Just a standard chapter, I'm afraid. Things came up and I wasn't able to type up a double. On the plus side, I'm nearly done with the next chapter so it will, with any luck, be posted soon.
I know I had more to say but I can't remember what and I need to be getting to bed soon.
Thanks, as usual, goes to ncpfan who takes time out of his busy schedule to look over my chapters before I post them.
Let's start, shall we?
She hadn't bothered yet to draw the curtains this morning, leaving her room bathed in darkness. The light probably would have done her good- would have helped her clear her head instead of surrounding to her tremulous thoughts- but she couldn't find the drive to rise from her seat on her bed and let it in.
She didn't know- more like hadn't been told- much but it was enough to get a good idea as to what had happened.
After all, few outsiders knew the Wolves as she did and there was no way to keep the news that they had paid a visit to the compound last night from circling the clan.
What was hard to come to terms with was that the apparent target had been the only one she would have believed to know those Wolves as well as herself-
Yamanaka Inoichi had been admitted to the emergency care ward of the Konoha hospital.
The two could not be dismissed as being unrelated, there was just no way it was a coincidence.
There was no such thing, she found, as coincidence when the Wolves were involved.
Of course, that still left her not knowing why the Wolves had gone after her father.
As far as she knew the quarrel between them had become no more and that could only mean there was something she didn't know.
Not surprising really, basic logic, but that same train of logic also dictated that something had to happen and the Wolves had shown no further interest in her clan.
The explanation, then, was that her father had gone and done something she didn't know of to anger them once more.
And that certainly explained his recent behavior.
Scowling, she punched one of her pillows. Just when things were getting back on track he ended up throwing all their work away. Idly, some small part of her wondered if this was how he felt when she got Naruto to declare a feud between himself and the clan when her father had been trying to keep her clanmates from going after the boy.
She felt she understood that just a bit better now- but any possible reasons for him to provoke the Wolves still escaped her.
With a sigh she let herself fall onto the bed, her feet dangling over the hard wooden floors.
She needed answers, desperately, if she wanted to have any hope of clearing everything up and placating the Wolves should they still be agitated.
Unfortunately, it would seem she was going to have no choice but to wait until her father was back to get them.
That was, of course, assuming he would ever be coming home.
"Good news!" It was the first thing she said as she let herself into the apartment with an exited slamming of the front door.
Peering at the grinning Tokubetsu Jounin as a Wolf closed the door in the corner of his eye Naruto raised a single brow, inquiring exactly what kind of news merited such actions from her.
With the sheepish grin of a lightly chastised child who didn't actually think they had done anything wrong other than get caught she rubbed the back of her head.
That wasn't exactly an answer, though, and so he prodded again- verbally this time.
"And what is that good news, Anko?"
A triumphant half jump had her extending one arm high into the air and made the scroll within easily visible.
"I got us a mission, and it's a good one!" Her grin went from sheepish to excited as she peered at his face expectantly waiting a positive response like an attention-starved pet. His brow, which had returned to its resting position, merely raised once again in silent instruction to elaborate.
Whether she understood that or had decided to continue on her own he didn't know but he didn't bother questioning it either. The important fact, after all, is that it was done.
"You know I keep trying to get the bandit extermination missions but until now others have always beat me to it-" Not surprising, really, it was the most popular mission type for Shinobi of any rank. It didn't get much more straightforward than 'go there and kill everything'. "-Not this time, though! I camped out in the ceiling of the Hokage tower and so the second the missions were being handed out I dropped down and grabbed it."
She seemed immensely pleased with herself which brought an amused curve to his lips.
He knew she could be serious but she so often acted like a child that it was hard to think of her as anything else at times.
Times like now, when she pouted at his lack of verbal response to her good news.
"Okay then." He spoke, watching her face light up again. "Have fun."
And just like that the pout was back, bigger than ever. Oh, she was just so much fun to play around with.
"Hey, don't be so mean, Naruto-Kun." It was almost a whine but the soft, distressed voice was very nearly adorable.
The Kunoichi version of adorable, at least.
"Hm? Whatever do you mean?"
With a huff she crossed her arms over her prominently displayed chest- he really should try to convince her to wear something else but he just couldn't bring himself to do so- and gave him a look somewhere between innocent pleading and coercive glaring.
Once again, he could almost call it adorable- if just in the manner only Anko could be.
"You know what I mean, you're supposed to come with me."
"Am I?"
"Yes!" She stomped her foot, very much like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "Come kill things with me!"
"Fine, fine, I'll go on the mission with you." He watched her do a celebratory dance before continuing. "But this isn't just some attempt to forget your tent and sleep next to me, is it?"
