Yeah, not exactly the end of January, is it? I was nearly done with the chapter early February when my laptop died on me. I managed to scrape together enough for a replacement desktop- which I had been intending to get for some time now but never had the funds to spare- but it turns out it was on backorder and after two weeks I canceled the order and chose a different one that arrived about a week ago.
Even better, the latest chapter- and the two before it- weren't saved to my cloud for some reason so I- lacking the proper adapter for the laptop's drive- had to go in and get that recovered.
At long last, however, I have both my computer and the chapter. Not only that, I went ahead and spent all my free time doubling what I had written so you get an extra long chapter.
Also, to anyone who may have been waiting for that one-shot about Tatsuki I was considering forever ago, I did finally start working on it. I will, however, avoid making any promises about when it will be done.
Not too much more to say in this AN, so I'll try to wrap this up quickly.
First, this chapter will break the 400,000 word mark for this story and, yes, that's before this AN. I'm not that bad.
Second, as I'm still receiving a lot of comments about it- though that may just be from new readers- I would like to take a moment to talk about Naruto 'Not being a Shinobi'. To be perfectly clear- Naruto wants to be a Shinobi. It's been his dream since before his mother and sister left and it's not going to change anytime soon.
He does, however, have his priorities and ensuring the well-being of those he leads will always trump his own desires as far as he's concerned. It's not a lack of interest or a bout of arrogance but a sacrifice on his part- one that may or may not be unnecessary soon enough.
The last two items on the agenda would be, first, that I'll be taking down a lot of my older stories soon [Everything with the exception of 'Born into Wickedness', 'Botsraku', 'Awaken, Noblesse', and, of course, 'SealKeeper: He Who Binds'.] as I really don't see the point of keeping them posted. I'll leave a list of the stories I've removed on my profile after they're gone and I may or may not rewrite some of them- and, you know, finish them- sometime in the distant future.
The final item for today is, naturally, a big thanks to ncpfan for his help looking over my work.
We've waited quite long enough, yeah? Let's get started.
Kankuro woke up far later than he was used to, the sunlight glaring brightly from the hotel window and bathing the main room in its accursedly cheerful self. He really did hate everything that interrupted his sleep, sunlight being one of the main culprits, but he was more puzzled than anything about exactly how long he had slept. Normally, Gaara's threats to his life for lazing about or his sister's warfan greeting his skull with all the energeticness of the morning sun would drag him away from the sweet embrace of sleep, but today they seemed to be hiding from the light within the bedroom proper.
He was still a little miffed that he hadn't gotten a bed and was instead forced to spend his nights on the couch. Not that the couch was uncomfortable, for it made his own bed pale in comparison, but because the beds were bigger and had room to stretch out,which would have been amazing.
And if the couch was this good, just imagine what the beds would be like.
He understood why his sister got one, being the eldest, and there was no way he was going to go against Gaara claiming the other- he wasn't suicidal, after all- but he still couldn't figure out why his younger brother needed a bed in the first place.
If he was just going to spend the night sitting on it and staring at the night sky out the window than surely he could do the same from the couch, right? And then there would be no chance of his wakefulness during the night stopping his siblings- though, often, Kankuro felt Gaara only saw them as his teammates necessary for reaching stronger opponents to crush- from getting their own sleep in a separate room.
Of course, even if his reasoning was sound, he was not so foolish to think Gaara would even care to hear it in the first place and Kankuro was a puppeteer. Risk was something they tried very much to avoid, thank you. That's why they hid and had puppets do the work for them. Far more Shinobi-like than many others these days. You did not make it far as a puppeteer by being careless.
Still, the fact that they weren't up was puzzling- especially considering that Gaara was always up because of his 'mother', so there really wasn't any reason Kankuro could think of for him to remain in the bedroom for so long.
Curious- probably far too much so for his own good despite his claims to be a cautious puppet master- he tiptoed over to the bedroom door, glad that he didn't have to worry about Baki, who was staying in a smaller hotel on his own. He could have lodged with them, which would have given the suna group an extra room like the one the siblings currently called their residence, but the man was wise enough to keep some difference between himself and the Jinchuriki as the moon was waxing full.
Unlike Gaara's siblings, the sensei was not actually required for the exams and could be easily replaced should the redhead loose control.
Or, rather, simply not put any effort into maintaining it. The only reason Gaara would keep himself from harming his siblings, it felt like, was because he wanted to stay in the exam. Normally, Kankuro was quite sure the death threats were completely serious and that Gaara would have no difficulty carrying them out upon a whim.
These thoughts, naturally, reminded Kankuro he was just glad that Baki was away, because Baki would call him a moron for trying to sneak into the room where he knew Gaara would be sitting on his bed, wide awake. The realization actually had him pause for a second, considering, before a sleepy mumble from his sister and a light snore sounded through the room.
Simultaneously.
So, either there was another person in that room who shouldn't be their or- gods above forbid- Gaara was currently fast asleep. As horrible as the second option would be, it was something Kankuro would have to know.
And if it meant he could wake Gaara up before he lost control of his body? Well, Konoha owed him big time and so did Temari. He had about equal chances of cashing in that favor from either of them, unfortunately, and he once again wondered what was driving him- his curiosity aside- to sneak into the room.
The door creaked ever so softly and Kankuro realized with a start that he had already made it to the door, which hiung half-open to the room beyond. Well, too late to back out now, Gaara would have heard that without a doubt.
The fact that Kankuro was still breathing and not a mangled corpse buried in the sand was a good sign indeed.
A few hurried, silent steps later and he was in the room proper.
He nearly had a heart attack.
Not because Gaara was, in fact, sleeping most peacefully within his bed, most surprisingly, but rather because there was someone within Temari's bed.
A malke someone.
