Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 98 – The First Son
"You called, High-Priest?" The golden serpent twisted and coiled, hanging its head upside down to see the one to summon it.
"I did, honorable child. I would ask of you a favor if you would grant it."
Its forked tongue danced out between hissing laughter as it wound its way through their own golden scales to face Naruto properly.
"A favor? Ask it of me, High-Priest. It will be granted." Red eyes gleamed with something dangerous, a lurking anticipation mixed with morbid curiosity.
"They prey my pack hunts, they hide in the dens of the snake sage. I would have you seek her out and bring me back the locations of her past dens."
"I will ask it of...her." More of the strange laughter came from behind gleaming fangs. "I do not smell the elder, so I can only assume they have not arrived yet. The snake sage has sent aid for you, though they fail to answer your call themselves." they began swaying to and fro, reminding Naruto of the tail of an excited pup. "Such...disloyalty..." It trailed off with a hiss. "Such...disobedience..."
Th angular head tilted slightly to the side.
"I would gladly punish them for such transgressions, High-Priest." Blackened tongue lazily pierced the air and its open jaw seemed to almost grin. "After your newest request is fulfilled, of course. We would not hinder your plans when they seem so...exciting..."
"She will answer to me and me alone, honorable child. I will hear her out before punishment is given, she would not fail me so casually."
"Are you certain?"
Amethyst eyes glared down at the serpent with an almost physical weight. "Are you questioning me?"
Coiling its retreat, it peered back up at the High-Priest with lowered head.
"No, no." It assured him. "I-we- would never think to question you, High-Priest, but surely you would not begrudge us the opportunity to...offer our advise..."
He gave it a measuring gaze for a minute, a frown tugging at his lips. "Then consider your advice offered, but there are none who know Orochimaru better than I. If she has failed me for reasons withign her power I will see to her punishment personally."
The serpent didn't seem pleased but they gave a nod of their head anyway. "Of course, High-Priest. As you say." Golden scales shifted irritably. "Was there anything else you required of me?"
"Obedience."
The snake recoiled as if struck before resting its head on the floor in an imitation of a bow. "Always, High-Priest. Your Snake Sage may disobey but we will not."
"My Snake Sage has my confidence." Naruto gave the snake a withering glare. "You would do well to remember that." He paused for a second. "And if she has betrayed that confidence, I will be the one to deal with it. She is my responsibility."
"...So if I were to suspect or notice something in the future..."
"...Inform me at once, I will look into it."
Au's child grinned at that. "As you command. I'll depart now to deliver your message." Right before it left Naruto's voice gave it pause.
"If I find that you continuously raise false accusations at her I will turn you into a belt and gift you to her, do you understand?"
"Perfectly, High-Priest. Perfectly." Father was right, Orochimaru had done well in gifting the young Tsukuyomi his amulet. Perhaps they would let Orochimaru's recent failure go unpunished-
This time.
In a flash of red the golden serpent disappeared.
Naruto's frown did not.
A thoroughly soaked Kabuto exerted every effort to not glare at a smug Guren though he very much wished to do so. He would not give her the satisfaction.
Kidomaru and the Kon twins didn't bother hiding their amusement.
Kabuto couldn't wait until he could return to Konoha. Hell, he'd even spend the rest of his life in Suna under that ungodly heat if it meant he could escape the watery hell he was in. Even Nami no Kuni was starting to look inviting compared to crossing the Kaizoku sea on the back of a snake.
Especially with those four.
At least he had enough foresight to pack his storage scrolls in a waterproof container, otherwise he would be arriving to Mizu no Kuni with nothing but what he carried in his pouches.
Most of that was probably ruined by his unexpected trip into the sea courtesy of a suspiciously pink dolphin that had fearlessly leapt over the Great Elder Serpent despite the fact that all other ocean life had been avoiding getting nearer than three kilometers.
Well, except the eels. They seemed to be pretty excited by the arrival of the Great Elder which had not been exactly pleasant to discover when he had been knocked into the sea.
