Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 91 – Purple Pineapple

There were three colors of hair in Konoha that were, generally, the most uncommon. It was for that reason that Izumo and Kotetsu took notice of the Wolves that spilled through their gate that day.

There weren't many Shinobi with white hair, there weren't many with red hair, and there was only one person in the entire village with that purple pineapple. Anko gave them a cheesy wave from admits the Wolves as they rushed past and the two Eternal Chūnin shared a look.

"So that was..."

"Shhhh. I couldn't quite make out any details, there were too many Wolves."

"What are you talking about? That was obviously-"

"Shut up, I don't want to deal with it."

"Shouldn't we at least report it?"

"Report what?"

"...Fair enough."

Yugao didn't even bother knocking, letting herself into the Godaime's office and moving to stand next to the ANBU currently reporting both the Wolves' unexpected exodus and the fact that she had just been seen with them.

Asuma's gaze briefly flickered over to her, the slightest of nods recognizing her presence, before he returned his attention to the ANBU currently reporting on one of the captains. When he finished Asuma gave a nod and dismissed him with a wave.

"Very good, thank you. Please have a written report to me before the end of the day. You may return to your duties."

"Hai, Godaime-sama.." They spun on their heel and jumped in surprise at the sight of Yugao. "Y-Yugao-taicho! My apologies." It was obvious he was a bit embarrassed to have been talking about her to someone else but she just waved him off.

"You were just doing your job, now get back to it."

"Hai, Yugao-taicho!"

Yugao shook her head as he left the office- going through the door wasn't very Shinobi-like but Asuma had put a stop to that soon after becoming Hokage- and turned her attention to her Kage.

"I suppose you have some questions."

Asuma stared at her for a moment, contemplative, before leaning forward and folding his hands before his mouth.

"That would be correct, Uzuki-taicho. I appreciate that you've saved me the trouble of sending someone to find you."

"I saw the commotion and figured it was best that I stop by." She folded her arms over her chest and leaned most of her weight onto one hip in a position that was comfortable but perhaps a bit too informal for reporting to one's Kage. Then again, she hadn't exactly been summoned, had she? She was here of her own volition. "What did you want to know first?"

He jumped right to the chase. "Did you inform the Wolves of our actions in Mizu no Kuni?"

"No, I did not. I went to see Naruto-kohai -" She probably had no right to call him that after what she had done. " - and when I got there he was staring at the masks of Wolves who had fallen in Mizu no Kuni."

"And you're certain they were the same masks?"

Yugao squirmed uncomfortably and turned her head away. "I'm the one who had damaged one of them."

Asuma's expression softened ever so slightly, understanding now what that would mean for her.

"I see, thank you." He sat in silence for a moment before continuing. "Do you have any idea what their plans are now? I know how you feel about informing on them but I'd like to know if I should pull your team."

Asuma knew better than to underestimate the Wolves, Yugao's team had suffered their own losses and reported back that the Wolves they had faced were ANBU-quality. They might not be especially numerous- actually, they had no idea how many Wolves there were as there had been no sightings of large Wolf forces – but they were mostly hidden and high quality Shinobi.

It's why he was against them, after all. They might not have gone against Konoha yet but they'd betrayed allies before and, worse, with the Daimyo sanctioning them in Hi no Kuni- more specifically his Konoha- and the House of Wolves operating globally it was only a matter of time before someone used the Wolves to infiltrate his village.

He had hoped to at least delay that by pausing the Wolves' rapid expansion on the global field- their public one, at least. He was aware they had been doing work for whoever they could before they had taken over Nami no Kuni- by tying them up in Mizu no Kuni. It was no secret that the Rebels had been struggling, after all, but it was also well known that Yagura wanted to lose as little 'untainted' blood as possible.

With Konoha reinforcing the rebels it would negate the benefits of the Wolves aiding Yagura and keep the guerrilla war going even longer, tying up the Wolves in the process.

With that in mind, it had actually been disadvantageous to kill any of the Wolves, especially if it earned a greater response from them. What he couldn't quite understand was why it had earned such a large response. Sure, he didn't think there were too many Wolves but for those in Konoha to rush over to Mizu no Kuni at the death of just three?

