Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 97 – Similarities
Wolves had become a familiar sight to Kiri Shinobi recently so seeing them typically wasn't a surprise. Even when reinforcements had been sent not too long ago it had hardly phased those on guard duty.
When two separate groups of Wolves emerged from the forest and converged on the southern gate, however, the guards were more than a little uneasy. The Wolves within the village joined them not long after, swelling their ranks and growing increasingly excited before two of them- one with silver hair and one with purple- managed to calm them down.
Even then the energy was palpable and it was obvious to the Kirigakure Shinobi that something big was happening. It was only confirmed when one of the Wolves present bore the white fur of a high-captain.
She was never seen outside the command tent and she most certainly never took orders from anyone else. Yagura himself could give her an order and she would consider it a suggestion, determining if she wanted to direct Wolves to carry them out. But as soon as the two Wolves with strange hair- neither of which were in the Wolf uniform and only one of which even had the mask- started talking to her she was barking orders to the others.
Whoever these two were it was obvious they were not to be trifled with.
It took a few minutes but before long all of the Wolves were lined up before the southern gate, eagerly awaiting something. The one with purple hair stood directly in front of it, flanked by the silver haired one and the High-Captain while the Wolves themselves spread out evenly to either side two men deep.
The reason for their strange behavior was not far off.
As one they dropped to a knee as a figure emerged from the mists. His black armor was speckled with blood and the left eye of his mask had been shattered to show a unnaturally bright purple eye. The mists seemed to cling to him, tugging back at his armor as if they wanted to delay his departure, and his crimson hair trailed behind his brisk steps.
He stopped a few feet before the Wolves, the three highest ranking of which looked up to meet his gaze. Together they greeted him, each and every Wolf in sync, and the guards understood.
"Tsukuyomi-sama!" They cried. "We are ready to serve!"
Almost as if the sky itself was shocked to hear of his arrival the rare sunlight that managed to peek through the clouds seemed to retreat, leaving the village covered in the gloomy overcast it was so familiar with.
The southern gate guards shared a look. Whatever his business here in Mizu no Kuni was, they hoped it was quick.
Something about this Tsukuyomi- even from this distance- simply didn't seem right and they wanted as little as to do with him as possible.
They were quite wise for it.
While the bitter ache of loss still pulled at him knowing there should be three more Wolves standing before him, the sight of his forces still managed to make his heart light. These were his children and now he was here to make sure they could all return home safely.
They wouldn't have to suffer for his mistake any longer.
"Rise, children." His voice, while soft, was still easily heard by the Wolves and they all rose as one, snapping into salutes and eagerly awaiting his command.
He didn't keep them waiting.
"Squads, break away. Patrol the perimeter of Kirigakure while I confer with your High-Captain." He turned his attention to the High-Captain in question. "High-Captain Katsuri, if you would show us to your current base of operations?"
"Hai, Tsukuyomi-sama!"
"Kakashi, Anko, with me please." He didn't check to see if they were following him, they would have done so even if he hadn't instructed them to.
Glancing at the gate guards as he passed, he made note of the way they avoided his gaze. Just further proof that he had been going about things the wrong way all this time. They didn't even question his presence.
He did not stop to state it.
The business of the Wolves was no business of theirs.
He watched from his office as the Wolves slunk from the forests and came to rest before the gate of his village, observing them as they prepared for the arrival of their lord. It was curious to see the Wolves, a force of individuals well suited for their namesake, acting in such a professional manner. He wouldn't assume they were well disciplined, they would have demonstrated such professionalism outside of Tsukuyomi's' presence if they were, so it was obvious they held a great respect for the man who emerged from the mist.
As the sky itself darkened at his approach, Yagura thought he might understand why.
Tsukuyomi, even from this distance, was a truly striking figure.
"They've become slightly more daring in their attempts, but the frequency remains unchanged. We expect an attack about twice a week, usually hitting our second or third least guarded outpost or caravan." Katsuri had removed her mask for the briefing and shot him a vicious grin. "They learned not to target the least guarded opportunity after we caught them in an ambush a few times. Apparently Yagura hadn't bothered because they were such low priority."