She stopped and immediately went from child to woman. Or, better yet, from child to mature Kunoichi.
"Oh, most definitely." She shot him a salacious smile as she licked her lips. "But that's the same for every mission. The killing just makes it special. Who knows? Maybe I'll need your help washing away all the blood when we're done." She shot him a wink before turning and practically skipping out of the apartment, once again slamming the door as she crossed the threshold.
Perhaps, she simply went from child to Anko.
That or Anko to Anko.
Yes, that fit quite nicely, didn't it?
Because Anko was always Anko, there was just no changing that.
Another smile tugged at his lips and he let it stretch over them freely.
This was going to be fun.
The smile turned to a frown as he turned in the direction of the kitchen. His foodstuffs for missions had been kept in there but now pieces of Inoichi were too. He was going to have to get more before the mission.
And probably a new freezer while he was at it.
In dangerous circles it rolled, edging ever near the end where- if left unchecked- it would plummet to the wooden floor and spill its scarlet contents in a tinkle of shattering glass. Carefully she picked it up, cold against her pale fingers that trembled lightly.
Placing it on her bed greatly reduced the chances of it breaking which was good, for now.
It was good, until she figured out what she needed to do with it.
For why had she, Hyuuga Hinata, been sent the blood of Yamanaka Inoichi?
The Wolves had seemed happy enough that she received it, for reasons she didn't know, but she had no idea what she wanted to do with it or, more importantly, what she was expected to do with it.
She would not have received it without proper reason, she was sure, now it was just a matter of figuring it out.
Hopefully before something happened to it.
Her first thought, naturally, had been to go to Naruto with her question. Most certainly there would be none who might be more aware as to the deliverance of the vial than he, no?
Of course, Naruto was also a very busy person, and she really didn't want to be a bother over a simple vial of blood.
But was it simple? Was there meaning behind it, some symbolism she didn't understand that might lead her to insulting either him or his Wolves and being left alone again?
It was too terrible a thought, one that made her more determined to react to this most unusual…gift…she supposed.
She really didn't know what else it could be considered.
Perhaps, if not Naruto, she could find his assistant- Mai, if she remembered correctly. Even if she didn't know what it was for she would be able to ask Naruto when he was free. That way, at least, Hinata could eventually get the information she needed.
Of course, she had no idea how to find the girl, either, so that really didn't help her at all.
A letter was always a possibility, it could be delivered now and answered when he had time, but she didn't know when that would be. Would it really be okay to potentially delay whatever she was supposed to be doing?
With no other option at her immediate disposal she sat at her desk and began to write, focusing on everything but the largest question that plagued her mind-
If she had been given his blood by the Wolves, what had become of Inoichi?
The last sound he would here would be the clinking of chains as in a burst of movement they completely encircled him, jerking quickly to snap the neck and destroy the spine.
Even if he hadn't died instantly he had been rendered absolutely harmless.
From his nearby position perched in a short tree and surrounded by bushes that came up high enough to cover most of his crouching position Naruto watched dispassionately as his chains- with a single command from him- dragged the body away and into the nearby shrubbery at the bottom of the hill.
These fools must have though setting up their base in the middle of a valley in the northwestern part of the country would in some way fortify them against assailants. He almost pitied anyone who thought it actually gave them an advantage when not just one but both of the hills that formed the valley were covered in dense foliage.
Foliage he was taking ample advantage of.
With a finger to his ear his short ranged mic switched on in a crackle of static.
"Southeastern sentries clear." He reported. "You're free to start when ready Lust."
"Understood Wrath, I'm starting the distraction now."
The explosions were loud enough but it was impossible to miss the bright flashes of light they produced in the early dusk. Of course, that was the whole point.
It wouldn't do a lot of damage beyond the risk of a fire starting but even that wouldn't be too hard for the bandits to put out with their numbers.
Not that it would work in their favor, obviously, for if they were all preoccupied saving their camp from a fire they would never see the approach of death. A large fire, unfortunately, would hinder them as much as it did the bandits, though the thought of just setting it all alight and waiting for it to die out was definitely tempting.
The fact that they'd be up all night standing guard over the shouldering remains of the wooden fort waiting until there was enough light to search by and the fire had died down enough to allow them to sift through it had been what kept them from going that route.
They wanted to sleep, goddamnit, and if that meant they had to kill everyone by hand so be it.
It also had the bonus of keeping any ill-gotten goods the bandits had acquired from taking damage. Not that either of them had any intention of returning them, it just meant they pay for this mission could be substantially more than it had been listed as- unofficially, of course.