Either he had actually overestimated their numbers or something else was going on that had this 'Tsukuyomi' rushing to set things right.

He wasn't sure which he'd prefer, honestly.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, I do not know." She looked away. "They- they knew I had been part of it. I am no longer welcome among them."

Asuma managed to bite back most of his wince at that information. On a more personal level that would hit Yugao hard, from a tactical level he had now permanently lost his best chance of an informant among their ranks.

It also hinted that perhaps the Wolves had an informant of their own. He'd have to do a full sweep of his administrative team and probably another check through his ANBU. With the Wolves being ANBU-level it was more than possible that one of them had managed to infiltrate the Hokage's personal forces, perhaps even before they had become Wolves.

It was an uncomfortable thought, which was why he had already checked them once upon accepting the Hokage's mantle. It wouldn't hurt to check again.

"I see, I'm sorry if fulfilling your duty to Konoha has brought with it unexpected consequences. Thank you for your service."

Yugao shook her head. "I was the one who chose to inform on them in the first place, the consequences are mine." The ANBU captain paused, considering the purpose of the question, before providing her opinion. "You can probably keep my team there for the time being, but they should be cautious. The Wolves are baying for blood and should not be underestimated. At the same time, my team should be smart enough to get out of there when things start to go bad."

Really, she was thinking about Naruto- she had definitely seen his red hair among the Wolves leaving Konoha earlier – and how she had witnessed him destroying training fields like an angry deity. He had been focusing much more on control as of late, she noticed, but she had seen what he was really capable of with those chains.

Asuma gave an understanding nod. "Thank you for your insight, Uzuki-taicho. I will keep it in mind when deciding how to handle the situation."

"Was that all, then?" Yugao asked, her weight shifting to her other hip. "I did have some personal business to see to."

"Yes, of course." Asuma waved her off. "Thank you for stopping by to clear that up."

Yugao gave a nod before spinning on her heel and out the door. She still needed to figure out where she was going to keep Baki- she didn't know if she could really savor her revenge when the ones to deliver him to her were currently marching off to war because of her- and she needed to track down Kurenai. She knew the Genjutsu mistress had a rocky relationship with Naruto at one point, so maybe she could offer some advice into fixing this fine mess she had made of her own relationship with the young man.

Hopefully.

She'd probably have better luck speaking with Anko- which was a really strange thought- but she had seen that purple pineapple just as easily as she had seen Naruto's trail of crimson.

If- when- they came back she'd have to make things right.

Somehow.

She wasn't even sure if that was possible, honestly.

The first thing that told her something was wrong was the complete lack of Wolves in the den. She had sent a majority of them to help Sai regain control of the Nami situation but there had still been a good handful here, too.

Mai stopped by the barracks and the rec room first, both were empty, and moved on to the cells in case Naruto had beefed up security for some reason. He hadn't. In fact, it had been greatly reduced.

And by greatly reduced she meant completely empty. There was not a single Wolf guard among the prisoners. Her pace sped up as she made her way through the winding corridors to the very end. Sure enough the guards were gone from Baki's cell too. She knew exactly how important Naruto felt it was to get the man into Yugao's possession so the absence of guards meant that either he turned out to be the wrong person or had already been delivered.

Or it should, at least.

The cell door opened smoothly, completely unlocked, and a quick look inside showed that it was completely unoccupied.

She didn't like this.

Leaving the cells behind her she went to the other most secure location within the den – the record room.

Much to her relief there was a Wolf inside, though she frowned slightly to see them carefully- but hastily- packing up stacks of reports and filed paperwork.

"And what do you think you're doing? She asked as she stopped behind them, arms crossed and weight on one hip. A Wolf would usually spin around to offer her a salute if she addressed them, especially with the frown she was currently wearing, but this one spared only a glance over their shoulder before resuming their work.

"Orders from Tsukuyomi-sama, Amaterasu-sama." She was almost distracted by how pleasing it was to hear herself be addressed by that name. Almost.

