Yeah, I know, it's been nearly two months now since my last post. I made the mistake of putting it off for three weeks and then found myself with very little free time for five.
Promotions are great but earning them can take a lot of extra time and effort. And, having now become a manager, I find myself both working more hours and dedicating more of my personal time to various tasks to help keep the store running as smoothly as possible.
With that said, I have managed to use one of my weekends to tack on about half a chapter to this one so that it isn't too short and I will try to contribute to future chapters more frequently to hopefully cut down on the length of time between updates.
I'm certain there was more I wanted to address but for the life of me I cannot remember.
Thanks goes to ncpfan for his help looking over the chapter.
Let's begin.
Naruko dodged another gust of wind with a frown, blue eyes tracking her opponent who stood across the stadium from her, that infuriating smirk over her lips. Being wind-natured herself, she thought this might be a fun battle but dealing with the gusts that damned fan could produce was serving only to thin her patience considerably.
Naruko had been taught to use a blade by her mother and when learning Wind Jutsu it seemed only natural that she would use wind as she would a blade. The problem there was that Suna was an ally and she had no intention of slicing her opponent to pieces just for the chance to become a Chuunin.
Her opponent on the other hand didn't have such a concern. As long as the wind wasn't made to fierce it was just blunt force being used against her, like a punch to the entire body at once. Painful? Yes. Annoyingly adept at stopping ranged attacks? Most definitely. Deadly? Not really.
Admittedly, the Suna Kunoichi's technique seemed to suit her personality well. Blunt and forceful, she was confident in her abilities and had no need to show off. Naruko was absolutely sure that the girl had other techniques and whether they were being kept secret for other opponents or held back to avoid injury she didn't really know.
But if her opponent used them she'd at least have a good reason to use her own, so she actually found herself hoping the Suna Kunoichi would get bored and escalate the fight.
Not that it was likely to happen unless she actually seemed to be a threat. At the moment she was just running around trying to find a way to disable her without doing too much damage. No wonder capture missions paid better than assassinations.
As the wind around her died down, the Suna girl- Temari – paused to observe her and Naruko took a second to blow errant strands of hair from her face. With all this wind her pigtails were starting to come undone.
Just as she was honestly starting to consider calling upon Mito's Chakra for a slight edge in speed and instinct, however, white feathers began to rain. She looked on in confusion for only a second, wondering if Temari had done something without her noticing, when she realized that the Kunoichi was quickly vacating the field.
She blinked twice as the Wind Mistress reached her brothers and the three dashed of together.
'What?'
Only a moment later she realized that there was fighting in the stands between Konoha Shinobi and... civilians? One such civilian cut down a young Shinobi who couldn't be more than a fresh Chuunin and quickly discarded bulky civilian garb to show a Suna flak jacket.
It took one last second for her to piece it together.
Suna, their long-time ally, was attacking them.
Konoha, the village that had made it out of every world-wide Shinobi conflict as victors was being invaded.
And her opponent had been a Suna Kunoichi.
Remembering Gaara and his strange sand ability and having just fought against the Wind Mistress she realized that the three Sand Siblings running off together couldn't be a good thing. As soon as she had grasped the situation she was off after them, determined to stop whatever they were trying to do before it could happen.
Idly, she acknowledged that she should probably be seeking out a higher ranking Shinobi for orders or at least finding her mother so the two of them could work together. Another part of her also wanted to find her brother so she'd know he was safe until they had managed to beat back the Suna Shinobi- for she had every confidence that Konoha would stand victorious in the end- but in the end she decided that stopping the Sand Siblings, the children of the Kazekage from completing whatever task had been assigned to them was far more important at the moment.
Her mother could take care of herself and she knew her brother had powerful allies who would see him protected.
She would just have to trust in both and do her best to get back to them as soon as she could.
Hopefully after showing that Sand Kunoichi exactly what she was capable of with wind techniques.
Naruto watched almost lazily from his seat as the nobles around him started to panic. To his side Hana had tensed up, ready to fight anyone who attacked her and no doubt itching to jump into the fray to protect the village of her birth.
He spared a glance to a nearby Wolf who gave him a nod. Everything was going smoothly.
The other Wolves that the Fire Daimyō had permitted to be stationed around the viewing area for security kept any of the nobles from leaving the protection they offered even as four of them took positions around the Fire and Wind Daimyō.