A male someone with his arms around her.
A male someone with their arms around her who had her arms around them.
Temari, his older sister, seemed to be sharing- quite willingly- her bed with this male someone which, quite honestly, ranked below Gaara becoming a pacifist in possibility.
For Gods' sake, she was enjoying a gentle embrace with they guy- Temari was not a gentle kind of girl, and so the constant hits to his head from her warfan could attest to.
With a quick pinch to himself and the realization that he was not dreaming Kankuro temporarily forgot that Gaara was also in the room, sleeping happily for the first time in his entire life.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Perhaps not the most intelligent course of action.
Temari returned to the land of the living with an irritated groan. What was probably the best sleep she could ever remember having and her idiot brother just had to interrupt it. Out of all of them, she'd expect him to be taking the chance to sleep in as much as possible, so why did he choose today of all days to get up before them?
The light from the still open window told her it was quite a bit past the time she would normally sleep but she dismissed that fact and turned instead to her sleeping companion. Pale flesh was warm beneath her as she lay upon his chest, two arms wrapping around to rest firmly upon her lower back.
Slow breathing and a steady heartbeat told her his sleep hadn't been interrupted by her brother's shout and tempted her to forget about it in favor of returning to sleep. Idly, she began tracing the various markings that covered his pectorals. She could recall the seal on his left side, over the heart, and the right arm and pectoral were still covered by the seal he had shown to get Gaara to back down, but the markings on his left arm and shoulder were, she believed, quite new.
Not that she had seen him since that day.
She probably should have been upset to find him in her bed – and she had decided to wait until morning before dealing with this fact- but she was far too comfortable to bring herself to be upset at anything more than the fact that her sleep with her new companion had been interrupted. Besides, if nothing else Garra seemed to approve and that meant either doing what he would like or avoiding upsetting someone her youngest brother wouldn't dare go against- possibly both.
Either way, it was in her best interest not to go against either of the redheads and she was quite enjoying it anyway.
Everyone seemed to win in this case except Kankuro, but no one really cared about him anyway.
Almost as if he knew the thought of him had been so easily dismissed, he choose that moment to speak up again.
Well, not speak so much as shout, really.
And Gaara was still trying to sleep, not that Temari had any idea.
"WHO THE FUCK IS IN YOUR BED, TEMARI?!"
Che, as if it was any of his business. Ignoring him, she rested her cheek against the pale chest and closed her eyes, relaxing to the beating of the heart beneath her.
The sudden wave of killing intent, however, broke her from her lazy musings and informed her quite plainly that whatever Gaara had been doing to stay quiet for the first shout, he had not been pleased by the second.
"Kankuro…." It was drawn out, dangerous, and promised a great deal of pain upon the adresse but it also sounded…sleepy?!
Lifting her left shoulder off of her sleeping bedmate and turning over to be nestled to his left and leaning against his warm body, she was surprisingly pleased that his arms wrapped around her without hesitation, two warm hands resting below her shirt just above her hips.
Such was the pleasant surprise, it seemed to counteract the unpleasant surprise of seeing her youngest sibling pull himself up from his pillow and glare blearily from a cocoon of blankets at the middle sand sibling. She couldn't tell if she found the act of literally rubbing sand from his sleepy, raccoon eyes adorable or absolutely horrifying.
Feeling as secure as she was in the arms of someone Gaara wouldn't dare go against, however, had her leaning towards adorable. Hell, she was almost tempted to invite him to join them in her bed so she could use him as a stuffed animal.
The fact that she would even dare consider doing so simply served to remind her of how much she was enjoying her current position and how impossibly safe she felt.
And it wasn't as if Gaara didn't look like he was in need of a few more days of sleep or that she had never had a similar urge to do so when they were all much younger. He was her youngest brother, after all, and she had always wanted to take care of him.
Now might be her only chance.
Gently elbowing the young man behind her, he seemed to understand her wordless request even in his sleep- if he was still asleep after that outburst and Gaara's displeasure being known- and he backed up to the wall dragging her all the while, which just seemed to support him having been awoken but not caring to actually get up, which she also found to be rather pleasing.
Now with more room in her bed, despite it being intended for a single occupant, she extended an invitation to a third.
"Come over here Gaara." She ordered, despite never having dared do anything of the sort in the past. Her arms spread open, showing her brothers exactly where she was talking about. While Kankuro's jaw dropped in utter disbelief, Gaara only hesitated for a second before leaving his bed, blanket cocoon still wrapped around him, and shuffling over to his sister's bed.
He took a moment to look over its sleeping occupants before tilting his head in confusion. "Nee-Chan?" Temari had wanted to hear that from him for years and was confident in the fact that this had been a good idea. He paused for a moment though, sleepy and confused, which she most definitely did think was adorable, before gazing at her companion and back to her. "Other Kaa-san?" She blinked in confusion but judging by the groan from behind her the other occupant of the bed knew exactly what her brother was talking about.
Rather than respond verbally- as she didn't know how to- she just opened her arms wider and Gaara wasted no time in crawling into the bed to join them.
A long chain seemed to extend from her bedmate and the curtains were quickly drawn, plunging the room into a comfortable darkness that made staving off sleep even more difficult.
Kankuro, meanwhile, still didn't understand what was going on.
"But….What…I mean…..?"
"Kankuro" Gaara's threatening growl interrupted him, one teal eye glaring from the cocoon of blankets and his sister's arms. "Shut up, or I'll kill you."
As the middle sibling quickly exited the room, a fellow redhead in Mizu no Kuni found themselves inexplicably pleased and Ao found himself pitying some man he had never met.
When Baki went to visit his students, the sight of Kankuro at the door with a box of pastries was a bit odd, but not too out of the ordinary for the group he led. With a homicidal Jinchuriki, temperamental Wind Mistress, and a Kabuki there were plenty of odd situations they found themselves in both on missions and within the village of Sunagakure.