"And what orders would that be?" She rose a brow despite knowing the Wolf wouldn't be able to see her. They seemed like they were about to say something but caught themselves before shaking their head, still not looking at her.

"My apologies, Amaterasu-sama, I am not permitted to say."

Not permitted? Not permitted?

She was Amaterasu, how the hell was it she couldn't be told what the Wolves were doing in the records room?

"Explain, now." Her tone left very little room to argue and she was sure her stern gaze had become more of a glare by this point. The Wolf made the mistake of daring to peek back at her over his shoulder and gave a shiver.

There was definitely a reason Naruto hadn't just selected Mai as his second in command but had permitted her to start going by Amaterasu. The two of them could be so similar it was scary.

"I'm sorry, Amaterasu-sama, but Tsukuyomi-sama has ordered a complete suppression on all activities of the House of Wolves. Something's gone wrong and he doesn't want anything compromising his efforts to fix it."

That immediately caught both her attention and her concern. Did something else come up he had to take care of, something so vital that he had stripped away almost all of the Wolves in Konoha to resolve, or had he somehow learned about the events in Mizu no Kuni?

She honestly couldn't say which she'd prefer. On one hand the incident with Mizu no Kuni would mean Naruto knew she and Sai had been keeping it from him- and and as well-meaning as it had been she was sure he still wouldn't be pleased – but on the other she really didn't want Naruto to have more to worry about with some new problem arising.

"I see. I'll have to ask him then."

The Wolf gave a nod. "Of course, Amaterasu-sama. He should be in his office back at the apartment. We're borrowing a guard from the Hyūga Wolves to ensure your security until things have been resolved, I'll send them there to meet you. Please don't leave the apartment without them."

Tsukuyomi would not be pleased if Mai was without popper protection and as similar as the two of them could be the Wolves were much more scared of an angry -or disappointed- Tsukuyomi than they could ever be of Mai. She was a Wolf like them, after all, Naruto was much more.

Mai frowned slightly at that. Even if she had her favorites providing her with additional information on Naruto's actions- a necessity when it came to ensuring he wasn't working himself to death in her absence- they didn't follow her about like bodyguards.

Well, they did, but that was mostly within the Den or the apartment. One might accompany her if she was going out but they were mostly there in case she needed them to retrieve something or send word to someone while she was taking care of something else. They could certainly fill the role if a situation required it, but they weren't brought along for the purpose of protecting her.

She was a capable Kunoichi, thank you.

"Thank you, but a guard isn't necessary." It was her turn to be on the receiving end of a stern glare.

"Tsukuyomi-sama has commanded it." They turned back to their work as soon as their piece was said, confidant that the matter was closed. And of course it was, to try going against it would be like going against Tsukuyomi himself.

Mai's frown deepened, a suspicion that the guard might not be intended to protect her as much as it was to keep her from running away or doing something to harm the pack briefly fluttered through her mind. She was quick to squash that particular thought.

If Naruto ever became so distrusting of her that it was necessary to assign a guard to watch her than he wouldn't be letting her walk around freely. She'd be locked up within the bowels of the Den before she could blink.

Then again, as it was now escaping probably wouldn't be too hard. There weren't any guards, after all.

"If he believes it necessary I will humor him, but he should know that I'm not helpless."

The Wolf seemed to bristle at the idea that she might be following Tsukuyomi's command simply because she felt like it but certainly understood that Tsukuyomi's favored was favored for a reason and probably did not, in fact, need a guard.

Even so, the most obvious explanation for Tsukuyomi's command was summed up in two simple words and a single shrug as the Wolf got back to work.

"Father worries."

It was a simple truth, but one that had a fond smile tugging at her lips nonetheless. It was just one of the reasons she loved him, after all.

"Yes," She agreed. "Yes he does."

"And what would you consider to be the primary factor driving subject A's behavior in this scenario?"

"...Pride, Danzō-sama?"