"Very good, High-Captain. Very good." He looked down at the table of maps and reports, thinking, before he glanced back up and asked the most obvious question he had. "Are they still low priority?"
Her grin became positively wicked. "We weren't going to risk the high-priority objectives with such a flimsy defense, but it's been holding up for the upper-mid priorities. The rebels are just letting them go through because they don't wan to risk an ambush at the obvious target. It's done wonders to free up manpower for some of the other objectives."
"Atta girl." Naruto reached up to ruffle her hair- paying no mind to the fact that she had to stoop down so he could reach- and placed a kiss on her brow. She seemed beyond thrilled at the attention and he made a note that he really needed to take the time to so his affection to all of his Wolves more often.
He may have failed them in the past, but he would be damned if he wasn't there for them from now on.
"So, what can you tell me of the rebel's allies, the Konoha Shinobi?"
She blinked at him in surprise. "They are Konoha Shinobi?"
"Unfortunately."
She gave a curse that had Anko grinning proudly- she must have learned it from the Tokubetsu-Jōnin at some point- and muttered sourly under her breath. "That means I do owe Taiko dinner when we get back. He's going to be so damn smug..."
"High-Captain?" His voice broke her out of her thoughts and after an embarrassed cough she responded.
"We had been unaware that they were Konoha Shinobi, though we had suspicions. What we do know is that they appear to be at ANBU level-"
"They are." Naruto interrupted. "Yugao's squad, I believe."
Katsuri immediately understood the implication and what it must mean to her lord, wisely choosing to avoid the subject as much as she could. "That makes sense, yes. It seems to be no more than six remaining, three having been slain and one who seemed to have vanished..."
She realized her mistake and dared a glance to Tsukuyomi. He didn't say anything but he really didn't have to. She could see it all in his eyes.
"She was still in Konoha when we left but I'm not sure how long that will last. Probably more safe to just assume the presence of seven at all times."
"Of course, Tsukuyomi-sama." Katsuri gave a nod, happy to be able to move on to other subjects. "As for the rebels they don't seem to have much in the way of manpower. They have a surprising number of supporters but very few of them are of Jōnin strength and despite fighting for Kirigakure bloodlines there's a notable lack of bloodline users in their forces. We believe Yagura managed to slay a majority of them with any survivors favoring escape over supporting the rebels."
This was more her territory, she'd much rather talk strategy than try to avoid causing her lord pain because of poorly chosen words. Field reports were much more safe.
"At the moment we're aware of five notable individuals including their leader Terumi Mei, her second in command Ao, the first in a new generation of the seven swordsmen Chojiro, the demon Momoichi Zabuza himself, and Zabuza's apprentice. We believe their name is Haku." She handed him a stack of papers containing what they knew about each of them. "Aside from them, no one else poses much of a threat, even to Yagura's men. The only reason they haven't been defeated yet is because they choose their targets wisely and use large sections of their forces to overwhelm smaller groups of Kirigakure troops."
"And the Konoha reinforcements?" Asked Naruto. "How have they played into everything lately?"
She paused for a moment, collecting her thought and determining how she wanted to convey what was no doubt a more...sensitive...subject.
"As most of the rebel forces are not much of a threat, we have been basing our responses to rebel attacks based on who we can recognize. When the five I mentioned were not present we believed-" Well, it had been Keigo at the time but it wouldn't so anyone any good to pass blame around. They were all Wolves, one pack under Tsukuyomi. They shared both victories and defeats in their efforts to carry out his will. "-that the regular forces would be easily defeated. We had not expected ANBU-level Shinobi to be hidden among them. They-"
She looked down, ashamed at their mistake and what it had cost not only them but their father..
"They took us by surprise. Since then we've been treating every group as if they possess ANBU-level combatants which has slowed down our progress significantly. We're basically back to square one, according to some of the Loyalists, but those we've interacted with don't seem to hold our caution against us. They've evidently run into similar problems."
Naruto nodded in understanding, everything seemed to match what he knew and he supposed that was a good thing. He had enjoyed enough surprises as of late.
"Are we being proactive or reactive in facing them?" Naruto asked with a frown.