It was, of course, a bit late for breakfast, being nearly noon, and Temari would have been up hours ago normally which made the possibility of Kankuro having upset her rather high. It wasn't the first time the middle sibling had tried using pastries to get her to forget about his "transgressions".
While Temari always seemed to enjoy them, it had yet to ever get her any less angry at him.
Mildly curious about what had been done this time, he followed the boy into the hotel room fully expecting to see a fuming Temari, her fists resting on her hips and Warfan within reach, and Gaara watching on impassively, probably perched upon the windowsill. Instead, Kankuro went for the small kitchenette and placed the box of pastries down upon the small table around which three others sat.
Temari looked positively cheerful where she sat, a finished cup of coffee before her and her Warfan strangely absent. Gaara, most surprisingly, was sat right next to her.
And not just next to her, but actually pressed snugly into her side and looking quite comfortable. Temari didn't seem at all nervous about his proximity, either, which was new.
Somehow, however, the third party at the table was even stranger. Not only were they right next to Gaara, sitting pressed into the boy's side, but the young man serenely sipping his coffee was there shirtless and relaxed.
Gaara should have kept him from being relaxed and he never thought Temari, despite quite obviously being a budding young woman, would ever tolerate a shirtless stranger around her. She had never shown any interest in boys over the years and the young man couldn't be a oblivious civilian who wouldn't understand how dangerous Gaara was because they had seals covering both arms and their upper torso.
It took only a second more to realize something that, now apparent, was even more unsettling for the normally stoic Baki.
Temari and the shirtless redhead hadn't pressed close to Gaara so much as it appeared Gaara had squeezed himself between the two who had already been sitting quite closely together.
Gaara had wanted to be between the two of them, and he even seemed pleased with his current position between them despite how squished he must have been.
Baki honestly didn't know what to think of the situation, especially when Kankuro hurried to gather plates from the nearby cabinets and placed them before each of the table's occupants.
When Kankuro, finished with his task, ran into the bedroom he had been kicked out of on their first day here for the express purpose of hiding, Baki new something was very, very wrong.
The slight smile on the stranger's face as he calmly invited him to sit as if this was their hotel room only unnerved the Suna Jounin more.
Especially when neither Temari or Gaara seemed at all perturbed by the young man taking charge.
He sat down at his desk, idly noting the paperwork had grown in his absence, and tried to ignore the fact that all the Wolves who were in the apartment had decided to take up positions around his office. Evidently they had not liked being ordered to remain here when he went off to meet Gaara last night.
The fact that he hadn't come home probably didn't help.
He cared for them, he really did, but this was a little excessive.
Still, if it helped them calm down he would allow them to remain.
The female Wolf- who for reasons he didn't understand had chosen to take up a position directly behind him- began rubbing his shoulders even as he started upon the paperwork.
Yeah, they could definitely stay for a bit.
Three hours after starting his paperwork and the guards were down to three. The only other man in the room was leaning against the wall over in the corner, able to see both the door and his Lord, and was obviously rather amused while his two female packmates entertained themselves by alternating between rubbing Naruto's shoulders and playing with his hair.
Naruto had actually finished his work half an hour ago but was loathe to keep the two from their fun. He already knew he needed a hobby, but perhaps he wasn't the only one. He could probably arrange for a rec-room of sorts without too much trouble, but perhaps he could set up a resort specifically for his Wolves. Failing that, perhaps just an arrangement with an existing resort to provide access of the facilities to his children so they could take the time to relax.
Of course, then it was a matter of getting them to actually visit the resort instead of lazing about near him, as they would no doubt prefer.
The thought that he would actually have to take a vacation himself in order to get them to the resort was briefly humored before he realized they would be even more on guard because he was trying to relax . He gave a mental groan; they really were too much like their father for their own good.
His musings were interrupted by the opening of his office door and the tensing of his Wolves. They relaxed, slightly, when the visitor proved to be Orochimaru herself, her ever-present smirk turning into a smile as she saw her godson.
"Ah, Naruto-Kun, you're back." He gave a distracted hum in response, the two Wolves behind him having switched back to gently kneading his shoulders, and Orochimaru's grin turned back into an amused smirk.
"Having fun, are we?" It was half question and half purr as she watched her Crimson Prince be pampered. She managed to quickly squash the brief feeling of anger she had. This is how he should have spent his life, this is what he deserved. And while she knew he wouldn't be the Naruto he was today without experiencing what he had she was still angered that it had been necessary.
"Hmm." Another hum, this time followed by words. "Was there something you needed, Godmother?"
"I never need a reason to visit you, Naruto-kun." He hummed yet again, his eyes half-open by will alone, as she took a seat at the edge of his desk.
"So there wasn't something you needed?" She gave a chuckle of amusement, though it was very nearly a giggle in this new body of hers. She didn't suspect she'd be able to get her intimidating chuckle back until she had a vessel with a deeper voice or messed around with the current vessel's vocal cords. As Naruto seemed to like her just fine as she was at the moment, that could be put off for a bit.
"Well, perhaps not needed…" She trailed off, one finger drawing absent shapes upon his desk as she looked down and away from him, and he gave an amused snort at her act.
"What was it you wanted, then?"
She gave another giggle, something he still found difficult to connect with the S-rank rogue ninja.
"Oh, Naruto-Kun, you know me, I want lots of things." His eyes had closed fully and he missed the brief flashes of red that dusted her cheeks. Not that he would have been able to see it anyway with the way her head was turned.
A silence descended upon the room, interrupted only by the occasional pleased groan from the man who called himself Tsukiyomi. The red became more visible upon the Sannin cheeks, growing faintly with every groan.