Fortunately the eels had been courteous enough to push him back towards the great Elder otherwise he probably would have been left behind. For such an old snake he sure could swim quickly.
The sight of land brought with it the promise of this trip being over soon and even though they would be somewhere as horrible as Mizu no Kuni at least there would be solid footing beneath him. He tried not to think about the fact that it was bound to be as soaked as the rest of the accursed country.
When the Great Elder Serpent made the transition from sea to land Kabuto almost felt like crying in relief. He doubted Tsukuyomi had traveled by snake which meant he should be able to return to Nami no Kuni with the young Daimyo and push this nightmare of a trip to the back of his mind for the rest of eternity.
Unfortunately it wasn't quite over just yet and the great elder, being absolutely massive and mostly blind, wasn't at all bothered by the trees he wound his way around and-often- through. Kabuto didn't have the advantages of being a gigantic blind snake but he could at least take some measure of comfort from the fact that the others didn't either.
Watching a branch slap Kidomaru hard enough to send him halfway down the serpent didn't quite make up for the trip but it certainly made Kabuto feel better.
A giant serpent crashing through the misty forests of Mizu no Kuni was not something that went unnoticed and it wasn't long before the news had Naruto standing before the southern gate awaiting its arrival.
It was not hard to deduce who a massive snake would be in Mizu no Kuni for, especially after the words of Au's child.
He was not kept waiting long.
He had also not quite expected what sight greeted his eyes.
It was one thing to hear that a giant white snake was tearing through the forests, it was quite another to actually see it. What the hell did a snake that size eat, worlds?
Despite its size it was also surprisingly quick and within seconds of seeing it the large serpent came to a screeching halt with its nose just feet from Naruto's face. The snake's black tongue flickered out, barely brushing across the young Daimyo's skin.
"Yesss..." The deep, grinding voice almost sighed in relief and great joy. "His smell is strong on you, High-Priest. I can taste his power in the amulet you wear."
Naruto remained silent, his purple eyes staring into the dull gold of the old snake. Evidently it was not completely blind, not yet.
"There is fire in your eyes, strength in your will. They will serve you well. Tell me, what is the name of this High-Priest?"
"I have many names, you may know me as Tsukuyomi."
Something about that greatly amused the serpent as their jaw split into a fanged grin.
"So be it, Moon-Reading-Man." They hissed with laughter. "It is no wonder why father would take an interest in you. What are you then, Tsukuyomi? What kind of person has become the High-Priest of Au?"
"I am many things to many people." Naruto frowned only slightly. These serpents seemed rather keen to try judging him and his decisions and he was not fond of it. "To you I am the High-Priest. That is all you need to know."
The snake paused, weighing his words as it observed him through cloudy eyes. Eventually it dipped its head in a bow and backed away slightly. "Yes, yes. My apologies, High-Priest, it has been a long time since someone last held such an honor and my excitement and curiosity seem to have gotten the better of me. I am the Great Elder Serpent, Koshi. First son of Aū. Call for me and I shall aid you as I have every High-Priest to come before you."
This snake was not old, Naruto realized, it was absolutely ancient. It was also not to be made an enemy. The first son of Aū ? Even if the Golden Serpent of the Sun had mostly daughters and even if it favored those daughters over whatever sons it may have had being the first born son of Aū still carried a great deal of weight that even he as High-Priest would be wary to throw himself against.
In honor of both that and to show appreciation for the serpent's apology Naruto felt it appropriate to provide an answer to his question.
"I understand, Great Elder Serpent. Rest at ease knowing that your father is represented by the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni, head of the Imperial House of Wolves of Hi no Kuni, guide to the goddess Hinata no Mikoto of the clan of Hyuuga, ally to Hi no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni, the clan of Inuzuka, and the clan of Yamanaka. He is the godson of the Snake Sage, the Prince of Otogakure no Sato, and the son of the Uchiha Matriarch. His veins flow with the blood of the Uzumaki and his body houses the Ichibi no Tanuki Karura. He is the wielder of Mōryō's tooth and the bearer of Aū's amulet."