"Reactive. It's proven hard to locate them thus far." Katsumi gave her own frown. "The don't have anything they need to defend, so it should make it easier for them to move around, but that should be canceled out by the fact that they have so many people. I have no idea how they're finding space to set up their camps."
"What kind of camps? Tents? They could set those up about anywhere."
"No, Tsukuyomi-sama, they seem to be using rather large bunkers. No one in Kiri seems to be aware of them."
No one aware of them? Large bunkers? Hidden?
"Are they really using..." He trailed off in thought for a moment. "I may know someone who can give us information on the bunkers." He finally said. The way Katsumi's eyes lit up he might as well have proposed to her after a decade of dating.
"That- that would be fantastic, Tsukuyomi-sama!" She barely restrained herself from jumping on him and giving a most unprofessional hug. Maybe when she was off duty. "Do you know how soon you might be able to have that?"
"It depends on how likely I am to get some sunlight. If tomorrow's favorable I may be able to have that for you by the end of the day."
That proved to be too much for her and she ended up leaning over to pepper his face with kisses. It took her a moment to realize what she had done and she looked back up to see an amused Kakashi and a slightly less amused Anko.
If she had to restrain herself while he took care of business why did the High-Captain get to kiss him? That wasn't fair at all, he was going to have to make up to her for it tonight- preferably on the Mizukage's desk.
"M-my apologies, Tsukuyomi-sama. That news was...very exciting. I lost myself for a moment there."
Naruto beckoned her back down and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about it, I understand." He kissed her cheek. "And if you ever feel the need to kiss me or hug me please don't hesitate. I am your father, I love you all. I won't get mad if you want to show me you feel the same."
"I-I'll remember that...Tsukuyomi Tou-sama." She feigned a cough in an effort to hide the red on her cheeks. "But it would be unprofessional for me to do so when on duty."
"You're the High-Captain on an active assignment." Naruto pointed out. "You're always on duty."
"I- uh,"
Kakashi stepped in to help her.
"If shes' always on duty she could probably use a break, I can take temporary command if she needs a few hours one of these days. I'm sure Anko would be happy to fill in too, wouldn't you?"
Anko didn't seem to pleased by the idea, but her frown quickly morphed into a pout. "Only if I get Naruto-time equal to the time I have to be in command." Her arms found themselves crossed over her chest. "It's not fair that she gets Naruto-time while on a mission while I don't."
"It's natural for a father and daughter to spend time with eachother." Well, he thought it was, anyway. Kakashi never had a daughter or even a sister. Neither did his friends. Actually, he didn't really have friends either. Maybe he needed to get out more.
"I'm a Wolf too." Anko argued. "So I should get to spend time with him if she does."
"But you're not his daughter."
"Says who?" She countered. "I'm a Wolf and the Wolves are his children."
"...You sleep with him."
"All his Wolves sleep with him."
Kakashi gave her a blank stare. "You regularly have sex with him."
"Fuck yeah I do!" Anko pumped her fist in the air. "It's the duty of the eldest daughter to step up and take upon herself the role of the wife in the household when the mother is no longer with us."
Kakashi...didn't know what to say to that. Neither did a heavily blushing Katsumi. Naruto just shook his head with an amused sigh.
That was his Anko alright.
"...I don't even want to know where you came up with that, but if its' not from an Icha-Icha I'm totally giving it to him to use."
"Only if he doesn't change our names when he writes it."
"...Deal." He probably wouldn't have much trouble convincing Jiraiya to agree to that stipulation.
Naruto shook his head again. "Katsumi? Why don't you go ahead and get some rest. I think these two have it for now. I'm going to speak with Yagura."
"H-hai, Tsukuyomi...Tou-sama."
Anko was really going to make this whole fatherhood thing weird, wasn't she? At least he wouldn't have to worry about this sort of stuff from the sand siblings.
Karura's giggle at the thought was accompanied by a sense of definite approval.
"Ah, Tsukuyomi-dono I would assume?" Yagura remained facing his open window. "I didn't hear you knock."
Which would probably be because he hadn't knocked. He was no subordinate coming in to report nor was he going to stand outside his door and wait for Yagura to permit him entrance. He was Tsukuyomi and he was here to see things done.
