only just emerged from the shadows.
Fewer still would understand.
"I was, but it's a good one. I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise." A single delicate brow rose in challenge, one to which he had no problems rising.
"It's not a good one, it's a risk, a foolish one. You know nothing about them, you can't expect to be able to deal with them."
"I can deal with them the same way we've dealt with other similar groups- money. They're mercenaries, it's what they do."
"What they do is whatever Tsukiyomi commands."
"Tsukiyomi?" Ah, yes, he never did get to a full report on Wave, did he? Not that it would matter now, he could already tell she had made up her mind and there was precious little that could ever hope to change it.
It was another thing he liked about her- she was just as stubborn as he was.
"The Alpha, it's his pack."
"So I just need to convince him to have the Wolves aid us."
"Good luck."
Her eyes narrowed at his words and the dismissive scoff that followed. Obviously he saw some flaw- real or imaginary- in her plan.
"What, don't think I can do it? We have Warlords from as far as Suna's deserts fighting for our cause because of me, some for free and still others who are providing additional services to us without charge. I'm sure I can arrange something with a new mercenary group."
"They aren't that young, they've been around for a couple years."
"Then why am I just hearing about them now?"
"They've been careful, biding their time and growing in strength until they could move to a true global scale."
"That makes them new."
"No, it makes them smart. You hear of them now because they just emerged in the global game. The only problem is that they've had time to settle. This isn't a newbie group working to get power at a global scale, scrambling for influence- this is an established group that's grown strong enough to go global. There's a big difference."
"And that means they'll reject my offer? The chance to ally themselves with the future leadership of Kirigakure isn't one to pass up lightly."
"What you should worry about isn't it being rejected, you should worry about them accepting. Everything they do is what Tsukiyomi commands, and he doesn't act without a reason. If he helps us it's because our efforts align with his plans- I guarantee it. The only other reason he would do something would be opportunity, and if that happens he'll adjust his plans to take advantage of it- take advantage of us."
"That's how alliances work, both working together to reach their goals. We're offering to pay for their services, there's no reason for them to go against us." The same Warlords that had aligned themselves with the rebellion had mentioned the group. Some had hired them before, others had faced them. Those who faced them, unfortunately, were rare. Not many go out and those who did didn't so much as get out as they were let out. Only in situations where the goal had something to do with territory or control could one hope to avoid the Wolves' merciless teeth.
Only two of the dozen Warlords- almost exclusively small groups numbering no more than three dozen men each- had ever been on the opposite side of the Wolves. And that's exactly why she had decided they were a group they needed the help of. Those who had hired mercenaries that were successful were always able to tell you they worked well, but it was hearing it from those they worked against that held real value.
"They don't need a reason, he does. We don't know what he's after, letting his forces anywhere near our own is asking for trouble."
"You're being too paranoid."
"And you far too willing to trust them." He countered with a growl. "They slaughtered Gato and his men on Tsukiyomi's command before proclaiming Nami no Kuni as under their protection. This is the same group that had been serving as Gato's elite enforcers. They can claim it's protection, but we both know they killed Gato to take control of the country. What's to stop them from doing the same here, from helping us gain the village back only to slaughter our exhausted comrades and establish dominion over a hidden village?"
"Gato used thugs, we all know that. We have an army of Shinobi and the risk would be much higher. People like him avoid risks because they fear losing their power. If something goes wrong it's too easy for their men to abandon them."
"That's the problem, he doesn't need to be afraid. His forces are all ANBU level and fiercely loyal, some to the point of fanatical devotion. We're a ragtag group of rebels. Our will is strong but our forces are average. If we had numbers we'd be fine, if we had power we'd be fine, but we have neither, that's the reason you're looking for allies in the first place."
"And if they're that skilled we need to get to them before Yagura does. It's a risk, yes, but one I'm willing to take. This could be the difference between victory or defeat."
"Maybe," He acknowledged as he stood up from the wall and turned to leave. "But will it be that alliance which you so desperately seek that causes our defeat?"
He was gone then, leaving her in the empty room.
"I don't know, Zabuza." She admitted quietly. "I really don't know."
But what else could they do?
I look forward to seeing you all in the audience next week for act XXXVII.