None to soon, either.
"You!" Shouted one of the members of the Imperial Fire Court, no doubt pointing to the Wind Daimyō. "This is your doing, call them off!"
The Wind Daimyō wouldn't get much more than an chance to stammer before any possible response was cut off by Naruto's chuckling. He had no doubt all their attention was on him as he stood but he peered back over his shoulder at them just to be sure. With a grand gesture he presented them the conflict between Suna and Konoha, as if it were the first showing of some spectacular play.
"Gaze upon all your efforts, Daimyō-Dono." Despite their being three Daimyō within the viewing area, it was evident he was addressing the Daimyō of Kaze no Kuni. "Look at what you have managed to accomplish in your ignorance."
Even as he spoke Konoha Shinobi were flooding into the arena en mas, more seen heading towards the walls where defensive lines had already been established. It was pretty obvious Konoha had not been caught off-guard by their treachery in the slightest.
"You cut their budget and deny them work and now your people have become as the jackal, attacking in desperation the closest target they can find even if it's the only ally they have." Naruto chuckled again. "And to think, this was the best chance they had, too. None of the others were so vulnerable a target."
He turned back to the Daimyō of Wind, who had no doubt paled considerably behind his veil.
"And now your forces will be decimated at the command of another, driven to this because of you. With this failure, Suna is done for and you will be a Daimyō of a country without Shinobi." Everyone there could feel the smirk hidden beneath Naruto's scarf as he continued. "A lesser Daimyō."
Apparently the Daimyō of Kaze no Kuni hadn't even considered that side of the situation and the sudden realization had him actually trembling. Most of his influence had been because he was considered a Greater Daimyō but if he lost that not only would he have almost no influence but he'd be in direct competition with the likes of Naruto himself, the Daimyō of Nami no Kuni.
Considering his forces just attacked Konoha, he had a pretty good idea which of the two of them the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni would favor.
And with the Fire Daimyō being his only ally, that was not a good thing.
"And if that wasn't enough," Another chuckle left the Daimyō of Nami no Kuni. "The Suna Shinobi cannot retreat even if they wanted to, for my forces move as we speak to ensure not a single invader is left standing. You'll be lucky if Konoha decides to take prisoners, because that's the only salvation they can hope for."
Naruto fell silent, his part spoken, but another voice raised itself, seemingly unconcerned with the chaos around them or the fact that their Shinobi village was fighting off an attempted invasion.
"Ah, and if I may ask, how did you know to have your forces ready to stop their retreat?" The question from the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni had only slight traces of accusation. "This is the first I'm hearing of it, though I suppose it explains your desire to handle security..."
Naruto turned fully to his greatest supporter within the Elemental Courts and gave a shallow bow as he answered.
"I have my sources, Daimyō-Sama," The fact that he had addressed a fellow Daimyō as being above him was not lost on the other nobles in the viewing box. "One of which we discussed that last time we met." That would be Orochimaru, if the Fire Daimyō pieced it together, but there was no reason to panic the others by speaking his godmother's name. "I managed to dissuade Otogakure from joining with Suna in this invasion, as they originally intended, using some of my agents and was able to get a message to Rasa, the Kazekage, which he seems to have heeded as best he could, but I was unable to stop the invasion entirely."
"Oh, quite impressive," And it was, if one didn't know Orochimaru had been the one who initially planned the invasion and who informed him about it. "But I still don't recall hearing anything about this..."
The question was obvious enough and Naruto had no desire to be on the wrong side of the Greater Daimyō so soon after their partnership had begun.
"My apologies, Daimyō-Sama. I arranged for Gennin Naruto of Konohagakure to inform Sarutobi Hiruzen of Suna's plans and it was reported back to me that he informed both Sarutobi Hiruzen and one of his long-time advisers Shimura Danzō." This was really throwing the two under the carriage, but if that's what it took to improve his standing with the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni they'd just have to take the hit. He'd send them some sake or something later, both to thank them and help them deal with the mess he was pulling them into. "I felt it more appropriate for you to be informed of the invasion and all that was being done to counter it by your own village rather than learning of it from a foreign Daimyō."
He and the Fire Daimyō knew he wasn't foreign in the slightest, but the nobles around them didn't and it was for their sake this had become some sort of spectacle. In private, he could have simply told him that he had personally informed the Hokage of the upcoming invasion. In public, however, images had to be maintained.