No one else had to know now, did they?
Two fingers raised in the air, clearly separated to indicate the number, and then came together to be flicked forward no less than three times. The response was immediate as two of the three Wolves behind him began moving towards the fort.
The third and final Wolf- the only female of the group- moved closer to her lord, almost as if she intended to act as a physical shield for the next part of the operation. As far as Wrath could tell, that was actually pretty likely. Still, he had nothing against that action and let it be. She was to remain as his guard- for truly they could not bring themselves to leave him without one for any reason- and if that's how she went about her duties then so be it.
Two chains emerged from his body as the other two passed, wrapping securely over their arms. His vantage point proved perfect for the sentries but he was blind to many behind the wooden encampment.
His Wolves would serve as his eyes.
Silence stretched through the night as he waited in the darkness, sharp eyes keeping track of the barely noticeable movement of his Wolves. It was only because he knew they were there that he was able to spot them winding down the hill through bushes and trees to reach the clearing- one not nearly big enough in his opinion.
It was possible the bandits here had been of the mind to try making their newly built fort blend in with the surroundings as much as possible. Either they hadn't yet finished- which was likely- or they had failed horribly- which was equally as likely- either way he had to shake his head at the setup they had chosen.
They stood out like a sore thumb and it was only the height- unnecessary in his opinion, but he tended to fortify his own buildings by havi g the Wolves hide within the earth or, more preferably, into the side of a mountain like a cave- that stopped him from being able to eliminate them without ever stepping foot into their newest base.
It would stop an archer too, he mused, and if it was intentional he applauded them. Of course, he had a feeling it was just luck in which case he could only shake his head in amusement and smirk at the fact that it was about to run out.
Still, it would have been a wonderful trap if set alight- there was no way their targets would have managed to escape.
Pity that option had to be discarded.
He was drawn from his thoughts as he felt chakra pulse in one of the chains and he replied by pumping in his own and extending it until he felt- both through the miniscule chakra in his target and an actual physical feeling of his chains making impact- it strike true.
One more potential threat they no longer needed to worry about.
With half a thought the chakra was pulled from the chain, retracting until a second pulse of foreign chakra signaled that it was at the proper length to be directed by his Wolf. Not long after the other chain received its own pulse and he extended that one just as he had the first.
Again and again the process continued, eliminating the bandits one at a time as they cleared those few sentries that had continued to man their post despite Lust's distraction.
It was almost admirable.
Foolish, yes, but it wasn't like they weren't all going to die regardless of what they did in response to the attack.
It took almost ten minutes for his wolves to make their way to where the rest of the bandits had gathered and another three for them to manipulate the chains to be in proper striking positions. Pulses of chakra told him where he needed to hold the chains, where he needed to make more, and, finally, when it was alright for him to begin.
They didn't stand a chance.
In a great wave of abyssal chains the majority of their numbers were torn to shreds or, at the very least, pinned to the soft ground to slowly bleed out. Those that had managed to escape soon found that fact rectified by multitudes of snakes and the twirling Kunai of a dancing Kunoichi.
A crackle of static was followed by a whisper from a Wolf to inform him that the base was clear but even then he could still hear screams. Evidently Lust was still playing with her food.
Trusting his Wolves and their skill completely he gave a single nod to his sentry and the two of them began making their way down the hill at a far more increased pace than the Wolves had earlier.
With the threat cleared there wasn't any need to be especially stealthy about their movements.
Navigating the fort, likewise, took little time, both because it had already been cleared and because he needed only to follow his chains. The scene that greeted him was, honestly, pretty much what he expected.
Lust, absolutely covered in blood from her own follow-up attack, happily worked on causing as much pain as she could to one of the bandits that had found themselves pinned to the soft- rapidly reddening- earth by ebon chains.
The unlucky fool, it would seem, had only been pinned by his leg, and that left him as a perfect target to be chosen as her plaything tonight.
In this case Wrath could say, without a doubt, that he truly pitied the unfortunate man.
He himself had absolutely no desire to be submitted to her less than tender mercies.
At least, in a situation like this, anyway.
Having heard his approach she looked up from her work, a bright grin on her face. Whether that was fro, being able to kill and torture bandits, seeing him, or a mixture of the two he really didn't know.
What he did know was that she had soon pressed herself tightly against him and was hugging him for all she was worth.
Idly, he noted the fact that he would, despite having been far removed from the actual battle, be leaving it covered in blood. He really should have expected that considering who it was he had gone on the mission with.
"See, I told you this would be fun!" Still not letting him go she grinned down at him, relaxing her grasp just enough to let her do so.