Koshi grinned, flashing great purple fangs.
"You hold much influence in this world, then. Good. You will need that if you are to bring back father's faith. I will spread the world among my descendants, you will have all the help we can offer."
Naruto wasn't quite sure exactly what that meant but even aid from Aū 's grandchildren was a great boon not to be underestimated or unappreciated.
"Thank you, Great Elder."
"No, thank you High-Priest Tsukuyomi. I have waited many millennia for this opportunity."
Gods above, even ancient couldn't properly describe the age of this serpent. This thing was timeless.
White scales shifted slightly and Naruto had the distinct feeling that the massive serpent was slightly nervous about something. The very idea was completely ridiculous but was proved correct with Koshi's next words.
"High-Priest...? If I could..." He shifted a bit more. "If I could ask of you a favor?"
"What favor would you ask?" He was very careful with his words and he probably had Au's child earlier to thank for it. They had agreed to his request before hearing it and it wasn't until after it left that he realized it had been another test for the serpents to judge him on. He hadn't been pleased about it but at least it was proving useful. He should have been on the lookout for things of that nature from the beginning, honestly. He was dealing with snakes, after all, and not just any snakes. He was making deals with the children of the Serpent Deity. He had obviously been too lax in his dealings with them and he had severely underestimated the value of Orochimaru's gift.
Almost as if to prove his suspicions correct Koshi seemed to express approval- as much as a massive, blind snake older than known human civilization could, anyway- at his response.
"When you next speak with father," Koshi shifted even more, his black tongue flicking out nervously. For a moment it seemed like he might even think better of asking. "Tell him that I long to hear his voice again, even once more before my passing." Kilometers of muscle shuddered. "And let him know that I do not hold his actions against him. I am honored to have been chosen to father the serpents of this world in his name."
Despite never having spoken with the Great Golden Serpent of the Sun Naruto took Koshi's words seriously. He had come to realize there was much more to this role than he had ever expected. "When next I speak with Aū, I will tell him. You have my word."
"Thank you, High-Priest. Even if your word does not sway him I appreciate your willingness to grant me this request." Many tons of white muscle coiled together and Koshi lifted back his neck to look down on the village of Kirigakure. "You strike me as an intelligent man, Tsukuyomi. Or perhaps just wise. Either way, I feel it is only right to leave this situation in your hands. The Snake Sage called upon me to deliver their aid to you but I was not the first. Manda, leader of the Snake Summons, was summoned by Orochimaru for this purpose but refused to see your will carried out. I was to punish him myself for this transgression but it is you who he insulted with his actions. What would you have become of him?"
Naruto thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I do not know Manda, nor do I know the contract and relationship between he and Orochimaru. Orochimaru may have called upon him in order to carry out my instructions to her, but I gave no such orders to Manda. If he is to be punished it would not be my place to say."
"You are the High-Priest, it is always your right to decide." Koshi lowered his head back to the ground to better meet Naruto's eyes. "Even if you did not order him to aid you not only did he obey your Snake-Sage but he openly insulted you in their presence. Surely you will not let that stand?"
"There is truth to your words, Great Serpent." Naruto frowned. "But I was not there. To find others guilty on the words of serpents would be foolish of me."
A hissing laugh escaped Koshi and he rose back into the air. "Wise indeed, High-Priest Tsukuyomi. Wise indeed." He continued to laugh for a few moments more before gently shaking his head and returning it to the ground. "So, are we to assume Orochimaru has lied to us and allow Manda to continue unpunished?"
"I have little reason to doubt Orochimaru, I'm inclined to take her word."
"Then he will be punished?"
"No."
Even on the face of a giant snake the confusion was easy to read. Koshi tilted his head to the side slightly and stared into Naruto's purple eyes. "Your ways are strange, High-Priest. If you believe the words of your Sage but will not punish Manda what will you do?"
"I will test him. Let us see if he fails the commands from my lips."