"Oh, I see." Naruto was pretty sure he was the only one there- apart from perhaps his Wolves- who was able to recognize the slight suspicion in the Daimyō's words. He didn't believe him- fully, anyway- but he was accepting it.
For now.
Naruto didn't think his luck was enough for the Fire Daimyō to drop the matter entirely, but he'd take what he could get at the moment.
No need for the other nobles to know he had intentionally neglected to inform the Greater Daimyō so the movement of his forces hadn't been specifically forbidden. The point of this was to improve the reputation of the Wolves, after all. The Daimyō's armies could have served the same purpose of his own forces but with this the Daimyō of Nami no Kuni had come immediately to the aid of the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni soon after their alliance had been formed.
It was a good image, and one to help balance out the sometimes frightening visage of the Wolves he made use of.
The Wolves weren't just a pack of Shinobi who had taken over a country on his orders, but the legitimate forces of the Wave Daimyō who came to Hi no Kuni's aid without hesitation.
Such views would certainly shape future interactions between the Wolves and the rest of the world favorably.
Of course, bringing down the Wind Daimyō and making it so Rasa and his loyal Shinobi would be more likely to throw their lot in with Nami no Kuni was simply a benefit, one he intended to make full use of.
Whether that would be more useful with Rasa heading to Nami no Kuni or holding his position in Kaze no Kuni he hadn't quite decided but regardless, having another Kage-level ally was in no way detrimental to the Wolves.
"Well then," The Fire Daimyō's words broke him from his thoughts. "I suppose there's nothing to do at this point but wait." The man shifted around in his chair until he had found a more comfortable position before lifting up his mostly empty glass, an obvious sign that he was expecting a refill.
Most of the nobles in the viewing area seemed shocked that the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni was so at ease as his Hidden Village was being invaded around him but Naruto was glad his scarf hid his smirk. He was sure the nobles wouldn't take it too well, either insulted for themselves or the Daimyō.
Or, perhaps, they would just be intimidated. Not likely considering his age, but also not something he could risk. The Wolves did the dirty work, he had to keep himself looking immaculate should there ever come scrutiny from the courts.
It was a balance he had to work out, naturally, to ensure he was a just and reasonable Daimyō even as his forces were known to go to any length to see his will done even if he wouldn't approve of it.
Officially, of course.
The key was to make it seem like he didn't fully control the fanatical Wolves and that they would take things into their own hands if they thought it would help him. It wasn't his fault you angered the Wolves, they really were quite temperamental. If only you hadn't provoked them by going against him none of this would have happened.
False benevolence really wasn't too hard an act to pull off properly and it got things done without the masses panicking too much. There were going to be those who saw through it, but that was to be expected.
Like his minor performance earlier, the show was for the lesser entities simply because it made things easier.
And, with any luck, he wouldn't have to do much that required him to pretend to be some gracious ruler. He was a leader of a paramilitary mercenary group, not some humanitarian.
Besides, he could always leave the reigns in Hana's capable hands. She would do much better than he would and it wouldn't be an act. In fact, that might be better to start with. That would save him a hell of a lot of trouble.
Archaic politics he knew and was perfectly comfortable with, but he never really cared for anything more modern than the village's founding. His attempts to mix the two, well, the results were shaky at best. Employing the full potential of those who followed him was certainly a better option and he doubted anyone associated with the Wolves had greater familiarity than Hana herself considering she had been training to take over her mother's position.
Diving back into his thoughts, he was only half-aware of the permissive wave he gave to one of his Wolves when the Fire Daimyō's serpents were too scarred to approach their lord surrounded as he was by Wolves.
He completely missed that rather than letting the servants get through one of the Wolves personally refilled the man's glass.
The nobles around them and the other two Daimyo, however, did not.
It would seem as though the performance would continue regardless of his awareness.
From his treetop perch, Yūto surveyed the battlefield. If it could be called that.
Not to far away was the great wall of Konoha and smashing themselves against it were the forces of Suna. Originally the plan had been for Orochimaru's summons to open holes in the walls for them to use but with the former Konoha Shinobi withdrawing his support they were missing some rather critical pieces of their plan.
A plan that hadn't been adjusted all that much from the looks of things.
Small pillars of earth rose, carrying squads of Suna Shinobi, while some on the ground worked to create ramps for easier access.
