Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 82 – The Anko Express
He sat down just in time to be struck by the memories of Tsukiyomi. Despite the pain the sudden influx of information caused- maybe having him active the entire day had been a bad idea- he managed to remain conscious. Probably because he hadn't worked himself to exhaustion during training.
He was very fortunate to discover his clone had possessed the foresight and had been kind enough to provide one of Kato-sensei's techniques to help him ease the pain. He could not deny how strange it was to receive memories of himself thinking about his own well being in the third person, however.
Pressing glowing green fingers to his brow he gently massaged them for the next twenty minutes until both the pain dissipated and the memories were assimilated.
Huh, Hanabi as a medic? It was better than her just sitting around the safehouse, he supposed.
Probably should have shipped her off to Wave during the confusion of the invasion but he hadn't wanted to risk it. He should also have been visiting her every now and again but he'd been too busy.
Tayuya had seemed kind of bored lately, though, so maybe he'd have her spend some time with the girl. Hopefully they got along well enough.
Ah, and Mai had finally returned. A fond warmth grew in his heart at the memory of interacting with her so recently. It was good to have her back, but from how tired she seemed he really did need to recruit Tsume to help him get that girl a vacation.
He'd give himself a few days of being selfish before he did, however. He'd like the chance to spend some more time with her before she was gone again.
"What happened to gate duty?" Asked Anko as she strolled into the mission room to see Izumo and Kotestsu sitting behind the desk.
"When they spread ANBU around the wall they ended up placing two right by the gate. They kind of just took over so we found something else to do."
"Couldn't you have just sat there and been paid then?" Sounded pretty good to her.
"Yea, but it was just soooo boring that we had to find something to keep busy." Kotestsu shrugged. "I can only hit Izumo with little balls of paper so many times before it gets old."
"Whaa?! I knew that was you!"
"Anyways, what can we do ya for Anko-senpai?"
"Looking for something with decent pay but, more importantly, lots of blood to be spilt."
"The usual then?" Kotetsu shrugged again. As they had to check the mission scrolls of every Shinobi leaving Konoha- usually anyway- he was plenty familiar with Anko's preferred mission type. "I think I have one like that, but I'm pretty sure it called for a full squad." He dug through the scrolls on his desk, briefly scanning each one until he found what he was looking for.
"Oh, just an experienced Genin squad or a pair of Chūnin. You should be good solo, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone watching your back." He advised as he handed her the scroll and scribbled her name down onto his list of taken contracts. "Will anyone be joining you?"
"Who else? I'm going to go see if Naruto is free." That earned her a frown from Izumo.
"You heard he's on a team now, right? You'll have to drag him away from his Sensei if you plan on taking him."
"What?! Who stole my Naruto?" She didn't give them time to answer. "No, I know who it was. It was that bastard Hatake, wasn't it?"
"Yep, that's him."
Anko's attitude immediately flipped.
"Oh, well, I guess there are worse Sensei for him to have." Izumo and Kotestsu shared a confused look.
"Uh, Anko-senpai?" Asked Kotestsu. "Are you alright?"
"I'm amazing, Kotestsu, as you well know. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me-" She grabbed the mission scroll from his hands. "I have to go have a talk with Kakashi about my favorite Genin and how this is going to work." She practically skipped out of the office, both Chūnin staring after her until Izumo finally broke the silence.
"She's going to stab him, isn't she?"
"Yeah, probably."
Anko usually only skipped when blood was involved, after all.
"Maa, maa. Easy there, Anko. I'm sure we can work something out."
"Hold still so I can stab you, damnit!"
"Hmmm? Now why would I let you do that?
Sai looked at the Wolves standing at attention in his Nami office, noting idly that he probably should have used Tsukiyomi's considering how small his preferred workspace was. Mai had sent them in response to his report, which he was grateful for, but he was personally of the opinion that they should just pull out while they had the chance.
Wolves hunted prey, after all, there was no real benefit to going head to head with whatever predators the rebels had managed to recruit. There had been some disturbing reports of Konoha tactics sent back, but he really hoped those were just to throw off anyone trying to determine their identity.
Then again Konoha was the village most likely to support the rebels, even if in secret, so he should be too surprised to learn that Konoha had diverted some of the troops on their way to Suna to instead circle back and head to Mizu no Kuni.
