Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 105-A "Week"
A week.
It had been a week.
Naruto continued to stare out the window as the thought ran through his head. He knew that using Karura's- any Biju's for that mater- was dangerous but he hadn't realized it would cause so much damage. Then again, who said it had anything to do with physical injuries? As far as he could tell his body was fine- aside from the overwhelming weariness that permeated it- which meant it could have been completely unrelated.
He'd knocked himself out by dispelling his Kage-Bunshin before and those had never been active for longer than a day, so the likelihood that the one he had active for well over a week had contributed to his current state was certainly plausible.
Between both of them, well, he was probably fortunate to be conscious at all.
His musings were interrupted as Tsunami returned bearing water and food as promised but bringing with her Yakushi-sensei. Setting the plate down on the endtable to his left she brought the water to his lips and allowed him to quench a thirst eh hadn't even realized was so bad until he had managed to completely drain the cup without noticing.
"Here," She placed the plate of food on his lap, a bowl of soup and a piece of warm bread. "I'm sure your hungry after so long. Eat up and I'll be back with more water."
Despite not feeling hungry he took a spoonfull of the soup to his lips and was rewarded with a smile from the woman. She turned to leave and by the time she had stepped out of the room a suddenly ravenous Naruto had managed to devour the entire bowl and most of the bread, a single mouthful still being chewed as Yakushi-sensei approached the bed with an amused smirk.
"Hungry then? I would expect so." Without so much as a by your leave his glowing green hands began trailing over Naruto's head and torso. "You made quite a few people very worried when you didn't wake up after the first day. Anko-san seemed very close to taking out her frustrations on me when I couldn't tell her why you wouldn't wake."
The last of the bread was swallowed and Naruto resumed leaning against the pillows. "That sounds like her, I'm actually surprised I didn't wake up with her in my bed."
"You would have," Kabuto pushed his glasses back into their proper spot. "But Tsunami wouldn't have it. Now that you're awake I'm sure you'll have company under the sheets soon enough."
"It won't be for long, we need to be getting back to Konoha soon."
"Quite." Kabuto did his best to hide his bitterness at the fact that the Wolves would be returning to Konoha while he had to stay here in Nami no Kuni. "I don't see any reason you won't be able to resume your journey soon, Denka-sama, but I would advise a few days of rest."
Naruto rose a brow at the medic. "Why? Was something wrong?" Kabuto shook his head.
"No, not at all. It would be wise, however, to give it a few days to see if anything does become apparent now that you're awake."
It made sense to Naruto, though he wasn't fond of it.
"I'll take your expertise into consideration, Sensei. I will most certainly not be traveling tonight."
It was probably the best Kabuto was going to get so he accepted it with a bobbing nod of his head he usually employed when Orochimaru was using him as an audience to bounce ideas off of but wasn't going to take his suggestions into consideration. Those instances had decreased a great deal since Naruto had come into the picture but that may have simply been because he didn't see the snake sage as often anymore.
"That's probably for the best. As far as I can tell there's nothing immediately wrong though you do seem weary despite your rather long nap. I'll leave you to your rest but please send for me if anything comes up."
"Certainly."
Kabuto spun on his heal and made his way to the door, stepping to the side just in time to avoid Tsunami's return with a pitcher of water and another bowl of soup.
"Ah! I knew you'd be hungry." She smiled. "Here, I've brought you some more." The bowl on his lap was quickly replaced by a new one that only lasted moments longer than the last. She finished pouring him another glass of water with a giggle, removing the second bowl from his lap and setting it on the bedside table. Handing him the glass it was drained as quickly as the first, as was the one after that. On his fourth refill he slowed down, drinking half and then reducing his pace to mere sips.
"Thank you Tsunami, I didn't realize just how much I needed that."
"You're very welcome, Tsukuyomi-sama. With your people taking care of Nami it's only right that I get a chance to return the favor." She gave him another warm smile. "Now, was there anything else I could do to make you more comfortable?"