The Konoha Shinobi at the top of the walls, however, were not making it easy.
With solid footing and a clear view of the enemies below them, they had no problems casting down Jutsu that delayed their work and cut down their numbers. If this was all they had to worry about Konoha's victory would be assured even without aid from the Wolves.
Unfortunately, a large group of Suna Shinobi had already managed to infiltrate the village of their former ally and those Konoha Shinobi had to be careful for attacks from both sides.
They, however, wouldn't be the only ones.
Yūto's eyes moved down to the forest below him, where Wolves prowled the forest waiting for the signal to attack. Should no signal come throughout the duration of the invasion they were to simply keep any Suna Shinobi from escaping.
Understandably, they were eager for the signal, one Yūto was happy to provide.
Without hesitation they charged into the fray and within seconds shouts and screams of surprise left the unprepared Suna Shinobi. The Wolves, as a general rule, avoided Ninjutsu. It was far too flashy for their needs and it was too easy to cause unintended damage with a poorly used technique.
In this case, they would make an exception. Almost as one the Wolves flashed through handseals before unleashing great bouts of flame. Trapped as they were between the flames, the wall, and the Jutsu from Konoha's Shinobi it was no surprise the desperate Suna Shinobi began falling in droves.
Things became worse for them when, heedless of the flames, a great purple snake started tearing down the middle of their forces.
Yūto blinked in surprise at that.
That hadn't been covered in the briefing, had it? He swore he would have recalled mention of snake summons being used to further disorient the Suna troops.
Mainly because it would have been something he wanted to avoid being around lest he get caught by a snake that probably didn't care who it crushed or swallowed in the end.
Actually, with that in mind he really should call back the troops lest they be caught in the chaos. With a few signals to the watcher below him- a Wolf tasked specifically with keeping an eye on him for this very purpose- the Wolves vanished back into the forests of Hi no Kuni ready to jump back in should things start going wrong for Konoha.
At the moment, however, they seemed to be handling things just fine. The Wolve's unexpected attack had helped cut down a good portion of their numbers and the chaos caused by the rampaging snake summon had drastically reduced the pressure on the defenders.
Add the fact that both Konoha and Suna now knew of their presence and who they supported morale between the two had been polarized. He was sure if they thought they could Suna would be retreating at this point. With the Wolves behind them, however, that wasn't exactly an option. He had to wonder how long it would be before they started begging to be allowed to surrender.
His focus went again to his fellow Wolves in the forest below him and his palm quickly found itself slapped against his mask. A group of wolves stood around a group of Suna Shinobi they had obviously grabbed during the chaos bickering- as stealthily as they could- about who got to keep them.
Looked to be a Jōnin or two, a pair of Genin, and a handful of Chūnin and Yūto found himself curious whether if the group had planned this or if so many of the Wolves here had the same idea.
Not that it really mattered, Tsukiyomi-Sama obviously got first pick, though he had to wonder if the other two groups were having similar problems.
High-Captain Keigo sighed as he overlooked the Wolves gathered at the northern wall. So far there had been no more than three Suna Shinobi, all of which had been fleeing from within Konoha rather than attempting to invade.
They currently sat tied to one of the larger trees and didn't seem to have any intention of trying to escape with so many Wolves around them.
He wondered if the others were finding things just as easy.
The Daimyō of Hi no Kuni- Iroh, to his friends – took a sip of his drink, the very picture of being at ease.
But he wasn't, not really.
Who could possibly be completely comfortable in a situation like this? When his hidden village of Konoha was under attack from the village of one of his allies?
But panicking would do no good and he had faith in the Konoha Shinobi to get through this, hopefully with few to no civilian casualties. The knowledge that some of Naruto's own forces were out there to support Konoha helped him relax just a bit. After all, that group took over a country. Even if there were no Shinobi in that country, surely they could still be of some use in protecting Konohagakure no Sato.
Those thoughts brought his mind to Naruto himself, who had obviously known about this for some time. On one hand, he wanted to be angry that he hadn't been informed and that Naruto had instead decided to move forces across his land without permission.
On the other, he had seen to it that the current Hokage was made fully aware and proceeded to ensure steps were taken to support them in whatever plan they came up with. Iroh was also well aware that if Naruto had asked to move troops across his land he'd have been mighty suspicious and even after hearing about the invasion may have had him denying the request. He would have also been rather angry at Hiruzen for not telling him sooner.