Whether it was just sympathy for the rebels or- gods forbid- solely because the Wolves had chosen to support Yagura, Naruto wasn't going to be pleased. The young Daimyo loved Konoha, his first home, and despite having his own country chose to stay in a small- well, originally- apartment instead of Gato's old mansion. Hell, one offhanded comment from him would see a palace built here for him to reside in.
When he received orders from Mai to keep this from him for the time being he was slightly uncomfortable at the idea but immediately understood why she would say something like that. There was no reason to cause him unnecessary distress when he had so much on his plate.
They would do their best to solve the issue first and when all else failed they'd call upon him. In all honesty that had already been the plan but it felt nice to have that reinforcement- especially from someone who outranked him.
Again, he'd rather they just pull out until everything settled a bit and then if things weren't quite finished pick whichever side was looking like they had the best chance. According to Mai that wasn't acceptable now that they had been recognized by Hi no Kuni as a legitimate force. Or, rather, it sent a lot of messages about them that would be detrimental in the long run.
He really didn't care, honestly. They were wolves and they would be judged as such, but they would remain strong regardless of what the world wanted.
Sai did realize that they were the primary representation of Naruto, however, and he wasn't a Wolf. No, he was their god, a young Daimyo with his fingers in every pie he could reach and doing everything he could to ensure his children were taken care of.
He might not care for politics in the slightest, but the children of the moon would do whatever they had to do to ensure their father was taken care of. If that meant holding back so that more people would trust him, so be it. They would keep themselves muzzled- for now.
As soon as something rose up against him, however, the Wolves would be there gnashing and snarling as was proper. Even Tsukiyomi's command wouldn't be able to stop them from protecting him. They would much rather have him angry at them- even so much that he cast them away- than lose him.
Sai was well aware Naruto was just a young man- extraordinary perhaps, but human all the same- but he wouldn't keep the other Wolves from their beliefs. In fact, he had played in own part in deifying the young Daimyo both among the veteran Wolves and on occasional visits to their future packmates.
It was a good idea for them to know their leaders after all. Speaking of which, they really should have Naruto visit the next time he had a chance to slip away. As it was none of them had ever seen the man they would be dedicating their lives to.
Some part of Sai wondered if Naruto had done that on purpose which made his gut twist uncomfortably. He couldn't even begin to guess why he would do such a thing but the very idea had his instincts screaming that something was wrong.
He really hoped it was nothing, but he'd bring it up to Mai- just in case.
"Alright, you've all been briefed already so I'll keep it short and sweet." He addressed the assembled troops. "Naruto wants footholds in Mizu no Kuni, we've sided with Yagura, but someone else seems to have stepped up to aid the rebels. This is bad." Sai paused briefly, catching the eyes- or at least the eyeholes- of as many of them as possible. "Three of your siblings have been slain already and more are injured. This is unacceptable. You're going in to support our remaining troops. Your primary objective is to ensure Yagura's success while minimizing friendly casualties."
"Densuke?!" Sai suddenly barked. "When I say 'friendlies' who am I talking about?"
"Those working with Mizukage Yagura, Commander Sai, sir!"
"Wrong!" The Commander paced before them, hands clasped behind his back and a deep frown on his face. "I couldn't give less of a damn about Yagura's troops. Like Gato, he's a means to an end. When I say friendlies who do I mean? Squad leader Katsuri?"
"The Pack, Commander Sai, sir!" she answered with a salute.
"Very good! I want to see each and every one of you standing back here when it's over so I can go over each and every mistake you made, am I clear?" They all stood a little bit straighter but that wasn't good enough for the commander. "I said, AM I CLEAR?!"
"HAI, COMMANDER SAI, SIR!"
"Good, good." His voice returned to normal as he returned to a more relaxed position. "Perform a final check of equipment and supplies, you're heading out in twenty. Squad leaders, remain."
"Hai, commander Sai, sir!" The regular Wolves snapped off salutes and spun on their heels to carry out their final preparations while the squad leaders waited for them to vacate. As soon as it was just the commander and the squad leaders they moved in closer to him, ready for their own instructions.
"Katsuri, you're taking the role of High-Captain for the remainder of the campaign. High-Captain Keigo was one of those injured recently, so have him brief you and send him and the other injured back ."
She snapped off another smart Konoha salute. "Hai, Commander Sai, sir."
"And this is for all of you," He continued. "The main goal is the same, but your secondary objective is to prepare everyone and everything to pull out of Mizu no Kuni should things go wrong. If we're forced to retreat I want to take as much shit as we can carry, understood?"
"Hai, Commander Sai, sir." they chorused.