Koshi's laugh was closer to a roar- an odd sound to come from the lungs of a snake- and took minutes to subside. "You speak like a serpent!" The massive snake's laughter became more of a hiss. "I look forward to seeing what you do, High-Priest. I'm certain you will not disappoint."
White scales shifted until Koshi's tail wrapped completely around Kirigakure and still had more than enough to coil under the snake's chin. He rested his head on his makeshift pillow and flicked his black tongue eagerly.
"What test will you have for him?"
"Nothing complicated, nothing difficult. I will command him as I do my children. If he obeys I will be pleased. If he disobeys he will be punished."
"And what will you have him do?"
"Orochimaru intended for him to aid me in my war, I see no reason not to make use of him."
"Good, good. Call for him when you are ready to test him, I will be eagerly watching as I'm sure father is."
"I will call, we'll see if he answers."
Koshi scoffed. "He is a summon and I have promised you the aid of my children. He will come."
"The summons are your children then?"
"The summons, yes. And also the snakes in the grass, and the air, and the sea. The serpents are of my blood, all of them, as was tasked to me by the Great Golden Serpent. I have not failed him. Tell him this when next you speak."
"It will be done. Would you have me call you when I test him?"
"No, no, no." Koshi began shaking his head. "The High-Priest has returned and wages war against his enemies. I will remain here until they are devoured."
Naruto took a moment to look back at the body of the snake completely surrounding the village and back up to the angular head and massive purple fangs. It would be one hell of a deterrent, that was for sure.
"As you wish." Naruto gave a nod of his head to the great elder- which was returned- and turned to enter Kirigakure but paused after a single step. "Did you say Orochimaru sent you with aid?"
The thick white muscle slithered out from beneath his head and pulled back to reveal four individuals standing beside him. "Yes, these are the forces of Orochimaru. They claim their recent shedding has left them weak but..." It gave him a scrutinizing look. "Perhaps that is not my place to judge. You will see to your servants, I'm sure."
"You are not the first to mention her actions, Koshi." He walked past the serpent and patted its scales lightly. It was like a wall of steel. "I will see to Orochimaru when I see her next."
"Hmm, yes. You've already proven that you are no fool, I don't doubt that you will." Koshi placed his head on the ground to rest. "And this last shedding, she is a he now. Again. Who is to say? I was not their for the birth of that serpent."
Naruto paused for a split second at that, making note that Orochimaru had already changed bodies. If that was why she hadn't been able to come then he completely understood. The weakness she- they- experienced after a transfer was known to him and if she wasn't at her normal strength then he didn't want to pull her into a war and risk her being killed.
"Thank you, Koshi. I had not yet heard the news."
"Then it is my pleasure to keep you informed, High-Priest."
He patted the scales again, not knowing if such a large being could even feel it, and approached the Otogakure Shinobi. Two of them he recognized immediately, one from a report and one because he had met them before.
"Yakushi-sensei, what a surprise. I didn't expect to run into you so far from Konoha."
"Ah, Naruto-sama." A dripping Kabuto tried his best to give a pleasant smile. Really, he did. It was more of a grimace. "It turns out that there was work to do here in Mizu no Kuni so here I am."
"Here you are." Naruto agreed with a nod. He turned to the other person he recognized and gave them a nod too. "And you must be Guren, I've heard of you from some of my Wolves. For such a pretty bloodline it can cause a rather surprising amount of damage."
That earned him an equally pretty smile from the woman and he focused on the two he didn't know the identities of. "And you two? Who did Orochimaru find fit to send me?"
"Kidomaru, Denka-sama." Answered the spider, six arms splayed out in greeting.
"I'm Sakon," Greeted the other. He turned slightly to show another head that grinned at Naruto. "And I'm Ukon."
Naruto stared at them for a moment before shaking his head. "Yeah, you're Orochimaru's alright.