"Yes, of course, lots of fun." He agreed, rather neutral about the whole thing. It was a job and while he appreciated the straightforwardness of it he didn't get much enjoyment from killing strangers. If he knew them- particularly for having wronged him or his children- well, that would be a different story.
"Aw, you don't sound too happy, Naruto-Kun." He could both hear and see her pout and had to admit it was a bit strange when she was covered in blood.
"This is more of your thing, Anko, and now you've gone and covered me in blood."
"Nope, not 'Anko'," She removed one arm from him to wag her finger in his face. "I'm Lust, remember?"
"You just called me by name, this can't be about keeping to the codenames." Why he let her choose them he had no idea.
"It's 'Lust' if you want me to invite you to join me." A smirk had taken its place upon her lips, her eyes playful. With a sigh he decided to bite.
"Invite me to what?"
"Nope, you said it wrong. Try 'Invite me to what, Lust-Chan?'." A dry stare was the immediate response but he eventually decided- not without another sigh- to humor her.
"Invite me to what, Lust-Chan?"
Her smirk became a saucy grin.
"Why, to join me in washing the blood of, of course."
It only took a moment for him to understand and suddenly it didn't seem like such an inconvenience.
Not with incentive like that, at least.
Something had changed, it was rather hard to miss. Before the Wolves had shown proper respect due to her station- she was, after all, chosen by their lord- but now they seemed to treat her as if she was one of them.
A superior Wolf, perhaps, but still a Wolf, and that was a marked difference that was very had to overlook.
Such acceptance had been, quite honestly, rather unexpected, but that didn't necessarily make it a bad thing. To the contrary, she rather liked the way those she worked with seemed more relaxed in her presence, reminding her more of her own pack in their mannerisms and cementing the feeling of 'home' she now felt here in Nami no Kuni.
At this rate she didn't suspect she'd ever want to leave.
And maybe she didn't.
It was a truly horrible thing that had happened to Ino's father, Naruko thought, made more so by the identity of the perpetrators of the cruel actions against him.
The Wolves, the group affiliated with her brother, had struck against the Yamanaka once more.
This time much more viciously than any before.
Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine and threatened to relieve her of her last meal. Arms severed at the shoulder, legs managed and removed at the knee with all the finesse of a sledgehammer, and, worst of all in her opinion, his tongue cut straight from his mouth.
Ino had shared, of course, her suspicions that her father may have made the first move- keeping with the trend that in conflicts between the Yamanaka and the Wolves the Wolves only ever seemed to react- but even then, what could he have done to warrant such an extreme reaction?
This wasn't like dragging their name through the mud, that could be recovered.
No, this was permanent, as permanent as death.
A death, if Ino's theories were to be believed, he may have been spared for the simple sake of drawing out his suffering by condemning him to live out the rest of his life in such a mangled state.
It was cruel, it was ruthless, and it was exactly the kind of thing she could see the Wolves doing to ensure their point got across.
It was not, however, something she could imagine her beloved brother taking part in.
She was coming to think, though, that perhaps she didn't know him as much as she'd like to think, at least, not anymore. At one point she was sure she knew everything about him but after four years of separation he had changed- she had, perhaps, changed too, and those two facts combined made it impossible for her to truly claim knowing him any longer.
But that was just something she would have to fix.
It might not be easy, not with their mother's attempts to get him back in the clan and the fact that they never had opportunities to interact, but it was doable.
The change, like the drop in the Yamanaka's renown, was only temporary- it could be fixed. But were she to give up then she would never be able to forgive herself, even if she eventually tried again.
And that-
That was permanent.
His eyes moved from the stack- no, mountain,- of papers and back to his father. Once, twice, thrice more is gaze made the sweeping journey and still he had trouble processing what he had been told.
"You want me to what?" The disbelief was palpable, filling the office completely and filling his father's heart with a relieved joy he hadn't felt in many years.
"Exactly what I said, my boy." His eyes, no doubt, were sparkling in mirth even as an amused grin tugged at his lips around his trusty wooden pipe. "In order to train you properly for the position of Hokage candidate we need to familiarize you with the duties of a Hokage."
"And that means I'm supposed to be doing your paperwork?" This had to be some sort of joke, right?
"Don't think of it as mine," Chided Hiruzen. "Think of it as the work of your future self. You don't mind lending yourself a hand now, do you?"
Sarutobi Asuma couldn't believe it, and by that he could believe it he just didn't want to. His father couldn't possibly be thinking of that as some sort of valid argument in any situation.