"Focus on getting your hands on Jutsu, any valuable artifacts, and any supplies you have. Hard market value is better than perishables, even if they're valuable perishables. Go ensure your squads are ready to go, you are dismissed. May Tsukiyomi's light guide you."
"Hai, Commander Sai, sir! Tsukiyomi's will be done!"
They left the room and Sai gazed about the suddenly very empty office.
"Tsukiyomi's will be done." He whispered. "Let's make him proud."
"Alright, team. Today we'll be going on a mission." Sakura and Naruko shared a look before turning back to their Sensei.
"Uh, Kakashi?" Started Naruko.
"Yes, not-Naruto number 1?"
Normally she'd get upset about that but- "Are you okay?"- he looked like he had just come back from a rather challenging mission minutes prior.
"I had to fight off a rabid woman. Apparently she was not pleased that I had stolen Naruto from her."
The Kunoichi shared another look before pointing at the man simultaneously. "LIAR!"
Naruto shook his head in defense of the white dog. "No, that sounds like Anko to me. I believe it."
"You don't count!" Naruko spun her accusing finger towards her brother. "The two of you are too similar for us to believe anything you say!"
The former Uzumaki prince just shrugged. "You don't know Anko." Kakashi nodded in agreement.
"Oh, did I hear my name?" Anko more or less sashayed into the clearing, victory shinning in her eyes. Beneath her half-mask Naruto and Kakashi were pretty sure she was grinning.
"Yes," Kakashi answered flatly. "I was just explaining what a waste of time it was for you to 'convince' me to take Naruto on a mission. I was going to be taking them on one anyway, you could have just asked to tag along."
The way her mask moved suggested her grin had turned to a pout.
"Ask to tag along with a Genin team?" She scoffed. "Like I would stoop so low. I have standards, you know."
Kakashi looked to Naruto for support but his pointed look told him to drop it.
Like a trained dog, he did.
"Anyway, Tokubetsu-Jōnin Mitarashi was going on a mission and being the bleeding heart she is decided she'd allow a Genin team to join her for the experience." Kakashi paused and looked over to the woman glaring at him for his stress on the word Tokubetsu. It wasn't her fault she wasn't given a promotion when her job with K.I.T only made use of her Jōnin-level skills. "That's what you wanted the report to say anyway, yeah?"
"No, the report should say 'The most kind Mitarashi Anko, benevolent mistress of the poor souls who aren't her took pity on the inexperienced Genin of team seven and poor Genin Naruto who was forced to join them instead of spending plenty of quality time alone with her-"
"Alright, alright." Kakashi held up a hand in surrender. "I'll just let you write it and add my signature at the end." The woman pumped her fist in victory before draping herself over Naruto's back in a lazy, sloth-like hug.
"You hear that, Naruto-kun? I can write whatever I want in the report. This should be fun." Kakashi froze at that and looked like he was about to object for a second before he decided he really didn't care and just gave a shrug instead.
"Meh, do as you will."
She shot the Jōnin a grin. "I always do." It tended to get her in trouble more often than not, but that was completely irrelevant.
"Anko." Naruto spoke softly- his teammates nearly missed it- but the slightest hint of warning ran through that single word. The response was immediate as Anko rose from his back to stand at attention, all playfulness gone. As much as she liked to be, well, Anko she was also a professional in her field and an experienced Kunoichi. Even if she typically disregarded her orders she knew how to follow them like any Shinobi did.
"My apologies, Naruto-taicho."
The young Daimyo waved her off with a laziness that would have any Nara proud. "It's fine, Anko, I understand. Try to contain yourself until we get to the mission location. You'll be able to cut loose then."
"Hai, Taicho."
His teammates were beyond confused but Kakashi found himself incredibly impressed. Had his son just brought Mitarashi Anko to heel? He didn't think even Ibiki could do that consistently and he knew Kurenai usually had her hands full trying. Perhaps he had underestimated how close they were if she respected him that much.
Naruto gave a satisfied nod before turning his attention back to Kakashi. "You were saying, Sensei?"
"Ah, right." The white dog cleared his throat. "Like I said, we'll be joining Mitarashi for a mission so follow her lead-" He was cut off by her interjection.
"Nope, Naruto's the boss." Kakashi blinked at that and he tried desperately to not think about what kind of relationship the two might actually have. He'd save those for later. Still, the pride he felt for his son was immense. At this rate, he didn't think he could ever be disappointed by him.