Nothing came to mind and he shook his head. "No, I think I'm fine for now." He reached for the covers, pulling them off his legs to better enjoy the cool sea breeze coming in the window only to pause at the sight. Blanket still in hand- and maintaining his modesty- he turned to Tsunami.
"Why am I naked?"
"Well," Her cheeks pinked slightly. "We were examining you for injuries and Anko-sama mentioned you normally slept in the nude anyway so we didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."
Yeah, that sounded like Anko alright.
"Do- ah, do you not normally sleep in the buff?"
"No, I usually have a pair of pants." His attention flickered back to his lower body for a second before returning to Tsunami. "Now that I'm awake, I don't suppose I still require a catheter, do I?"
Realization crossed her face, the slight pink becoming a full red. "Ah, no, Yakushi-sensei said it could be removed as soon as you woke up. I suppose he forgot." She looked back to the doorway where there was a distinct lack of medic. "I, uh, I could fetch him if you like...?" She offered. "Otherwise, uh, I could remove it for you." Her face had become a very bright red. Taking care of someone who had remained completely unconscious was much different from doing the same on someone very much awake. "Whatever you're more comfortable with, of course."
"If you can do it that's fine, it really doesn't matter to me." He paused, noting the color of her face. "Unless you'd be more comfortable fetching Yakushi-sensei to do it?"
"No, no. It's- it's fine."
"You sure?"
"A-absolutely, Tsukuyomi-sama."
Giving a small shrug he dropped the blanket to the side of his legs leaving him completely exposed.
Tsunami gently reached down, doing her best not to look him in the eyes, and removed it. He tired very hard to ignore her quiet comment of "Nearly as large as Kakashi-kun". He'd ask the old dog about that later.
"Thank you, Tsunami."
"Of course Tsukuyomi-sama, it was no trouble at all." He did not miss the way her gaze refused to meet his own but kept shooting towards his exposed crotch. Reaching for the blankets he pulled it over just enough to block his waist from sight and her shoulders sagged slightly in disappointment.
He was definitely going to have some questions for Kakashi later.
"Is there, uh, anything else I could do for you, Tsukuyomi-sama?"
"No, I think that's enough. Thank you."
"Are- are you sure?" Her gaze drifted back to the blankets and he suddenly had the image of a very demure- but no less needy- Anko.
"I'm sure." He assured her. "Was there something you needed?"
Her gaze remained locked on his waist and he gave a sigh.
"I'm going to sleep." He told her plainly. "You may join me in bed but keep it to touching."
The last time he had seen clothes fly off so quickly had been with Tayuya right before his clone dispelled.
He had to wonder how he kept finding himself in situations like this. As Tsunami's warm body settled against his right side, her hands trailing down his abdomen, he added to that thought;
He wondered how he kept finding himself in situations like this so he could make sure it kept happening.
Maybe he shouldn't have that talk with Kakashi, there could raise questions that were better left unanswered.
Naruto didn't even mind when she failed to keep it to touching.
"Can we see him? Can we see him?" Anko was practically vibrating in excitement, eager to see her Naruto-sama.
"Calm down," Kabuto pushed his glasses back into place. "I'll check. He woke up last night long enough to get some food but he may not be up to receiving guests yet."
Reaching the door to Tsukuyomi's room Kabuto cracked open the door to peer inside. The light of the morning spilled through the open window, illuminating the two figures laying in the bed. Kabuto didn't know why he would be surprised.
Closing the door again with a click he turned to Anko, face blank. "It appears he was indeed up to receiving guests, but he's currently seeing to one."
"What? Who got to see Naruto-kun before me?"
"You know Tsunami's been seeing to his needs." Kabuto began walking away, far for it to fall to him to wake up Tsukuyomi when he had that sort of company. It only took Anko a second to realize what he meant.
"What?! You mean-" Anko glared at the door as if increasing the intensity of her gaze might somehow grant her the ability to see through it. "That bitch! I knew he'd be horny when he woke up, no wonder she kicked the rest of us out!"