"Yes.,Yes. Very good. It is indeed pride." The old warhawk leaned further back into his seat, enjoying the simple pleasure of a good chair. There were a lot of things people took for granted, he had realized, things he now found himself savoring much more after accepting the facts that he was both old and not immortal. He only had so much time left, he'd might as well enjoy it.

Of course, he was also Danzō. He couldn't just retire.

"Remember that just because it's an emotion with negative connotations doesn't mean it can't be beneficial."

Fū and Torune shared a look before turning back to their lord.

"Danzō-sama?"

"Yes, Torune?"

"If there are positive aspects to emotions, why have you determined that it's best for Shinobi like ourselves to go through conditioning?"

"Ah, very good question." Danzō gave a smile, or at least what passed for a smile. It was more than most people saw and certainly more than his ROOT agents were used to. Only Naruto and Hiruzen would think nothing of it, but as he considered those two his peers it was to be expected. "I'm pleased to see you're growing more used to critical thinking outside the field. That will serve the both of you well when I'm gone."

The two ROOT agents shared another look as their lord continued.

"Emotions bring with them their own benefits, driving people to accomplish things they otherwise would never have been able to do. The most incredible, impossible feats known to history have been accomplished due to the extreme emotion behind them."

"So would it not be best for us to have such a tool?" Asked Fū.

Danzō shook his head.

"Emotions are a great strength, yes, but they can also be a crippling weakness. To the same degree they aid they can hamper and emotions are a volatile, often unpredictable sort of thing. I have decided that loosing the benefits of that double-edged sword was worth eliminating the vulnerabilities." He took a moment to stroke his chin. "It's easier to not react to emotions in the first place rather than trying to balance them after they've taken hold. It can be the difference between life and death on the field."

"So the point is to minimize risk, even if it lessens the greater result, creating a sort of baseline that's more predictable?" Torune clarified.

"Exactly." Danzō gave a sly smirk and a quiet chuckle. "You could say that rather than min-maxing I've decided to spread my attributes more evenly."

The ROOT agents shared another look and Fū asked the question they both had. "You what?"

Danzō gave another quiet chuckle. "Don't worry about it, it's before your time."

"...So if you've established the baseline with us, why are you having us meet to learn about emotions?"

"While emotions we feel may be unpredictable, recognizing someone else's emotions can aid in predicting their actions and provides insight into how to best interact with them to achieve a desired outcome. For that reason I-"

Danzō paused, cocking his head slightly to listen to the rapid footsteps approaching his office door. Not three seconds later a masked ROOT agent burst through the door, hastily scribbled reports clutched in one hand.

"Danzō-sama, Danzō-sama!" They paused for a second to catch their breath. "Urgent news, Danzō-sama!"

Danzō leaned forward slightly, a deep frown tugging at his lips."I gave very clear instructions that I was not to be disturbed. This had best be good, agent."

"Konoha has been making moves against the Wolves, Danzō-sama."

The old Shinobi blinked twice in surprise before relaxing back into his seat.

"Explain."

The apartment had been eerily empty as well but much to her relief Mai found Naruto in his usual place behind his desk. In contrast to his usual thoughtful expression when filling out paperwork or his relaxed look when he had found time to enjoy a book- something she'd only been able to see recently because he had done a remarkable job keeping up with the paperwork- he wore a deep frown as he stared off into space.

It was obvious that whatever had happened troubled him greatly which did nothing for Mai's nerves. It was, however, somewhat reassuring to see a Wolf standing in a corner behind his desk, ready and alert. If nothing else, at least he was safe.

"Tsukuyomi-sama." She had debated the merits of using something more familiar but ultimately decided that it was best to remain formal. Even if it wasn't anything to do with she and Sai hiding the events in Mizu no Kuni whatever was going on needed to be taken seriously, especially if it had Naruto so troubled.

It took a long moment for her voice to register but eventually Naruto slowly turned to face his second in command. The frown was lost for a second, replaced by a tired smile, and suddenly Mai found her nervousness evaporating.

It couldn't be the issue in Mizu no Kuni if he was still able to smile at her. Of course, that meant something else had arisen they needed to take care of.