"Like I said," Kakashi continued as if nothing had happened, making a mental note to ask his son for all the juicy details later. "We'll be joining Mitarashi for a mission, Naruto has command. Any questions?"
Two hands immediately shot up and were promptly ignored.
"No? Great. Grab your mission gear and meet at the main gate in twenty. As soon as we pass through it Naruto has control of the squad." He gave a small wave and disappeared in a gust of leafy wind.
Naruto took a step closer to Anko, wrapping an arm around her waist and briefly squeezing her to his side in a half-hug. "Very good, Anko. I'm proud of you."
Sakura and Naruko- both of whom had paused to watch- were able to notice the red that crept up above her half-mask. The older woman wrapped one of her own arms around him and scratched the back of her head in embarrassment with the other. "Heh, heh. It's getting easier, but it's definitely not as fun Naruto-kun."
"I know, Anko. I know." He gave her another squeeze. "You'll be able to cut loose soon, just keep practicing for now."
Anko pouted slightly. "Do I have to?"
"I'd appreciate it if you tried, my Fang, for me."
The red grew more prominent on her face and suddenly the younger Kunoichi were feeling a bit uncomfortable watching the two of them.
"When you put it like that, how can I say no?"
"Thank you, Anko."
She squeezed him to herself in response before a glint entered her eye.
"So, I'm your Fang, huh? How do you like the way this Fang curves?" Her hand moved from the back of her head, traced over her breast, and trailed down her side to rest on her hip. "I think this new outfit really helps accentuate them."
He trailed an appraising eye over her form. A bored Tayuya and a couple of Wolves had been instructed to come up with an appropriate outfit for the first outsider to be brought into the pack- which was more or less the same as giving restless children crayons and a coloring book – and he had to admit that they had done a fantastic job. He hadn't told them, but their final sketches ad actually been put up on one of the fridges. He found it funny, but he did wonder how they would react when they found out.
Well, the Wolves would probably just be proud, it was Tayuya he didn't quite know about. Regardless of how she felt about it, he was looking forward to whatever comment she would make about it. Girl could use her tongue to cut better than any blade he had ever encountered.
You know, when she wasn't curling the paint off the walls with her cursing. It was probably more amusing that she did so well to refrain from it in his presence but failed to account for the fact that the Wolves gossiped worse than old women with nothing to do. Some of his Wolves were real fans of hers, though he could do without hearing them attempting to cuss as well as she did.
He should probably just be glad they hadn't started when he first exposed them to Anko and her own colorful vocabulary.
"It looks good on you, Anko."
She gave a soft giggle. "It does, doesn't it? But you know how it could look better?"
"With a trenchcoat?"
"I was going to say on the ground, but I'd be really appreciative of that too. Maybe if you get me one we can combine them?"
"Hmm, sounds pretty good to me." Anko froze, wondering if she could have possibly heard what she thought she had.
"D-did you just say you wanted to see me naked?" It was more the fact that he had been the one to say it than anything else, because she was well aware that everyone wanted to see her naked. Well, except Ibiki. Creepy bastard.
"Wouldn't be the first time," he pointed out. "Remember that mission the other month?"
"Yeah, but I had to invite you to help me wash off the blood."
"Maybe I liked what I saw."
"Aw, you say the sweetest things. If my mask wasn't up I could just kiss you."
"You can always pull it down." She seemed to be contemplating it when he turned his head to look at the two young Kunoichi staring at them with bright red faces. "I know Anko's ready to go-" That might be in more ways than one, honestly. "-And I just have to grab my mission pack and change, but the two of you probably aren't packed for a mission yet. You should probably hop to it if you don't want to be late."
Naruko managed a nod "T-thanks, Nii-san." and pulled herself away from the sight, running off either to prepare for the mission or escape the image of her brother flirting with the older woman. Quite possibly both.
Sakura, on the other hand, continued to stand there with a bright blush on her face. "I uh, well, just a bit more?" She asked. Both Anko and Naruto rose a brow at the girl before Anko gave a shrug.
"Fine by me." The Tokubetsu-Jōnin pulled down her mask and grabbed Naruto's chin before claiming his lips in a quick kiss he was happy to return.
"Mmmm, have you been practicing?" She asked when she pulled back.
"Maybe." He thought mentioning he had practiced with Orochimaru was probably not a good idea.
"Well whatever you've been doing I approve, keep it up." Anko managed to tear her eyes from his amethyst orbs to spare Sakura a glance. "Did you enjoy that too, girl?"