"So," Tsukiyomi himself eventually broke the silence, completely unaware of the amused looks his Wolves were casting over him and at his blushing godmother as they both worked in silent agreement to elicit the greatest response they could from her using only their Lord's groans. "What was it you came for today?"
"The final exam is only a week away, and I understand you're making moves with your little flock around that time…"
"And?"
"I think the invasion and the chaos amongst the Hyuuga would be the perfect opportunity to smuggle one out, don't you?"
Naruto stayed silent for a moment, simply enjoying the fingers dancing firmly over his shoulders, before he opened his eyes to meet Orochimaru's hopeful gaze.
"So you want a Hyuuga, then?"
Her finger resumed tracing the desk.
"Only if it's not too much trouble, Naruto-Kun." Her tone became slightly breathy. "I would really appreciate it."
He went silent again, considering, before he inquired; "What kind of Hyuuga would you need?"
"Hmm," She tried not to sound too pleased that he was actually thinking about granting her request. "Well, the perfect vessel would be a Hyuuga female around twenty years of age, main family, but there's no Hyuuga that fits those requirements and I'm not sure how the Byakugan would mix with the Sharingan if I take over a body with each."
He raised a brow, a silent prompting to continue.
"A male Hyuuga of the main family would probably be best, as with just one of them I could impregnate several of my Kunoichi, but I could use a branch member so long as no one activated the caged bird seal before I can retrieve the necessary samples from them. With the Coup you have your hands in, the caged bird seal will likely never be activated again but I can't dismiss the possibility that the Hyuuga will fail you, which would lead to all the seals being activated."
Naruto thought about it for a minute, recognizing that the seal being activated would be a very bad thing for his plans and that the Byakugan was a terrible resource to be thrown away if things went wrong.
"I'll see what I can do." He said finally. "But be ready to have one of your agents prepared to extract samples of a branch Hyuuga before the invasion. I might be able to have Hinata send one your way to ensure the clan doesn't die out if things go wrong."
Naruto had no idea how the main family had kept branch members from fornicating with outsiders and spreading unsealed Byakugan users or why Kumogakure never paid some Konoha prostitute a million yen to get impregnated by a branch member and make their way back to Kumo, but he would take advantage of the fact that the seal was death-activated to clear all genetic material and wouldn't be able to stop someone from simply taking a sample and artificially inseminating willing females using it.
What a terrible oversight on their part.
Then again, he knew how the seal worked because he had interacted with it using his own when rendering Hinata's defunct. Not everyone else- in fact, no one else as far as he knew- had that sort of advantage to grant them insight on the matter.
The SealKeeper really was incredibly useful and he was looking forward to implementing some of its capabilities in his future plans.
"Ah, you're the best, Naruto-Kun!"
"You're only saying that because I get you nice things."
She gave another giggle.
"A girl does appreciate nice things, Naruto-Kun, you should always keep that in mind." A non-committal grunt was the response she received.
"Was there anything else, Godmother?" The Sannin pouted at him, arms crossing beneath her bust.
"Mou, doesn't 'Orochimaru-Chan' sound so much better than 'Godmother'?" His blank look became a sigh as he closed his eyes and tried to remind himself that he was talking to an S-ranked Shinobi- well, Kunoichi these days- who was infamous for human experimentation and treachery.
Was it something about being around him or were personalities simply glossed over to make legendary Shinobi seem so much better than the rest of them?
Grudgingly, he admitted that it was probably something to do with himself. The Wolves were not legendary Shinobi- though they were slowly making a name for themselves- and they acted pretty childishly around him too. He couldn't tell if it was his maturity allowing them to disregard their own while in his presence or some attempt to get him to loosen up.
With his luck, probably a mix of the two.
"Was there anything else then, Orochimaru-Chan?"
"Ooh~, that's much better Naruto-Kun. I love the way you say my name."
'She leads her own hidden village, one allying itself with the country under my command, she could break you in half in an instant but would sooner offer you the world.'
Well, with those thoughts running through his head it was a whole lot easier to humor the woman. If this is how she wanted to act around him he really wasn't in any position to stop her. He could probably ask that she stop, but he had a feeling it would only lead to more pouting which, while cute, held more sway over him than he was comfortable with.
Even when acting so childish and sweet, she would always be a snake in the grass.
"Anything else?" He prompted again, purposefully avoiding using her name in an effort to keep her from being too distracted. He'd have to keep the effect it had on her in mind, though. Just in case.
She gave a slight pout, obviously recognizing what he just did but keeping her protest to only the barest of pouts. It was adorable, and that was kind of unnerving. The entire situation, he suspected, would seem rather surreal for some time yet. Maybe after she had changed bodies once or twice more he would be more used to it, but for now he did his best to take everything about her in stride. It was the best policy he was able to come up with, honestly.
Giving up the pout in favor of a disappointed sigh, she admitted "No, that was everything Naruto-Kun." She paused for a second, thinking, before she continued. By the slight surprise and embarrassment in her voice she had realized something. "Unless, of course, there's something I could do for you my Little Prince?" She seemed almost hopeful that there would be something she could do for him or something she could provide him with.
it could have been so she didn't feel like she was asking for something without giving in return or because she really did have a desire to be of service to him. Judging based on his interactions with her, he suspected it was the latter but that she'd claim it was the former if anyone but he asked.
Well, if she was in a good enough mood that she didn't gut whoever had dared question her.
He was reasonably certain that only he could get away with that, but he wasn't willing to actually test that theory out quite yet. As amiable and caring as she seemed to be, and disregarding the fact that she seemed entirely devoted to him, he really hadn't known her long enough to know exactly how her mind works.
he did have a good idea, though, for it seemed remarkably similar to how his own did.