The Kon twins were more than a little disappointed to not get a reaction and even Kidomaru seemed let down. Both Guren and Kabuto looked like they wanted to strangle them. He was reminded very much of the Genin team that stayed with him during the Chūnin exams. Unfortunately this time there were two Zaku's. He hoped Orochimaru wouldn't be too upset if he ended up driving a chain through their throats.
Accidentally, of course.
"...A pleasure, I'm sure." He had no doubt he sounded as skeptical as he felt. Turning back to the two he had reasonable confidence in their competency he opened his arms slightly in welcome.
"It may be a bit broken at the moment, but welcome to Kirigakure no Sato of Mizu no Kuni. I assume Orochimaru has already given you orders?"
Guren and Kabuto shared a look before she spoke up. "Our orders are to offer you aid in whatever way we can, Denka-sama." She reached into one of her pouches to retrieve a wrapped bundle. "We are also to ensure this reaches you on behalf of Orochimaru-sama."
"Another gift?" He couldn't help but be amused that she kept sending him things, especially after realizing just how valuable the amulet had been. He had no idea what the purpose of them was but he certainly wasn't about to reject any of them.
Yet, anyway. He was well aware that there could come a time that the gift she offered would be something he just couldn't accept. He tried very hard not to think about what that could possibly be or why on earth she would think it would make a good gift but he knew her well enough not to doubt that she could find something.
He also needed to start referring to her as a he now, according to Koshi. That was going to take some getting used to.
Guren gave a nod as she approached with the bundle outstretched. He took it gently- he had no idea what she might have sent him this time- and tucked it under his arm. He'd open it later either in the command tent or wherever his Wolves found lodging for him for their stay.
He hadn't given it any thought when he marched out here but he was sure it was one of the first concerns any of his children had.
Knowing Anko he was probably going to find himself with a room at a local brothel for as long as he was in Kirigakure. Of course as long as it was cleaned prior to his occupation he really couldn't care less that it was.
"Excellent, I suppose." Kidomaru and the Kon twins seemed flabbergasted by his response to a gift from Orochimaru her- himself. Guren seemed amused while Kabuto watched impassively. Any ally of Orochimaru was bound to be strange but her godson, the Crimson Prince? There was nothing the young man could do that would surprise Kabuto. He had seen way too much shit in his life in the service of Orochimaru already and simply considered him to be capable of anything the traitorous Sannin was.
And sometimes more.
But he wouldn't tell her that.
"Receive gifts from Orochimaru-sama often then?" Asked Guren with a smirk.
Naruto shrugged. "She likes to show her affection. Come, let's get you settled in. I'm still awaiting information I requested from her earlier this morning."
"And you know she'll give it to you?" Guren asked but she really didn't need to. Even the most foolish Oto Shinobi could tell that Orochimaru would go to any lengths for her Crimson Prince though his confidence in that fact was slightly disconcerting when they were to serve under him for an indeterminate amount of time.
He could quite literally get away with anything in Orochimaru's eyes.
Naruto rose a single brow and gave an amused snort. "She'd give me the world, should I ask for it." He continued back into Kirigakure as Guren and Kabuto shared another look.
The scary part was that he was absolutely right.
The terrifying part was that a fanatical Orochimaru had a damn good chance of pulling it off with the proper motivation.
"Say that again," Zabuza frowned. "But slowly."
The messenger gave frantic nods- either exceedingly brave or unbelievably foolish- from within the opening of the Kubikiribōchō that tried very hard to marry its edge to his throat.
"Y-yes, Zabuza-sama!" Kid looked like he was close to pissing himself. Mai seemed less than thrilled but Aō was visibly amused. Well, half amused and half disappointed. They simply didn't make Shinobi like they used to. "More of the Wolves have joined up with Yagura's forces in Kirigakure."
"Yeah, I got that part kid." Kubikiribōchō dug further into the concrete walls with ominous grinding. "I meant the part about living deities descending from the heavens and snakes larger than the goddamn village trying to eat it."
"Oh."
"Yes, 'Oh'." It was hard to tell what was grinding more- the sparking edge of Kubikiribōchō or Zabuza's teeth.