"Strange, perhaps I'll have to knock more loudly next time."
Yagura frowned as he turned to look at his...ally. "...Quite."
Tsukuyomi was...well, he wasn't quite as intimidating from this distance. Not that he had been intimidating before, but the striking figure was somewhat reduced now that Yagura could make out some important details.
Like his height. Tsukuyomi wasn't very tall, in fact he seemed to be about the same height as himself. Yagura may have found a certain sense of camaraderie in this but something about Tsukuyomi's voice seemed young. He was not pleased to be reminded of his vertical deficiency by a young Daimyo who might still grow to be taller than he was.
Everything else about the young Daimyo, however, seemed greater up close. The long red hair, the bright purple eye, and from this distance he could make out the seals on his exposed upper arms. They looked...complicated...and even as he stared at them he could feel Isoubu shift uncomfortably within his own seal.
Understandably, Jinchuriki were not often fond of Sealmasters.
But here was something more to these seals that made him uncomfortable, a physical weight they shouldn't have been able to possess. And if he didn't know better, he might suspect the young man before him to be a fellow Jinchuriki.
Last he heard, no Biju had been sealed into a noble family nor were any of the great beasts unaccounted for. Though he supposed that didn't mean this Tsukuyomi hadn't managed to obtain some of the Chakra from one. That was a dangerous game to be playing, especially in front of a true Jinchuriki.
"So," Yagura broke himself from his musings. "What is it that brings you to Mizu no Kuni." He paused. "Unannounced, I might add." The "uninvited" went unsaid.
"Three of my Wolves were slain recently, did you think that would not draw my attention?"
"Yes, quite the quality forces you have. Such dedication. They die for a cause so easily it's like they aren't even trying." He gave a thoughtful hum as he retook his seat and folded his hands before him. "If I had known your forces would have such trouble with the rebels I would have thought differently about your offer."
Tsukuyomi's exposed eye narrowed, his scowl hidden by the mask. Perhaps this was more proof that he should have either sided wit the rebels or left this whole mess alone. He had never met Yagura, hadn't even communicated with him before this. It was Sai who had set everything up on his behalf and apparently his commander hadn't had any issues with the Mizukage.
Or maybe he didn't bring up his objections after being instructed to make contact. He'd have to speak with Sai when he got back.
"From my understanding it's not the rebels who have been giving them trouble but the Konoha ANBU currently aiding them." Tsukuyomi countered. "So far they've managed to kill a number of them, something your Shinobi seem incapable of. It's very fortunate they have allies that can, I don't know if you'd still have Kirigakure otherwise."
"Watch yourself, boy." Yagura commanded. "I'm no petty noble you can run your mouth at. I'm Mizukage and the Daimyo of Mizu no Kuni as far as you're concerned and I won't hesitate to put you and your mutts back in their place."
As he spoke he tapped into the Sanbi, pulling up enough Chakra from his seal that his eyes began glowing a dim green and the bloodlust of the beast flooded the room.
Tsukuyomi's eye widened in surprise for a single second before narrowing into a heated glare. The seals on his arms began glowing a faint blue with his own Chakra and Yagura had a sudden feeling of fear that was not his own. It took him to realize that it was the Sanbi's fear, the Biju itself seemingly distressed by whatever the seals on Tsukuyomi's arms were.
How...extraordinary.
A brief flash of gold filled Tsukuyomi's eye- an unmistakable feeling of another Biju's Chakra becoming momentarily present- and he crossed his arms over his black armor. "Do not think you can intimidate me with the Sanbi, I will not think twice about ripping it from your body and allowing it to rampage across Mizu no Kuni for the rest of time."
Yagura had the strangest feeling that the young Daimyo was capable of backing up that threat.
It only reinforced his dislike for the Lord of Wolves.
The two continued to glare at eachother for a minute before Naruto scoffed and turned to leave. "I came to see what plans you had to finish off the rebels but from what I've seen I don't suspect any exist. You use the resources of yourself and others as a bulwark to protect you from the rebels, hoping and praying that they'll end up destroying themselves before they can reach you." He gave another scoff. "Pathetic. I'll have the locations of the rebels soon enough and I'll take my Wolves and whatever forces of yours who actually have the guts to get things done to finally end this war of yours."