That thought actually made him a bit more uneasy than how cute he found her pout which, in turn, made it easier for him to accept the pout. Unfortunately, that just made the idea that they thought so similarly sometimes even worse.
It was a vicious cycle of positive feedback, and the only thing it was really accomplishing was making him more at ease with her adorable pout.
That too was a rather unnerving thought, and he really needed to bring his attention to something else before he went too far down that particular, pouty, rabbit-hole.
"Hmm." His drawn out hum was both to let her know he was still thinking and to help him from his previous thoughts.
Eventually he realized that if he did need something it wasn't coming to mind. Well, nothing realistic anyway.
"Unless you have a way to manipulate time so I can both care for my Pack and my Flock while keeping up with my training, I don't think there's anything specific I need at the moment." He replied at last. Orochimaru grinned.
She might not have an immediate solution, but now she knew a problem he was facing and could start working towards possible solutions.
"I'll see what I can come up with." She promised. "You know nothing is impossible for me given enough time."
The response to that was a simple snort as he surrendered himself back to the ministrations of the Wolves behind him. Speaking of training, he really did need to see if Yuugao was available for some sparring. Hell, he needed to get out and do something period. He spent so much time these days worrying about his Wolves and his Little Shepherdess's Flock that it was pretty rare for him to get out and when he did- like last night- things rarely ended up going to plan.
Establishing himself as the dominant one in a relationship between himself and a Biju, becoming the father-figure of a neglected Jinchuriki, starting the process of repairing said Jinchuriki's relationship with his older sister, and sharing a bed with that very same older sister was certainly not on the agenda when he had left to speak with Gaara last night.
Plans, he idly mused, seemed to go quite awry around him, even his own.
Fortunately, he didn't have to say 'especially his own', as most of his went well enough, but even he would admit he encountered quite a few surprises in his own plans. And not just surprises, but really, really unexpected situations. Surprises were for things going bad, or for great fortune when doing something, not for homicidal Jinchuriki deciding you were their new dad.
He didn't even know how to categorize something like that.
Luckily, pseudo-fatherhood wasn't something he would have to get used to from the beginning. The Wolves had seen to it that he received a great deal of practice regularly. Speaking of which, he really needed to spend more time with them personally, too, which was definitely a higher priority than resuming his training.
Looks like he had already started on that with these three, though, so that was good. The girls were enjoying playing with his hair and the Wolf in the corner seemed greatly amused by both that and his interactions with his godmother.
It may not have been direct interaction with the three, but they were obviously quite pleased to both be in his presence when he seemed so relaxed and in the girl's case to be having even a small measure of physical contact with him.
If it wasn't so serious to him, he may have been amused by the fact that his efforts to care for the Wolves had led him to neglect them. Not that they would feel that way, he knew, as they were perfectly satisfied to know that they were being of service to him. Any additional attention he gave them was simply a bonus and, he had no doubt, a great privilege.
He was fairly certain these three would be sharing their story tonight quite proudly. Even better, he had a feeling the Wolves they told would be quite envious of this simple interaction. Which, of course, only highlighted the fact that he needed to spend more time with his Wolves.
Looks like he wasn't going to be training after all, for as much as he'd like to become the Shinobi he knew he could become the Wolves and Hinata's flock would always take priority in his heart and he could not think himself any sort of proper leader to follow his own dreams when the well-being of so many rested on his shoulders.
His responsibility to them would always outweigh his own desires, even if they would happily suffer to see those desires fulfilled.
He cared for them too much to let that happen.
Amused, he recalled his earlier thoughts and had to agree with himself. They really were too similar to him for their own good. Or, perhaps, it was the fact that two entities- the Wolves and Himself- were both trying to take care of each other even at cost to themselves.
They were both pretty damn stubborn, too.
The voice of his godmother broke his musings and caused one of his eyes to crack open.
"Well," She said. "I'm off. I'll try not to cause too much trouble." He gave another amused snort at that. He was just about to ask her to stay out of any.
"Please do, Orochimaru-Chan." Her bright grin showed just how much she enjoyed it when he called her that and a dusting of red crossed her cheeks. That red only grew brighter as she leaned in to press a quick kiss goodbye to his own pale cheek.
"For you, Naruto-Kun." She promised. "You're just too beautiful to resist."
As she slipped from his desk and his office, the two Wolves behind him silently agreed.
Experience telling his he couldn't possibly be finished with paperwork despite the fact that it seemed as though he really had managed to do it all for the day, he sent one of the Wolves to visit Mai and collect any unfinished paperwork she had. Unlike Orochimaru, he had known Mai for years and the chances that she didn't pass work up to him because she felt like he was wearing himself down were far too great.
Luckily, it seemed that she had been taking a break- tea with Tsume, naturally- and so the Wolf he sent encountered zero resistance. He was sure she was going to be rather put out with him upon her return, provided she noticed at all.
Who was he kidding, she would notice.
He would endeavor, however, to have some of the work he took completed and slipped into her finished pile before she got back from her little date with Tsume. Maybe she'd miss that and her larger finished pile would simply confirm that her break had been more than deserved, which it was.
That girl really worked too hard for him, he needed to make sure she relaxed more.
Hmm, maybe a trip to a hotspring resort? No, she'd never go for that. The thought of leaving work for even a day wouldn't agree with her which means she'd have to be convinced to take any sort of vacation.
Perhaps he could provide an all expense paid trip to a resort for two to Tsume and mention how hard Mai had been working? That would probably work.
Despite being his most loyal Wolf- or, perhaps, because of it- she was the one most likely to defy him, especially if she felt that doing s he asked would somehow affect him negatively, which would undoubtedly be her belief in this case.
Tsume, on the other had, seemed to be a pretty good weakness to use against her in matters like this.