So, in the end, perhaps this was for the best after all. He didn't loose any of his troops supporting Konoha, the invasion would be crushed, and he was angry at Hiruzen.
The alternative was risking his troops, crushing the invasion, and still being mad at Hiruzen.
Still, he wasn't exactly comfortable with the fact that Naruto managed to move his troops across Hi no Kuni without his knowing. It's not like he expected the newest Daimyō to turn against him but Konoha here thought the exact same thing about Suna and here they were cutting down their former allies to defend their home.
He'd need to see to it that his own forces started patrolling his land more. Typically he just paid Konoha Shinobi to do it which provided stable work and acted as part of the funding he gave to the village, but it was apparently keeping him out of the loop, too, and he didn't like that.
He had to wonder, though, if Konoha had detected the Wolves earlier and didn't inform him or if the Wolves had managed to slip past them too. Either way, it would be good to have his own troops out and about.
They had been getting pretty complacent back at the capital anyway.
It was time to change that.
Two Wolves shared a look, the symbol on their brows marking them apart from their siblings. There were two others like them, but they were continuing with the primary objective of ensuring the safety of their lord's little goddess.
Normally that meant these two Wolves would be 'off the clock', training, relaxing, or getting some sleep, but they had a very different task at the moment.
One of the Wolves gave a nod and the other turned to face the five Wolves crouched behind them. This would be new territory for them, those five with unmarked masks, but the two who were marked had lived here in service to the goddess for some time now.
It would be up to them to guide their siblings.
Beckoning them to follow, the Wolf led them into position while the other marked Wolf crept closer to the gate. Two guards stood, as always, even though the Chuunin exams had attracted most of the Konoha population and the invasion that interrupted it had hardly been as subtle as Suna may have hoped.
Still, the two stood loyally protecting the clan compound. In the case of one of them, too loyally.
With two sharp whistles the second guard struck, eliminating his partner and removing his headband to show the Juin that marked him as a member of the branch house. The fallen guard, while likewise a member of the branch house, was well known for being a supporter of the main house and could not be allowed to interfere.
With his Juin proudly displayed, the remaining guard wasted no time in opening the gate into the compound, his Byakugan active to ensure the Wolves wouldn't be spotted. Satisfied the coast was clear he motioned for the Wolves and the group of six was quick to start their task.
The last Wolf took his time, jumping from his perch and making his way calmly towards the gates. Even as the guard gave a respectful nod to one of Hinata no Mikoto's bodyguards the Wolf was tossing the corpse of the other guard over his shoulder and continuing on into the compound.
Their orders had come straight from Tsukiyomi himself and were to be carried out to perfection.
By the end of the invasion, there was to be only a single branch of Hyuuga.
A branch led by Hinata no Mikoto and controlled by Tsukiyomi.
No matter what, the Wolves would ensure his will was done.
Naruko dashed through the forest, always just behind her targets. They were aware of her, too, as the older two kept looking over their shoulders at her and urged the youngest to go faster every time.
In fact, it was almost as if they were determined to keep him safe from her, like she was some giant threat to his life. And while it was nice that they were taking her seriously, it was also kind of insulting that they thought she was aiming to actually end their lives.
She normally wasn't one who wanted to fight to the death and Gaara had brought his team to their aid back in the forest of death. Admittedly, that point was rather conflicting. She knew she had a duty to protect her village but at the same time there was that debt hanging over her.
Perhaps, depending on what they were trying to do, she might be able to stop them and let them go rather than taking them captive. That was fair, wasn't it?
The Suna team had helped them get to the tower and now she could get them away from her village.
Going solely by the first examiner, escaping to Suna was a much better prospect than a visit to Konoha's T&I division.
Oh, sorry, she meant 'Konoha's Intelligence Team'. It was a much more polite name for the group that would gleefully cut into you until you spilled even the most inane of secrets you possessed.
Judging this time by the second examiner, well, it would certainly be a memorable experience. You know, assuming you lived afterwards.
She would undoubtedly be doing them a huge favor keeping them out of the hands of KIT- and wasn't that just one of the greatest names for a group in a village that absolutely despised anything to do with foxes?- one that was more than enough to repay them for their earlier aid.
Now, if only she could actually catch up to them!