"Mai," he greeted her. Like his smile his voice was weary and small, his attention so far away that her presence might as well have been a dream to him. "Was there something I can help you with?"

She wasn't completely sure if it was just Naruto wanting to take care of her- which always made her heart flutter- or if this was some desperate attempt of his to distract himself from whatever he had sent the Wolves off to fix.

"No, Naruto-kun, I came to see what was going on." She switched back to a more familiar form of address but if he noticed it didn't show. He gave a few bobbing nods of his head to indicate his understanding but remained silent for several moments.

To Mai, it felt like an eternity.

"You are probably aware of the recent casualties in Mizu no Kuni," As he began speaking her heart instantly sunk to her stomach, a cold feeling of dread creeping through her body. "As you are no doubt aware of my reasons for siding with Yagura."

She knew them, yes. She thought they were kind of strange but she understood the intention behind them. She supposed it made more sense if you thought Naruto as a father letting his children out to play rather than a commander directing his forces.

"Of course, Tsukuyomi-sama." The formality was back, just in case, but again Naruto didn't seem to pay it any mind.

"I've made a mistake." He paused, frowning deeply. "Several, rather, and I want them remedied before they hurt my children more."

It was probably a bad question, she realized, but she couldn't help herself from asking it. Perhaps she had just become too comfortable as his favorite. "Mistakes, Tsukuyomi-sama?"

He seemed to deflate into his seat, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

"Yes, mistakes." He collected his thoughts for a moment before elaborating. "I had an image of the House of Wolves in my mind, how we would be seen by the world, but it seems as though it was more delusion than anything. I have not painted the picture I have envisioned and so my actions to maintain it have been an effort of futility at the cost of my children." Purple eyes closed briefly before resuming their unseeing stare at a nearby wall. "It would not have been so bad if I had not been so trusting."

The beginning of that made sense to her. He was being too hard on himself in her opinion. Trying to provide his House of Wolves with a more respectable reputation would make certain things easier for them, though it did sort of conflict with their nature.

The last part, however, she had no idea what she was talking about.

"Tsukuyomi-sama?" It was all the prompting he needed to elaborate. At this point she wondered if he even realized she was still there.

"Uzuki Yugao was the one to teach me Kenjutsu and someone I considered to be part of the pack. I was going to be extending an offer to join us soon but it seems I was too hasty. I told her too much and it found its way into Konoha's ears. I'm not sure who she told yet or why they've decided to act against us, but three of my children lie dead because of it."

"Did you want me to see to her, Tsukuyomi-sama?" Offered Mai. She'd happily tear into anyone who hurt her lord, as would any of the Wolves.

"No." Naruto shook his head, still staring at the wall. "No, that won't be necessary at all. She knows where she stands with the House of the Wolves and any debt between the two of us has been settled. As far as I'm concerned we've never had any dealings with her."

By 'we' she was aware he was referring to himself and she understood everything else to mean he still cared a great deal about the woman and couldn't bring himself to bring harm to her. Either she was more important to him than Inoichi had been or- when considering his efforts to undo damages inflicted upon the man- he had learned his lesson already.

She was tempted to seek the woman out anyway but knowing it would displease Naruto stopped her. She had taken a large enough risk keeping the events of Mizu no Kuni from him, directly going against his command to harm someone he cared a great deal about? Favorite or not, she would be in quite a lot of trouble.

Mai still wasn't sure if there would be consequences for hiding things from him. He's made no mentions of it so far, despite obviously knowing, but he also seemed rather distracted.

"I understand, was there anything I can do to help?"

His attention turned from the wall to lock eyes with her. There was a tiredness mixed wit a self-loathing she knew all too well from him in those golden eyes but something else simmered gently.

Accusation.

It was faint, oh so very faint, but it was there.

Despite that, he didn't seem all too keen to act on it. A stray thought danced through her head, that just like Yugao he cared too much about her to do anything, and a great guilt settled over her shoulders with such weight she found it difficult to breathe.

How dangerous his inability to act against those he cared for was didn't even warrant a moment of consideration against the fact that she would be comparable to a woman who had betrayed his trust and caused the death of three of his children.