Whether that was because the two were romantically involved, Mai was too attracted to her to resist, or because Mai valued having another woman in a position of authority to speak with and look up to he really didn't know. Perhaps a combination of all three? He had never asked about the relationship the two had be it friends or something a bit more serious. It really wasn't any of his business how she unwound after all the work he put her through.
Pushing thoughts of what the two woman might get up to with each other far, far from his mind, he focused instead on his new pile of paperwork and diligently began his task. It was not long into it, however, that he was interrupted once again by a Kunoichi of Otogakure.
This one, however, was much younger and not anywhere near as powerful.
"Ah, Naruto-Sama?" She peaked her head in after a hesitant knock, not wanting to interrupt anything too important. Not only was he important to her Mistress, Orochimaru, but he was, she and Dosu had realized, the true power behind Nami no Kuni. Someone like that probably had much better things to be doing than speaking with her and would probably think very little of her personal problems especially when it dealt with issues she had with a teammate on a Genin team.
It should be so far beneath his notice it wasn't even funny and she briefly reconsidered what she was doing. Perhaps this whole idea had been poorly thought out. Then again, Dosu would only be able to keep Zaku occupied for a bit before they risked their third teammate doing something stupid. With their luck, it would be something that irritated the man they wished a favor from.
Not a combination to their benefit.
Taking a calming breath, she did her best to keep her eyes focused on his lips, avoiding his eyes submissively but showing that she was also paying complete attention to his person.
"Hmm?" his inquiry was a questioning hum as he turned his attention from his papers to his visitor. A slightly concerned frown crossed his lips. Neglecting work, neglecting training, neglecting his Wolves, and now he was neglecting his guests.
He bumped his need to restructure the Wolves to provided better administration with less involvement of himself to near the top of his priorities. He could really use the spare time.
With a flick of his wrist his current paper was signed with his approval and added to the pile of completed work, which he handed to his current guard, the Wolf who had previously been standing in the corner of the room. The two who had been behind him had mentioned something about dinner before leaving the room, so he wasn't about to stop them and he really didn't feel the need for guards in his office when he had Wolves around the expanded apartment who could be at his side at a moments notice.
"Take this to Mai's office, please." He requested, despite the fact that any request he made to a Wolf was automatically an order. "Somewhere in the middle of the stack is fine, but if you have more time feel free to incorporate it more thoroughly. If we can help it, I'd like to keep her from finding out."
The Wolf nodded in understanding before taking the papers and his leave. The Oto forces were not a threat to his Lord, just as their leader wasn't, and even if this Genin tried something he had supreme confidence in his Lord's abilities.
Of course, he would also be sure to notify some of the other Wolves on the way out so they could be nearby- just in case.
Realizing that she was alone with him seemed to give her a bit more confidence but she continued to avoid his eyes.
"Good evening, Tsuchi-San." He greeted her. "How are you today?"
"Well enough, Naruto-Sama." She had not moved from the doorway yet and so he quickly invited her in.
"I think it's about time for a break," he said, stretching slightly and tossing his pen onto his desk. "Come on in and we can talk for a bit."
"Of course, Naruto-Sama." The voice, while still slightly demure, gained notable confidence and she lifted her face to give him a small smile. It must have been his imagination, but he could have sworn she was trying to pull off 'sultry'. It wasn't really working, but it was kind of cute.
That thought was only reinforced by the way she sashayed- well, kind of, she hadn't quite gotten it down yet but it was a very good attempt. He was sure Kiba would have been all over her and even Shino would have taken notice. Actually, he really should see about reconnecting to his old classmates, especially considering that if someone became Chunin there was a chance of him being placed on that team even if it was only for the next exams.- to his desk.
He actually had to blink when he realized she was already at his desk , leaning over in an attempt to make her developing bust more prominent. He was aware of her moving, but his thoughts had him distracted enough that he couldn't really recall watching her on her way over. He really hoped he hadn't seemed too engrossed by her movements or that he was completely uninterested.
There was an acceptable balance he needed to have as host, even if she really wasn't anywhere near the league of some of the women he spent time with like Uzuki Yuugao, Mitarashi Anko, Uchiha Mikoto, and even Orochimaru herself; Kin was cute, like Mai, but both had a while to go before they could think to compete with those four.
Then again, Mai was likely to reach a very Mikoto-esque beauty in her own right, while he suspected Kin here would grow up to be a more plain attractive type, like Tatsuki had been. Ah, there was someone he had not thought of recently. He really needed to pay her grave a visit soon.
Even as he turned his attention back to Kin, some part of his mind noted that the thought of Tatsuki hadn't been nearly as painful as it once was. That was probably a good thing.
Glad to be in the position of power in this situation, he cut directly to the chase.
"What is it I can help you with, Tsuchi-San?" The slight downward twitch of her lips at the name he had decided to use for her and the way her finger had begun tracing shapes on his desk reminded him mightily of Orochimaru, who had done the same just a few hours earlier.
He wondered if she was aware of the similarities.
"Oh, Naruto-Sama, offering help so readily- You're very kind." She started. If she noted the way his eyebrow steadily rose as she spoke, she didn't mention it or let it distract her from her goal. "I'm sure you've had time to notice my other two teammates, Dosu and Zaku by now, yes?"
"I am familiar with them." His tone was dry enough that she had to have realized her approach was having little to no effect on him but she pushed forward regardless, either in hopes it might suddenly work or to avoid changing her approach part way through.
"Well, Dosu is a great teammate, we get along really well and I know he has my back." She paused to read his features. The pointedly polite, just-interested-enough-to-show-that-they-wanted-to-know-what-you were-actually-trying-to-say expression he wore was not encouraging in the slightest. "Zaku, on the other hand, is far too unreliable and, as you may have noticed, prone to actions that are both rash and idiotic. Poor traits for a Shinobi and a very bad thing for his teammates." She paused once more, looking for some sort of acknowledgement that he was really listening, which he gave easily enough.