She nearly let loose a frustrated growl before they suddenly dropped down into a clearing. Huh, she had half expected one of them to try to delay her while the other two continued. She could understand Temari wanting more room for her wind attacks but the puppeteer- whose name was escaping her at the moment- should have been fine in the forest. In fact, this open space was probably more detrimental to a style that relied heavily on sneak attacks.
The only options she could come up with were either they figured their chances were better together- which wasn't wrong in the slightest, actually. She really should have brought a team for this- or this is exactly where they were supposed to be for, well, whatever it was they were doing.
"Che," Huffed Temari, reminding Naruko of just how fortunate she was to have Uzumaki stamina and a giant mass of Chakra within her that helped her body recover so quickly. "Persistent one, aren't you?"
"Of course, our match isn't finished Temari."
The Wind Mistress shot her an incredulous look.
"Really?" The Suna Kunoichi asked. "You followed us all the way here because we didn't finish our match? Konoha is being invaded!"
"I know, which is why I have to make sure I stop whatever you're up to." With a poof of smoke her blade was unsealed and she twirled it sheath and all around her hand twice before getting into a stance. "I can't think of any reason for all three of you to speed of together during the invasion that doesn't involve the three of you up to no good."
Temari blinked twice before sharing a look with Kankurō and turning back to Naruko, a single brow raised and her lip twitching into an amused smirk.
"Up to no good? Didn't you notice?" Asked Temari as Kankurō seemed to hang his head in embarrassment, as if what she was about to say actually ashamed him. Temari, on the other hand, seemed almost proud of herself. "We're running away!"
"Huh?" But, they were the Kazekage's children, weren't' they? Surely they would have some sort of special task to do, unless giving Suna an excuse was actually the extent of their task. And with them being the Kazekage's children, were they running so as to not be used against Suna should they be captured during the invasion?
It actually made a lot of sense that way, but she couldn't shake the feeling that these three wouldn't have been told to run away. As she understood it the three were prodigies and Gaara, despite being a Gennin, was one of the strongest Shinobi in the entirety of Suna.
Now that she thought about it, that was really kind of sad. Sure, he was really strong with that sand of his and it was probably much easier for him back in Suna where they were surrounded by it, but surely there must be quite a few Jōnin with more power.
Unless it was Jōnin with less power but far more skill. Gaara possessing some of the most raw power in the village was much more understandable, especially when she thought of the Chakra that resided in her at this very moment.
"What, you think we want to be invading? The only reason we're doing this is because Suna's desperate and the council didn't want to have to come up with a new plan." She scoffed, shaking her head in disappointment. "The original plan was to join up with Otogakure to better our chances, but when they pulled out and their Kage brought another option to our father's attention he officially called it off."
Naruko didn't really believe that considering the the majority of Suna's forces were currently trying to crush her home. "Officially called it off? Bullshit, most of your Shinobi are back in the village trying to raze it to the ground!"
"And that's because they're fools." This time it was Gaara who spoke, his gravely voice catching Naruko- and to a lesser extent Temari- by surprise. "Tou-San will not allow them to threaten his territory." The redhead frowned deeply immediately after saying that, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"Tou-San?" He muttered to himself. "Other Tou-San? But which would be the 'other'?"
Suna's most notable Gennin seemed deeply concerned over the matter, far more so than the fact that his village's Shinobi were probably being butchered nearby.
"Mother is mother, and there is only one mother," He paused, shooting a glance toward Temari. "Right? But, there's other Kaa-San, too, isn't there?" Gaara's eyes widened with sudden revelation. "But Kaa-San and Other Kaa-San are both with the same Tou-San, so that must be the real Tou-San, and the other Tou-San is Other Tou-San." He nodded to himself, pleased with his logic, and Temari didn't know whether to laugh at the ridiculousness or be angry that it had taken her so long to be able to see this side of Gaara.
Naruko, on the other hand, stared at the boy blankly while his brother rubbed his temples with a groan.
"What?" She asked. "How does that have anything to do with this?"
"Because Tou-San scared Kaa-San at first, and nothing scares Kaa-San. So Tou-San must be more powerful than Kaa-San. I know Kaa-San has come close to wiping out Suna before she was sealed, so Tou-San should have no problems destroying most of the Shinobi when they're so far from home." Gaara considered something for a second before continuing. "And while I can still hear Kaa-San, I know she stayed with Tou-San, so there's no way he won't crush them. They should know this, so attacking is stupid."