"W-well, they say that there's a snake wrapped around Kirigakure right now. Pure white with a body so thick it almost hides the village completely." The kid shuddered at just the thought. "It doesn't even need to stretch in order to surround it, there's enough of its tail left over that it can probably go halfway around again easily."
That...was probably not good news. At least, Zabuza couldn't see how that would necessarily be bad. Granted he didn't see how it could be a good thing either. It just...was.
Though it was damn strange, that was for sure.
"And the deity?"
Mentioning the snake had been nothing evidently because the kid hadn't even uttered a word before he paled and started shaking lightly. The beads of sweat that began forming as he tried to force his jaw to work were also moderately concerning.
"T-Tsu-Tsuku-"
"Spit it out, boy!"
"Tsukuyomi is currently in Kirigakure!"
Oh.
Well.
Damn.
Zabuza was sure the expression on his face was absolutely ridiculous- even half covered in bandages as it was- but he couldn't bring himself to be concerned with that at the moment. He had bigger fish to shred into shark-chum.
Like the fact that Tsukuyomi was currently in Kirigakure. You know, that bit of news that had just reached him. Even assuming Tsukuyomi wasn't a warrior of any kind and that the Wolves were all only mid B-ranked Shinobi – which Zabuza knew damn well they were not – the fanaticism alone his presence would generate would make them a fearsome force indeed.
Knowing instead that the regular Wolves were at least A-ranked and ANBU trained- from what he could tell anyway- made the situation much worse. He tried to not immediately imagining what forces he may have brought with him. Would they be the best, to serve as his guard or as his inner circle, or would they be mediocre because he was more powerful than any of his forces? Neither option looked good.
And when you mixed his sudden appearance with that of a massive serpent? Now Zabuza saw why that could be a bad thing. Even he wasn't really keen on going against something that fucking large.
It would be like going against a Biju, just without the corrosive Chakra.
Zabuza was many things, but an idiot was not one of them.
Still, he had to make absolutely sure he wasn't just hearing things.
"Tsukuyomi, the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni and the head of the Imperial House of Wolves." He paused to take a deep, calming breath. "The man who took over a country without anyone batting an eye, the Tsukuyomi with an army of fanatical forces who would happily slaughter everyone in the world to please him- you're telling me that Tsukuyomi is currently in Kirigakure?"
"Y-yes."
"Godmotherfuckingdamnit." Haku looked up from her journal to smack him on the arm for his profanity but he paid it no mind. Despite his best efforts she still hit like a girl-
With deadly precision and exceedingly cruel accuracy.
He really had done good by her.
"Beyond word of his accomplishments, do we really have any other information about this "Tsukuyomi'?" Aō tried very hard not to give an undignified snort at the thought that someone would be so pompous as to try stealing the name of a god. "For all we know he could just be a figurehead."
"Hes' dangerous as a figurehead." Zabuza held Aō's gaze as he removed Kubikiribōchō from the wall. "The Wolves are fanatics. I know we've talked about this before. On their own they're competent, reminded of him they're deadly, I can only imagine that in his presence they're damn near a force of nature."
Aō frowned but didn't disagree. They had indeed discussed this before. As time went on the Wolves became slightly more relaxed- normal for soldiers in comfortable positions- and seemed to fight more like your average a-ranked Shinobi.
Whenever word- or worse yet, troops- arrived however they seemed to regain the wild energy of their namesake. They went from skilled mercenaries to ravenous animals and as anyone with experience could tell you it was a lot easier to fend of a predictable human than it was to fend off a rabid beast.
A rabid beast with the intelligence with a human? That was a bad combination.
Aō could only imagine- and not happily- what they might be like if they knew their 'god' was watching them. He shuddered at the thought.
"And if he's not a figurehead?" Zabuza continued. "Imagine the kind of person it would take to lead that pack." The swordsman shook his head. "Either way it's bad news for us, things are going to be a lot harder now."