"Go on."
"Well, Dosu and I discussed it, but we'd like to replace him on the team. The problem with that of course is that we have no one to replace him with."
"And?"
She swallowed her nervousness and continued to the actual request.
"You seem to have quite a few Wolves under your command, all very skilled, and we would be glad to have one on our team. In fact," She had slid around the right side of his desk, leaning into him with her developing bust and resting her right hand on his right thigh. "I know I would be very, very grateful if you granted us one of your Wolves for our team through the next Chuunin exam." Before he could respond she pushed forward, intent on laying as much on the table as she could to entice him before he could even consider saying no.
"And if it's a matter of payment, well," She leaned forward, her lips grazing his ear as she whispered. "I'm sure we could work out a private arrangement between the two of us, even if negotiations might take several long nights before we come to an agreement."
Alright, so maybe a little less Orochimaru and a bit more Anko, but there was no doubt in his mind that she, like the other two, was a snake.
He also had to admit she did reasonably well, he was sure she could have had any male gennin, and quite a few of the younger Chuunin, wrapped around her finger after that. Unfortunately for her, he was not one of them. Of course, that doesn't mean he was just going to say no. She obviously wanted something and was willing to do what she needed to get it. How much of a sacrifice it actually was- if it was one at all and not just an added bonus for her- he wouldn't be able to say and that was a good thing considering her profession. Orochimaru really should be proud of this one.
Well, if that pride wasn't overwhelmed by the anger she would probably feel to know one of her subordinates was coming onto her Crimson Prince for any reason. He couldn't say with absolute certainty, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't be pleased even if Kin was just trying to properly care for his needs, or whatever excuse would work best for the situation.
Now, if Naruto had approached Kin about any 'needs', he was reasonably confident that she would dislike it but let it slide. She seemed really possessive of him, he realized, and that wouldn't be good for Kin if she had actually succeeded at seducing him- and for one of his Wolves?
Having an angry Orochimaru after you was way overpaying for the services of a Wolf, especially if they were asking him for those services. As far as he was concerned, if they convinced a Wolf to join them and the Wolf requested the leave to do so it would be granted almost immediately.
And considering how much the Wolves liked to be of service, he was sure it would be anything but difficult to find one willing.
"While your offer is intriguing, Tsuchi-San," His voice was calm, showing absolute no effect from her efforts. "I doubt Orochimaru would be pleased to know about it." She stiffened immediately with a sharp breath, obviously having overlooked that rather crucial detail. "Still," He continued. "You have a point. I'm sure we could reach some sort of agreement to grant you the services of a Wolf for the next seven months."
How curious that she was now so nervous about him agreeing to find a way to get her what she wanted. The girl seemed terrified, though with good reason. Orochimaru was not one to be crossed normally and coming in between her and her Crimson Prince was the worst mistake one could make. Now, with him being agreeable to finding an arrangement she was stuck between risking Orochimaru's wrath for going through with it or risking her wrath for denying her godson something he was obviously interested in.
Not a good place for her to be in either case, and that didn't even take into account the fact that she was now completely at his mercy and she was painfully aware of it. Not that she hadn't been before, Orochimaru would have most likely allowed him to do with the Genin team as he pleased and even if she didn't just a single accusation from him at one of the Genin would have brought her wrath down upon them instantly.
In this instance however, the Oto Genin was more acutely aware of the power he held over her, and all because of a situation of her own making.
She was fortunate, then, that Naruto really didn't have anything against her and was amused at her attempt rather than upset. If he hadn't' spent so much time around Jounin and Sannin level Kunoichi, he was sure her attempts would have been at least mildly fruitful. Bad luck on her part, he supposed.
"Now then," He mused aloud. "What is it I might want from you?"
Her nervousness only increased and the poor girl was starting to tremble. His attempt to comfort her by pulling her gently into his lap did not seem to improve the situation any. In fact, he was pretty sure he had just made things worse.
He really wasn't good at dealing with regular people. He should probably work on that, you know, being a Daimyo and all.
"Let's see, you want one of my Wolves but I know for a fact that they're more skilled than you, so asking for seven months of service from you in exchange wouldn't be fair to me and I would just have to ask Orochimaru if I ever needed your services…." That seemed to work a bit, as he felt her relax ever so slightly. Either she was distracted by his verbal thinking or she believed him to be distracted. Either way, she wasn't trembling quite so much.
"I could charge you the standard rates, but I doubt you could afford them as a Genin. A payment plan is an option I suppose, but I know Otogakure really doesn't offer steady work so that's a bad idea." Strange as that was for a shinobi village, that's what happens when your first purpose is to provide for Orochimaru's plots.
"I don't really need a cook, and I'm not sure how well you can cook. The Wolves, for the most part, keep the apartment tidy, so I can't offer any work in that area. You can probably play an instrument of some kind, Orochimaru mentioned most of you are trained in at least one, but I don't have any desire for a personal musician." His eyes drifted down to his paperwork- well, Mai's paperwork, but it was all his in the end- and he recalled how hard the girl worked herself.
"Hmm. Tell me, Tsuchi-San, do you have any organizational skills?" Tsunami had been set up with an administrative job assisting Hana back in Nami no Kuni. Perhaps….
"Uh, no."
Damn.
"...I'll keep that option in mind anyway." He paused. "Then again, you're borrowing a Wolf until the next Chunin Exam, which, I would assume, you plan to take for the sake of being a Chunin. I need to find you something that would fit an Otogakure Chunin."