"You think its' that easy?" It was Yagura's turn to scoff. "I've been fighting this war a decade now, you won't finish it with such little effort. You're naive and foolish, a sign of youth, but I doubt you'll get a chance to mature before someone does the world a favor and removes you."
"And you're stuck in your ways. Unbending, unchanging. You cannot adapt to the world outside so you sit here in a familiar war to feel safe. I'm going to end this war and then the world is going to devour you .When it does I'll be here to pick up the pieces."
Tsukuyomi left the room, not bothering to shut the door behind him, and both of them were struck by how similar they actually were.
And how much they couldn't stand each other.
It was a good ten minutes later that Yagura finally caved in and rose from his desk to close the door.
How inconsiderate.
"Have any twos?" Danzō stared at Mai with a scowl for a moment before handing her one of his cards and turning to Naruto.
"Any sevens?"
Naruto shook his head. "Go fish."
Grumbling about bastards that must be cheating Danzō fished out a card from the deck, scowling at it with all the disdain he could muster.
"Nines?"
The recently drawn card quickly found itself flung like a Shuriken at Naruto with a negligent flick of Danzō's' fingers. Gods above he hated this game, and not just because Naruto had managed to win it all evening.
Mai gave a giggle- something that made it impossible to scowl for a few moments- and Danzō wondered if this was what it would be like to have children or grandchildren. Maybe Hiruzen had the right idea.
Of course the charming bastard had also managed to steal away Biwako which was probably the first rivalry they had ever had. Gods, what a woman she had been.
But if Danzō had another chance to do things over he would start ROOT as a self-sustaining organization and truly retire to a wife and kids.
Okay, maybe not fully retire. He would at least limit himself to ROOT business on the weekends. Everyone needed a hobby.
A knock on the door drew their attention from the game and to a Wolf peaking his head into the room. "You've received a letter, Naruto-sama."
The young Daimyo waved it off. "Just put it on my desk with my paperwork, I'll get to it tomorrow."
"It's from your son."
Danzō blinked in surprise and turned to Mai as she hid a giggle behind her hand. Naruto had a son? How had he not heard anything about this? He gave Mai a considering gaze. Was she the mother, then? They did seem rather close but she was still pretty young. Hell, they were both young.
And this son of his was old enough to write a letter, so when had Naruto become a father? It had to have been with an older women, someone who had obviously had no qualms about a much, much younger partner. As mature as Naruto was- and had always been- if the kid was old enough to write then the woman must have been with Naruto when he was ten, maybe earlier.
Geeze, he hadn't even known that was possible. Wasn't puberty supposed to start around twelve?
Naruto's next words came even closer to giving him a heart attack than the revelation that Orochimaru themselves had stayed within Konoha as his guest for over a month.
"Which one?"
How many children did Naruto have?
"Gaara, Naruto-sama."
Naruto perked up at that. "Oh, from Gaara? Give it here then."
The Wolf gave a nod and handed it to his lord. "Certainly." He took a look around the room, noting empty cups and a few scattered plates. "Did you require anything at this time, Naruto-sama?"
"Nothing right now, thank you. You may return to whatever it was you were doing."
The Wolf gave another nod, "Of course.", and shut the door behind him.
Something about that name seemed familiar to Danzō but it took a minute to place it.
"Gaara? Subaku no Gaara?"
"Yes, that's him."
"...He's you're son? How?"
Naruto opened his mouth to explain before he paused. "That...is a very complicated story. Sometimes even I don't really understand what happened."
"...I see." He didn't see at all, honestly, but there were a lot of things that happened around Naruto that simply didn't make sense. Like how all his Wolves tended to go from semi-conditioned professionals to puppies in his presence.
Naruto gave a distracted hum in response, his attention was already focused solely on the letter in his hand. Mai reached over with a thin knife, offering to him with a smile. Even she didn't know when, why, or how Gaara had ended up being his son but she thought it was absolutely adorable that the little Tanuki called the Ookami his father.