"She kicked you out so that he could rest." Kabuto didn't even bother turning back to look at her, never pausing in his stride. "And so that you wouldn't try anything when he was still sleeping. She was there when he woke up, you weren't. Tough."
She was about to respond when an idea popped into her head. Slowly turning to the door a mischievous sparkle entered her eyes. He had already woken up, hadn't he? And it was obvious he was in good enough condition for some fun. In that case, don't mind if she did...
She hadn't even managed a step before Kabuto's voice rang out again.
"There's not enough room in that bed for the three of you, even if you were just sleeping. Don't even try it."
"I could always kick her out of the bed." Anko grumbled.
"And you want to be the one explaining to Tsukuyomi-sama that you were obviously the better choice for sleeping companions and that you took the liberty of kicking out the woman he chose to share his bed with?"
"...No..."
"I'd think not. You can invite him to your room later," She perked up immediately. "But only after I've cleared him to leave his room. If you pester me about checking up on him I'll keep him bedridden without visitors out of spite."
"...You're evil."
This time he did pause, looking at her over his shoulder. "You may have been his apprentice for a time, but I'm Orochimaru's right hand. It's part of the job." His piece spoken he continued down the hall towards the stairs, intent on returning to his chambers until Tsukuyomi-sama actually required him. Or, at least, was in a state suitable for Kabuto to do his work.
Of course, Anko couldn't let him get the last word in.
"...Bastard."
For the sake of avoiding further conversation Kabuto ignored it.
The last thing he needed to do was react- that would only encourage her.
As he descended the stairs Anko gave a disappointed pout and, with one last longing look towards Naruto's door, retreated back to her own room.
She wanted her Naruto-time, damnit.
She had even gone through the trouble of having a pair of Wolves move the Mizukage's desk all the way back to Nami no Kuni. What was the point of having it if she wasn't going to get the chance to use it?
"Thank you." A thoroughly embarrassed Tsunami simply gave him a soft nod as she finished buttoning up his shirt, unable to meet his eyes. Perhaps it had simply been to long, but it hadn't been a problem before. She blamed Kakashi, if he hadn't visited Nami no Kuni right before the Wolves took over this fire would have remained smoldered embers and she could have easily continued on like that forever.
Well, not forever, but she might have been able to take the edge off herself. Thanks to that bastard it wasn't enough anymore and it was only her luck that her- very naked- young charge already possessed an almost uncannily similar physique.
It was almost as if the two were related, but following those thoughts only made her feel even more dirty. Which, of course, made the young Daimyo before her increasingly tempting and she very nearly came to asking him if he'd like to go again this morning.
Fortunately she had managed to resist.
So far, at least.
She thought helping him dress might remove some of the temptation only to realize her mistake as she came to understood just how intimate it could be. Then again, maybe that was just because of what she had done with him the night before- she hadn't had problems anything like this while he was asleep.
With skilled- though admittedly out of practice- hands she quickly finished up his tie and stood up. The difference in height was much more evident when he wasn't laying in a bed and only aided in her embarrassment. For gods' sake's, he was only a few years older than her son.
At least he came up to her breasts, any shorter and she didn't think she'd be able to be in the same room with him ever again. It was already proving difficult enough.
Fully dressed he took a moment to roll up his sleeves before giving her a small smile. "Thank you, Tsunami."
"It-it was no t-trouble, Tsukuyomi-sama. I'm happy to help."
"And I appreciate it." Rolling his neck in a series of pops and cracks he made his way to the door. "Is there an office I can utilize?"
"At the end of the hall, Tsukuyomi-sama. They were preparing your rooms but weren't finished when you arrived."
He paused at the doorway. "How unfinished are they?"
"They were, ah, arguing about decorations. The rooms are completely usable."
He gave a small snort of amusement. That was just like them, wasn't it? At least they hadn't taken to knocking walls down. That he knew of, anyway.