A thoroughly embarrassed Sakura nodded her head hesitantly.
"Then get that little butt of yours going, you've only got fifteen minutes until you have to be at the gate!" Sakura scurried off and a pleased Anko returned to Naruto with a grin.
"You know, fifteen minutes is a lot of time Naruto-kun. We could practice a bit more..."
"As tempting as the thought is, I'd rather not be late."
Anko gave her most adorable Anko-pout- a terribly effective technique- and pressed herself against him as closely as she could.
"Come on, you know you want to."
"After the mission, Anko." He stole another quick peck to her lips. "But if you're a good girl I might reward you."
"Oh, I'll be the best and when we get back I'll show you just how bad I can be."
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Why, Naruto," She grinned. "Why can't it be both?" once again he was struck by the similarities between her and her former master- mistress- but knew better than to say anything. He did have to wonder if there was a way to repair that relationship, though. He would much prefer it if his lovely snakes weren't fighting.
When he had given them the tools and instructions to design Anko an outfit, he really should have expected them to make one for him too.
Honestly, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind.
Nevertheless Tayuya and the Wolves had made him something too and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to wear it.
Like Anko's, it was primarily black with straps in a bright crimson. Not the most subtle but he hadn't exact asked the most subtle of people to design it. Considering he was certain it had been done after Anko's it also meant the motif hadn't exactly been styled with him in mind either.
That did not, however, mean it didn't' work.
Judging by Tayuya's blush when he first tried it on, he looked rather good in it.
His black pants were tight over his lower legs, tucked into black boots that came up to mid-calf and covered by black shinguards. They loosened a bit between his knees and waist but were kept close to him by dark metal plates just like Anko.
His torso was kept more simple than his Fang's, a simple black top that hugged his skin and was again covered in similar metal plates. A chestpiece that started at his sternum, two plates along his lower back, a metal spine, and two plates along his shoulder-blades.
Black fingerless gloves covered his hands going to just past his elbows and ANBU-style armguards sat above that. His shoulders, unlike Anko's were not covered. He had to wonder if that was Tayuya's attempt to balance how much was exposed between the two outfits considering he wasn't missing the greater portion of his back.
Also unlike Anko he did not have any sort of mask, but he was pretty sure that was just because Tayuya wanted to be able to see his face.
His headband, while designed to be wrapped around one's head, had instead been used to cover his throat where his chestpiece left it exposed. He couldn't look down as easily anymore but it was the closest he could get it to his forehead without actually having to wear it on his forehead.
He figured it was also probably more respectful than using it as a belt.
Mōryō's tooth- very likely his favorite gift from Orochimaru- was sheathed along the small of his back. He had considered wearing the fur cloak she had given him too but figured it was unfair to Anko whom he hadn't given permission to wear a trenchcoat yet and was also a bad idea when Anko, at the very least, was going to end the mission covered in blood. Even if he wasn't covered in blood, one hug from the woman would quickly change that.
Best to keep it at home.
Instead of his cloak, he grabbed a slim black backpack, it's outer edges covered in dark metal plates to both protect the wearer's back and the contents within. It didn't work very well as a pillow, but that was usually the least of one's worries on a mission.
Tying the longest of his hair into a loose tail, he was ready to go.
He gave a nod to the Wolf who had his things ready for him when he had reached his apartment and slipped out the door. They would have liked to join him but there were already plenty of people on the mission. No reason to take an army for a simple extermination contract.
Anko was waiting for him right outside the apartment and gave an appreciative whistle as soon as she saw him. "Looking good, Naruto-kun. If we weren't about to go stab people I would be doing my damnedest to get you out of that."
"It wouldn't be that hard," Naruto shrugged. "All you'd have to do is ask. Come on, I don't want to be late." A contemplative look found it's way to her face but as soon as his hand slipped into hers she forgot what she had been thinking about. Shooting him a smirk he could only see because she had never bothered to fix her mask she wrapped her arms around him and rested her hands on his hips.
"In that case, all aboard the Anko-express." He returned the embrace and shot her a smirk.
"Sounds like a fun ride."
"Oh, you'll learn all about that when we get back. That's a promise."
"I look forward to it."
In a gust of wind and a swirl of leaves, they vanished.
If you would like to see my responses to the feedback I received for the last chapter, Commentaries – Sealkeeper Chapter 81 is available at Eyazahrid-dot-net.
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Until I next have your attention,
– Eyazahrid