With a gentleness reserved for his children, Naruto carefully cut open the letter to reveal three separate pieces of paper. The first had been written by Temari, stating as formally as she could that these letters were intended for Tsukuyomi alone and wishing him well.
There may or may not have been a section in which she commented on how lonely it was sleeping alone and how much she was anticipating seeing him again but she had done a very good job in hiding that between two paragraphs talking about the family trip they were on.
She had, according to her letter, felt that Gaara probably wouldn't be the most elaborative in his own writing and wanted to make sure his father was kept up to date on how his son- and his son's family- were doing.
He appreciated it.
Handing the letter to Mai, who was more than eager to read it, he pulled out the next one. As Temari had predicted Gaara's hadn't added much in his letter, writing mostly about his ability to sleep, how strange the members of his family were, and asking him to take care of his mother.
From Gaara it was about what he expected, really.
As with Temari's letter he handed this one to Mai, idly noting that she had passed the first over to a curious Danzō. The third letter wasn't really a letter and he couldn't stop the massive grin that stretched across his face when he looked at Gaara's artwork.
His son had drawn him a picture.
It was simple, so simple, but it absolutely blew his mind. This wasn't just being a father, this was fatherhood and they really were worlds apart. Naruto stared at the picture for a few minutes in silence, golden eyes tracing over the figures representing himself, Gaara, Karura, Temari, and even Kankurō and Rasa in the background.
With the Wolves they were family but they were also a pack, hunting and running free until they returned home to their den. With Gaara and Karura- and Temari, he supposed- they were just family. There was no command structure- though he suspected both Karura and Gaara might disagree there- nor was their any agenda. They simply were.
The thought was beyond refreshing and the feelings in his heart warmed his entire body.
"Naruto?" Mai's voice caught his attention and he gave her one of the small, genuine smiles she loved so much.
"Yes, Mai?"
"Is everything okay?" She frowned in concern, an expression he took no small amount of guilty pleasure from seeing. She wore it far too well.
"Yes, Mai, everything's just fine." He handed her the picture, watching her reaction. He wasn't disappointed.
It took her a second to realize what she was looking at but before he knew it he had a young woman flinging herself at him in an inescapable hug.
"Oh, it's so adorable!" She squeezed. "You have to have him visit so I can meet him."
"Perhaps," Naruto offered. "We can go on a trip to visit them, a vacation of sorts."
She gave him a scrutinizing look. "A real vacation, or do you have something you need to take care of outside the village again?
"...Yes?"
She slapped his arm with a small grin before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. "As long as you promise to take some time to rest, that sounds fantastic."
"Dinner for two it is, then." Naruto nodded.
She didn't say anything to that but her beaming smile let him know that she thought that sounded absolutely wonderful.
Danzō's snort caught their notice and they both turned to see him with the picture.
"Last I checked, he was a murderous psychopath." He commented. "And now you have him drawing pictures of you with two wives."
"It's more of him with two mothers."
Danzō gave another snort. "If you say so." He took a glance at it again before asking; "So, what are you going to do with it?"
"Hang it on the fridge, of course."
Danzō thought he was joking, releasing a small chuckle, but he watched as Naruto retrieved it and walked out of the room. When Mai rose to follow him he decided to do the same. Despite being told, he was still mildly surprised when they ended up in one of the kitchens in front of a fridge.
Other pictures were already there, designs for outfits of some sort, and Naruto proudly hung Gaara's picture right between them.
"There" He declared with a soft smile. "Perfect."
This was, without a doubt, the strangest family Danzō had ever had the pleasure of knowing.
And, perhaps, the strangest family he had ever had the honor of being a part of.
Because work ran late and it burned my eyes to keep them open I'll have the Commentary for chapter 96 done when I get home tonight.
The 2019.09.04 update contains EXTREMELY important information about the upcoming posting schedule, so I highly recommend you give it a look at Eyazahrid-dot-net.
The upcoming 2019.09.11 update will discuss Yagura and Naruto so if you want more insight into the two of them make sure you stop by. I'll announce its posting via twitter after it's up so make sure to follow me at Eyazahrid.
Until I next have your attention,
-Eyazahrid