He didn't need assassins- the Wolves had that covered- and he wasn't delivering anything that needed to be escorted. VIP protection? Who might he assign them to? Oh, actually, that last one was perfect. While he had Wolves to do the same, he was sure she would probably appreciate someone closer to her age, especially if they were trying to keep her out of public view for a bit until everything blew over.
Her sister, though, could use another young woman to speak with, too, he supposed, Then again, she already had people outside the Wolves she could turn to. Yes, yes- this was perfect.
"Ah, here we go." He declared, Kin still sitting upon his lap but not looking as though she'd bolt at the slightest opportunity. Good, he was rather a fan of physical contact and she was the only other person in the room. "I should have a long-term protection detail that I could use you on. Seven months to pay back the services of the Wolf and then, if you succeed in becoming a Chunin, we can talk about hiring you officially through Otogakure on a more permanent basis."
Though he couldn't see it, she blinked in surprise. That was, well, unexpected. It seemed as though he had actually managed to come up with a suitable, professional, arrangement for them that was, from first glance, more than fair. A direct repayment of time with a proposal for a job opportunity? If this arrangement worked out, she'd get both a promotion and constant work at her new rank. That was, really, better than she could have hoped for. Assuming, of course, she wasn't too tempted to kill whoever it was she was supposed to be protecting. It was the only real downside she could see and the only thing that made her hesitate.
"And if the client doesn't care for me?" She inquired.
"Considering I'm the client, that's doubtful." Her face flamed red and she was immensely glad he wouldn't be able to see it. Either she would be protecting him, which meant spending a lot of time very close to him- seven weeks minimum and possibly as long as he needed protecting if she managed to make Chunin- or he was saying he cared for her, which was ridiculous- they hardly knew each other.
"Of course," he continued, breaking her out of her daydreaming. "The VIP I need you to watch may be a bit difficult to get along with. She'd used to a position of power, you see, being the heiress of a prominent clan here in Konoha. There may be some difficulty between you."
Her blush went from embarrassment of the situation to embarrassment of the conclusions she had jumped to. She couldn't dislodge the slight pang of disappointment, either.
"Luckily, we have on opportunity to make sure this arrangement will work." he continued on, as if completely oblivious to her plight. Admittedly, that was pretty likely considering he couldn't see her face. "We can call it a trial run, if you'd like, but I will need to make sure she's protected very soon and we may need to keep her away from the eye of the public, which is why I think you would do better than some of my Wolves."
"Really?" She hoped her voice hadn't squeaked too much.
"Yes. Like myself, the Wolves are not the best at...social interaction. She's used to having people to boss around and the behaviour of the rest of the guard I'll assign her should be fairly similar to what she's used to, minus being able to command them against my instructions, but I feel she may need protection that can provide her with better social interactions for the time she's away from the world. Having a young woman like yourself available to speak with should be good for her and I'm sure she'll be grateful, even if she never admits it even to herself."
"So I guard her for a bit soon and then you lend us the Wolf?"
"Yes. Then, after the next Chunin exams, you return to repay me with seven months of guarding the same VIP. After that, we'll discuss the possibility of a more permanent job doing the same."
"Sounds good to me." In fact, she was pretty sure that if either of them were getting a better deal out of this it was herself. "And if I don't get along well with your VIP?"
"I'll be speaking with her, so she should be accepting enough, but if there is a major issue stopping the two of you from working together we'll just have to find something else for you to do. I'd suggest thinking up alternative arrangements if things start looking too poorly during this trial run."
"Alright. In that case I do believe we have a deal, Naruto-Sama. Thank you very much for working with me on this."
"That we do, Tsuchi-San, and it was absolutely no trouble." Well, it was, a little, but being polite was important in most situations. He'd consider this good practice for non-formal, non-hostile, negotiations.
An arrangement made, both fell into silence.
Naruto was perfectly fine with this, his left arm reaching out for the next paper from his desk and his right arm still wrapped around Kin's midsection as he held her on his lap.
Kin, on the other hand, was not so at ease with the situation she found herself in, her eyes darting to the door as if Orochimaru herself would walk in any second now. She did not, however, immediately voice anything.
A minute passed, then two. Papers moved across the dark grain of a heavy desk and a young woman squirmed restlessly in the lap of the Moon God.
"Um, Naruto-Sama?" She asked, terrified but embarrassedly pleased by the attention and physical contact at the same time.
"Hmm?" He didn't even pause to look at her.
"We're done negotiating, right?"
"Hm." He agreed.
"Then, uh, were you going to let me go?" He paused at that, turning to look at her questioningly as his right arm briefly pulled her more tightly to him, almost as if to confirm she was really being held there by him.
"Do I have to?"
"Um, no?" Well, not really. She was in no position to force him to do anything and her response was more question than statement.
"Hm." And like that he turned back to his papers, right arm still holding her to him, as if the matter had been suitably concluded. She supposed for him it had been.
With a small sigh, she was reminded of her powerlessness in the situation and decided to surrender to it, allowing herself to relax comfortably against him. There was still some nervousness and a fear of being caught by her Mistress, but she did enjoy the feeling of being held on his lap.
She'd just have to hope that if Orochimaru came through the door before she was able to get away that Naruto would protect her. A shiver ran down her spine- a pleasant one.
There was a thought. Kin Tsuchi, Otogakure Gennin, having to completely surrender herself and trust her well-being to the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni. It was new, the fear made it slightly exciting, and she was rarely as comfortable as she was now.
And, she supposed, if she had succeeded with her poorly considered plan earlier that thought could have been the plot for Jiraiya's next Icha-Icha book.
A new blush on her face, she purposefully pressed herself further into his chest, as if hoping to hide from her own thoughts, and enjoyed the way his body felt against hers.
Were anyone to call it snuggling, however, she would vehemently deny it.
See you all next...er...time?