Well, perhaps when explaining something to his nephew, Konohamaru, but even then the kid might be able to tell something was wrong. But him? One of the twelve guardians and a high A-ranked Shinobi with a sizable bounty on his head? There was no way he could be expected to accept that.
He look he gave his father said as much.
"Now, now, Asuma, don't give me that look. This is the best way to prepare you to be Hokage."
"But I don't even want to be Hokage!"
Hiruzen just grinned.
"Of course you do, my boy, of course you do, and this here is the first step. Now, get to it." With that he turned from both the massive pile of procrastinated paperwork and his son and exited his office leaving both -and his worries- behind.
There was freedom in that action that Asuma couldn't understand. Not yet, at least, but he would in time.
For now though, all the younger Sarutobi understood was that his father was enjoying this 'Hokage Candidate' thing far too much for his liking.
Turning back to the tower of papers- had it grown?- he decided to do the only thing he could-
He stole the preferred line of his favorite student.
"Troublesome."
"Something's come up; the deal's off."
A brow on the otherwise stoic- albeit almost completely covered- rose in silent inquiry. Of course, silent as it was, he needed to repeat himself in a manner that properly conveyed the thought.
"Off? Wasn't this your plan? What could possibly have stopped you when you were determined enough to gather an army for this?"
"Other plans- different opportunities. Konoha can wait, its lasted this long it can last a bit more."
"Konoha, perhaps, but the sand will not be able to carry on much longer like this. We need Konoha out of the way if we are to survive even the next five years. I don't have the luxury of waiting for a time more convenient to you."
"There are other ways to secure your future, Kazekage-Dono, the invasion was simply the most straight-forward."
"You speak of them, but I know them not. What s it I can do to provide for my people at this point? We have nothing of value to trade, no strength to lend, and a Daimyo who would happily see us all waste away to save himself a few hundred thousand Yen over the year when it's all provided by us in the first place."
"Ah, but you have an in with me, you see." The grin couldn't' be seen as they, like the Kazekage, his their face behind a veil. "I've become fond of you and your people, probably because you were prepared to go to war with me and my forces against a major power, but I think that's enough reason to help you out, no?"
Eyes narrowed, but he didn't speak any objection to the thought. Taking this as an invitation to continue the other proceeded to do so.
"The opportunity that presented itself to me recently was actually because I managed to get in contact with a tie to my past- my godson, to be exact." Even covered as he was, the Kazekage's mannerisms showed obvious surprise, something that was noted with great amusement. "As it so happens he's doing rather well for himself lately. So well, in fact, that he has influence in a rapidly growing Wave and close ties to the House of Wolves of the Imperial Fire Court."
The Kazekage didn't think he could be more surprised after learning that Orochimaru not only had a godson but was in contact with them.
He had been, obviously, vastly incorrect.
"He has ties to a House of the Imperial Fire Court?" That was bigger than having influence in Konoha, for if the Daimyo if Hi no Kuni were to offer words his own Daimyo would happily provide an ear to receive them. The potential for getting his village out of this mess was right there, in a few whispered words making it up the vine and across the desert. Would it be enough? Probably not, but it could get things started and that was more than he dared hope for previously.
"That he does, close ties, from what I understand." Yet another hidden grin formed, even wider than the last. "After all, he managed to get me permission to build an outpost near the village of Wave."
"Truly?" If he could get an outpost they had an opportunity to improve their situation by spreading the superior jewelry their artisans produced in a much easier manner. That would help everyone in the village given enough time.
Orochimaru nodded.
"The Wolves are rather territorial and yet they accepted my forces without issue at his word." Che, of course they did, he was their lord after all. If they hadn't they would have been killed for going against him- if not by Naruto himself than by Orochimaru. No one crossed her Godson without crossing her and she did not give mercy.
"Then perhaps that truly is an option. I will have to have you set up a meeting between us." The Kazekage frowned, something that Orochimaru could practically feel. "The council, however, will be harder to convince."
Orochimaru shrugged.
"They stand down or they die. Any who attack Konoha will be invading the territory of the Wolves and will be torn to shreds. Any who escape I will personally hunt down and deliver to my godson's feet."
There was actual devotion in those words, something that actually made the Kazekage's skin crawl. It was completely wrong to even think about an Orochimaru that was driven to any degree by feeling for another- to see it? He could not describe the feeling that shook his very being.
Orochimaru was scary enough, but for him to be driven meant that this godson of theirs held in his hands the means to plunge the entire world into darkness and chaos at a whim.
The very notion would rob him of sleep for the coming weeks.
And when he finally managed to drift into the land of slumber it would plague his nightmares.
See you all in two or so days for the next act.