A feminine scoff followed his words from a Mei that looked less than impressed. "Konoha, the strongest of the five major villages, decided to give us aid. We have some of their best ready to aid us and a new target who's simply walked into the open. We manage to get rid of him and the Wolves will scatter."
"...or go on a frenzied rampage throughout Mizu no Kuni until they're put down." Pointed out Aō. "I doubt that having A-ranked Shinobi lashing out at everything around them will be good for us as we try to stabilize the country."
"And we'd probably have better luck hitting Yagura, really." Zabuza snorted. "Unlike Tsukuyomi, his men don't seem to really care for him. If we're to target anyone for an assassination he's our guy." Zabuza frowned deeply enough that it was visible through his bandages. "Though I'm not sure I like the idea of Yagura falling when Tsukuyomi is already in Kirigakure ready to assume control, that's just asking for trouble."
"Yagura's too skilled, he's a Kage after all." Mei shook her head at the thought that assassins- even Konoha ANBU- could manage to end Yagura's reign of terror. "It would be a waste to send them after him and I'd rather not cause their deaths needlessly. It would be a bad start to our relations with Konoha and we can't afford more enemies at this point."
It was a fair argument against trying to assassinate Yagura but not necessarily a strong one for trying against Tsukuyomi.
"Tsukuyomi is allied with the Fire Daimyo." Aō reminded them. "Which means he's allied with Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni and through them Konohagakure no Sato and Sunagakure no Sato respectively. If we're trying to avoid bad relations he's not really a viable target either."
Letting out one of the foulest curses he knew- and doing his best to ignore the senbon lodged painfully in his spine for the effort- Zabuza was reminded why he hated politics. It was so much easier when you could just kill any problem you encountered without worrying about the consequences. Had worked mildly well for Kisame, from what he heard. Sure, he slaughtered a Daimyo and had a massive bounty on his head because of it but he had also slaughtered all Samurai under the Daimyo's employ which had worked well to deter others from trying to collect it.
For some reason Zabuza didn't think this Daimyo would prove to be quite as easy.
"But we have Konoha's ANBU on our side, it's obvious who Konoha supports."
"Not publicly," Pointed out Aō. "But yes, it would seem Konoha does support us. We can probably assume that the Fire Daimyo supports whatever places him in the greatest position though so we still need to be careful."
"If we don't get rid of Tsukuyomi or the Wolves then we should be fine. We'll give that task to the ANBU."
Zabuza and Aō shared a look. She wasn't wrong. Iroh might try something anyway but if they avoided direct confrontation with the Wolves they could even claim complete ignorance of their presence. It was better than sending their own forces on a possibly suicidal mission, too, the only problem would be how Konoha reacted to it.
"Are you sure that's what you want to do, Mei?" Zabuza frowned. "I wouldn't normally, but a situation like this might call for some caution."
"I agree." Ao nodded. "it would be wise to get some measure of our opponent before making moves."
"We can't give him too much time to become familiar with Kirigakure. The sooner we strike the better chance we have." A sigh escaped Mei's lips as she shook her head. "And if a squad of Konoha ANBU can't take him down what chances do our forces have? I can't spare either of you for an assassination attempt."
"Well, you might be able to spare him..." Aō's face remained perfectly blank when they both turned to him. "...No offense, Zabuza."
"Hm."
"Aō..."
"What? I'm not wrong."
"…..He's not."
He was a master of silent killing and he had been away from the rebellion before. Hell, he had been away from it more than he had been with it at this point. If they had proven themselves capable of operating without anyone it was definitely him.
"...We're not wasting Zabuza on an assassination when we have other options."
"And if they fail?" Asked Aō.
"...Maybe."
Zabuza just gave a shrug. Fair enough.
He had been itching for some action anyway.
Might want to reach out to Kisame before though, just in case. If anyone was qualified to offer advice on slaughtering Daimyo it would be the fish.
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If you would like to see my responses to the feedback I received for the last chapter, Commentaries – Sealkeeper Chapter 97 will be available at Eyazahrid-dot-net later today.
Until I next have your attention,
–Eyazahrid