Not even bothering trying to understand what it was Gaara was talking about- other than the fact that someone strong was back in Konoha and that he had faith that this 'Tou-San' would protect her village- Naruko latched onto something else that caught her attention.
"Sealed?" Naruko narrowed her eyes at Gaara. "You're a Jinchuriki too, aren't you?"
Gaara was halfway through a nod before he froze, his eyes opening in surprise.
"I'm...not?" He seemed unsure of himself, as if he hadn't managed to come to terms with it yet. A contemplative frown tugged at his lips as he considered it. "I...was." He was much more confident about that statement. "But mother is not with me still."
"Because mother is with Tou-San, right?" She understood that much.
"Yes, mother is with Tou-San..." Gaara paused, glancing at her in realization. "If you're the sister of Tou-San...Auntie?"
"W-what?!" They had been talking about Naruto? Did that mean he had done something with Gaara's Biju? And, the important question, if the Biju was known as 'Kaa-San', who the hell was this 'Other Kaa-San' who had been cozying up to her brother?
She shot a glare at a snickering Temari, who just shot her a wicked smirk in response.
"Well, if Gaara is considering you his auntie and I'm his 'Other Kaa-San', I guess that makes us sisters, hm?"
No. Just no. This was not happening to her.
It was supposed to be a simple day. Wake up, show up for the third round of the Chuunin exams, show that she was ready for a promotion, get promoted, and go celebrate.
She did not sign up to be a part of this strange family Gaara was making in his head. The Biju is his mother? Fine, whatever. His older sister is also considered his mother? Yeah, she could see that if she was the one looking out for him. Her brother was his father? She didn't even want to know how that happened- though she suspected it had something to do with Temari- but sure, he took the position of father figure in the former Jinchuriki's life. None of that was too important-
But she was not being dragged into this clusterfuck.
"You know what? Just get out of here." She put away her sword. "I don't want to deal with this right now."
"Finally" sighed Kankurō, who wasted no time in dashing off. Konoha was doing weird things to his siblings and he was eager to get back to the sanity that came from building your village in the middle of a desert wasteland. It must have been all the green from the trees, because he still recalled those two in that awful spandex. Yep, definitely all the green. It simply wasn't a sane color.
"Heh, see you around Imouto-Chan" Temari gave a cheeky wave. "Come on Gaara, you know Tou-San wanted you to leave when the invasion started."
Gaara nodded in agreement before giving Naruko his own wave. "Bye, Auntie."
Massaging her brow, Naruko gave a defeated sigh. She still needed to get the situation with her brother sorted out so they could all be a family again, but once she did he had a lot of explaining to do about this other family of his.
And those dogs of his, too.
Hyuuga Hiashi hadn't hesitated to have the Hyuuga watching the matches evacuate back to their compound. It might not have been the civilian safe-houses kept under the Hokage-Iwa but it was familiar territory and they could use their Byakugan to keep any hostile forces from surprising them.
If only they had activated their Byakugan before entering the compound.
At first everything was relatively normal, branch members scuttling around to secure the compound as the sounds of battle stretched across Konoha. The fact that their was only one guard at the gate was a bit odd, but if he was needed to help somewhere else it was understandable.
They had never expected the branch members to turn on them.
In hindsight, that was rather foolish.
After all, why wouldn't they?
It started with branch members rushing past but it was only moments later that Hiashi and the elders realized that their clanmembers were falling lifelessly to the ground. All it had taken was one swift strike to the chest, a signature finisher of the clan. By the time the main family had attempted to create the handseals that would incapacitate the branch members- and judging by the fury some of the elders had on their faces, end their lives- they had another problem-
Wolves.
Using the branch members as a distraction they had snuck in close before pouncing, their blades flashing with deadly speed and cutting down elders before the handsigns could be complete.
Hiashi himself had managed to form the proper seal but his own Chakra capacity only let him split the effect between the branch members closest to him.
The Wolves, understandably, weren't effected and it wasn't long before Hiashi found himself pinned to the ground with a wolf on his back ready to strike and a boot on either hand. He barely had enough time to activate his Byakugan before it was over, and all that showed him was the end of the elders. Those who had managed to hold their own against the branch members hadn't been prepared to fight against blades.