"No, Mai, I think you've done enough. I'll take it from here." He paused, his frown going from troubled to thoughtful. "Actually, if you wish to check in with the Inuzuka, the Hyūga, or with Shizune-sensei you are more than welcome to. I will be distracted for some time, I fear, and will not be able to give matters concerning them the attention they deserve."

"I understand, Tsukuyomi-sama." It was meant as more than just his instructions, she understood that he was displeased by what she had done but was taking no action against her. Either out of love or as a warning- perhaps both- she was being allowed to continue as if nothing had happened.

It was his sigh that kept her from leaving immediately, filled with a weariness that just didn't suit him.

"For what it's worth, Mai, thank you. I appreciate your intentions of taking care of the problem yourself . He gave her a stern gaze. "In the future, however, do not keep my children's suffering from me. I cannot be the father they need if I do not hear their cries."

"Of course, Tsukuyomi-sama. I will keep you better informed in the future." She hesitated for a second before continuing. "I-if I inform you about the problem, will you allow me to try fixing it before you step in?"

His frowned deepened further- she was not aware he could frown like that and was not comfortable knowing she was the one to cause its discovery- but he gave a single strong nod. "Yes, I think that would be for the best."

She was his planned successor at the moment, after all. It only made sense to let her take on as much responsibility as she could to prepare her for the position. Not that she didn't take on plenty of responsibilities already.

He needed to get her an assistant, actually. She'd need a Mai of her own if she took his position. Maybe Hanabi would make a suitable candidate?

"Thank you, Tsukuyomi-sama. If that's all?"

"Yes, thank you. Keep me informed on our other projects please but otherwise do as you see fit. I'll trust your judgment."

She felt another stab of guilt at those words but couldn't tell if it had been an intentional jab from Naruto or reassurance that he still trusted her.

"By your command, Tsukuyomi-sama." She gave a bow before backing out of the room. She would see to his other projects to make sure everything was in order while he took control of the Mizu situation. Once everything was resolved she would work on proving to him that she could still be trusted. Even if he didn't need it proven she needed to prove it to herself.

Mai would make it up to him, whether he liked it or not.

The last thing she saw before she left was Naruto rolling up a piece of parchment as he reached for a golden amulet she could swear she'd seen before.

It was best to be outside when doing this but so long as the sun could reach the golden coils Naruto was confidant that the great serpent would be able to send one of his children. Stepping to his office window- much to the concern of the Wolf skulking in the corner of the room- he opened the curtains enough to allow light to spill through.

He was fortunate that the sun was in an acceptable position otherwise he'd have to leave the apartment. His Wolves were much to on edge as it was already, having him exposed like that wouldn't do them any good.

Dipping two fingers into the dish of blood the original had prepared for this very reason he rubbed a generous amount over the amulet until the light it reflected became red. In a flash of crimson a small golden serpent appeared on his windowsill, staring at him with eager interest.

"High priest," It hissed in greeting. "What is it you require?"

Naruto held up a roll of parchment that might be considered by many in the Shinobi world to be the most cruel of death sentences-

A letter calling for the aid of Orochimaru of the Sannin.

"I need this delivered to the snake-sage, I require her assistance for my war."

The snake gave a hissing laugh, crimson eyes sparkling in delight. "A war you say? Father shall watch with much interest, High Priest."

"Then I hope I am able to entertain him. Will you deliver it?"

"It would be my honor to help spark this war of yours. Give it here." Naruto complied, extending the parchment to the young serpent who snatched it up behind gleaming black fangs. In another flash of crimson they vanished with the note.

Naruto went to wipe away the blood from the amulet only to be met by warm metal, all traces of his blood gone as it had been the first time. "Thank you, child of Aū." He murmured quietly as he closed the curtains. "and may you find enjoyment in my actions, Great Serpent Aū."

He hadn't considered any use for Orochimaru's gift beyond sending messages, but perhaps it was time to start. There appeared to be much more potential there than he had previously realized.

And if it meant aiding his children, he would take any advantage he could get.

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– Eyazahrid