The Kaiten was usually considered a perfect defense but as Lee had shown against his nephew it did have its flaws. One such flaw was that she Chakra shell was relatively thin, focused on dissipating attacks around it more than stopping them cold. Which meant when blades coated in more Chakra than was in a particular section of the Kaiten struck the Kaiten would deflect as much Chakra as it could but the blade would continue on for a spit second before more of the Chakra could be moved to deflect it.
A split second was normally not enough for the blade to reach anything vital, but the Wolves weren't aiming for anything vital.
All they had needed to do was cut the hands.
Three of the elders learned that the hard way.
With a cry of pain the Kaitens stopped, slashed hands dripping blood as the Wolves allowed the branch members to finish off those who would keep them caged.
And when it was finished, Hiashi realized, much to his surprise, that he was still alive.
He also realized that Naruto obviously hadn't considered it a game.
She really shouldn't have stopped, but with the appearance of large, purple snakes she couldn't help herself. It was obvious they were summons, but there were only two snake summoners in the entire world and she was one of them.
It was possible that someone else had signed, but considering the fact that she personally checked the summon scroll every week, it was unlikely.
The other explanation, however, seemed impossible.
There was no way she would ever believe Orochimaru was actually helping them, the very village he had once sworn to destroy.
But they were helping, there was no way to misinterpret the way the snakes targeted only Suna Shinobi and actually worked to place themselves between attacks meant for the forces of Konoha.
"The Snake-Sennin has recently approached the Wolves about working with them in Wave and, no doubt, across the continent in the future." A grave heaviness entered his eyes as he posed the actual question. "Will you be able to work with the Wolves knowing that they will, in turn, be working alongside the likes of Orochimaru? Would you be able to work alongside their allies, those loyal to Orochimaru, possibly including the Sannin themself?"'
Anko winced slightly at the memory. That was right, wasn't it? Naruto, through the Wolves, was allied to her former Sensei. She was also well aware that Naruto and the Wolves were both very fond of Konohagakure. Whether the Wolve's fondness had anything to do with Naruto's own she had no idea, but the thought that their desire for Konoha to stand would be enough for Orochimaru to forsake his crusade to burn the leaf was actually kind of troubling.
Not because she didn't believe they were capable of changing Orochimaru's mind- the proof was easy to see and she knew that if she found it impossible to dislike Naruto than her former Sensei, whom she was more similar to than she cared to admit, would probably be more than willing to go from hating Konoha to protecting it with his life- but because of what it suggested;
If Orochimaru was so easily convinced, had she been wrong?
With such results, should she have supported the alliance between the Wolves and Orochimaru, even if that meant she had to work with him? Was swallowing her hate for him worth the benefits that came from having his knowledge and skill at their disposal?
Could she be even closer to Naruto if she had managed to separate her feelings from the question he had asked without asking?
Because in the end, the real question hadn't been about Orochimaru, it had been about her.
'Will you work with the Wolves?'
It had not been spoken, but it was there.
And she had declined without realizing it.
How much had that actually cost her? She couldn't say for sure. Judging by the way the Wolves treated her after her answer, however, she suspected she lost quite a lot-
Perhaps even Naruto himself.
With how few people she was actually close to here in Konoha, that was a price far too high to pay.
And look at it this way, even without joining the Wolves Orochimaru was performing actions that benefited her, That made it obvious she'd end up interacting with him, even indirectly, whether she liked it or not. In that case, there was absolutely no point to pushing away her precious people for the sake of avoiding someone she couldn't actually avoid.
Of course, there was one last problem.
With a slight peek over her shoulder to where she could feel eyes staring straight at her she was treated to the sight of a scowling Ibiki- a scowling Ibiki who had a glint of suspicion in his eyes. That was never a good combination for anybody.
It was obvious to him that while she hadn't actually done anything she had more information about who did. Again, not a situation you wanted to find yourself in. Having information he wanted when he was Konoha's top interrogator had a tendency to become a nightmare for everyone involved, particularly the poor bastards in the cleanup crew who had to make the room usable again.
Still, despite the suspicious look he was casting her, his tone of voice was as brisk and professional as ever.
"Good work, Mitarashi," He praised her, even though he knew very well she had nothing to do with it. "But we'll have to have a chat about keeping your full capabilities from your superiors when this is all over."
Shit.
She was not looking forward to that discussion.