"Of course they were." Shaking his head he continued out of the room and Tsunami trailed slowly behind him. As he reached the double doors at the end of the hall he placed one hand on the handle and turned to her over his shoulder. "Fetch them all please, I'll need to figure out what I've missed and we'll need to figure out how we'll be proceeding."
"All, Tsukuyomi-sama?"
"Anko, Yakushi-sensei, Hana, Sai, Mikoto, Guren, the Oto Shinobi, Kakashi, Katsuri if she's available; those who were either in Mizu no Kuni with me or are high-ranking enough to have a say in my house's future."
"Of course, and the rest of the Wolves?"
"Let them rest, they did well."
"I'll get to it at once, shall I have a breakfast sent up to you?" Talking business was much easier than, well, anything of a more intimate or personal nature. She probably shouldn't have crossed that line with what was essentially her employer.
"That would be lovely, thank you." Naruto opened the room and paused, blinking in surprise at the sight that greeted him.
Why did his office have two desks?
The door only opened once as he lounged in his chair, deep in thought. Briefly he wondered if they had all gathered before his office and waited for everyone to arrive before entering but he was quickly distracted by an eager Anko rushing into the room, jumping onto his desk, sliding across, and landing in his lap to pepper his face with kisses.
He wasn't sure what was more impressive, that move or the fact that she had been restrained from bursting into his office if she was this excited to see him. Probably the later, honestly.
"It's good to see you too, Anko." He cupped her chin with one hand to stop her before placing a quick kiss on her lips. "But now is not the time."
She pouted- rather temptingly, too- but complied, swinging one leg over him to go from straddling to simply sitting in his lap.
"Anko..."
"Aw, but I haven't had any Naruto-time forever. Please?"
"I'll give you attention after we've finished here."
Her eyes sparkled in hopeful anticipation and a mischievousness that many were wise to be scared of. "Really? You promise?"
"I promise, Anko." His left arm wrapped around her waist and fingers traveled lower to make themselves known with the lightest of touches. "I'll play with you when I'm done."
She gave him a wicked grin and captured his lips, plundering his mouth with her tongue for a few seconds before pulling away with a dangerous hunger in her eyes. "I'll hold you to that, Naruto-kun." Slipping off his lap she instead took a seat on the corner of his desk and crossed her legs. Had she been in her old outfit she'd be offering quite the peek up her skirt but her tight black pants didn't offer the same opportunity.
They certainly fit her well, though, and they didn't leave anything to the imagination.
Not that he needed to imagine anything, he could remember exactly what she looked like without them clearly enough.
While Anko had been distracting him the others had made their own way into his office and stood attentively before his desk. Their demeanor was completely professional but it was impossible to mistake the relief in most of their eyes.
Mikoto, for example, looked like she was just barely stopping herself from following in Anko's footsteps and sliding across his desk to embrace him despite only showing a single eye through her mask. Because of this, he started greeting them all with her.
"Mikoto, Sai, Guren, Yakushi-sensei, Katsuri," His gaze flickered over to the woman on his desk. "Anko, thank you all for coming. It would seem we have quite a bit to discuss but before we begin where's Kakashi?"
"As we weren't sure how long you would be...occupied...we sent him back to Konoha to lessen any impact of his absence." Sai answered. That was a...nice...way of referring to his unconscious state, he supposed, but the news that Kakashi had already returned was going to defeat some of his plans.
"Konoha? Damn." He massaged the bridge of his nose for a few seconds before directing his attention to Nami's commander. "I suppose he left days ago, did he?" He didn't wait for an answer. "That means he likely already back in Konoha."
Sai shared a quick look with Hana and then Katsuri. "My apologies, Naruto-sama, did we make a mistake?"
"No, no, you're fine." Naruto waved away the very notion that they may have failed him in some way. "You made a call based on what you knew and what you had available, I'll simply have to come up with a new reason for my absence and hope that no one questions Kakashi's unauthorized leave."
A training mission would have been perfect but that wouldn't be an option now- unless Kakashi said he had lost Naruto during it, which was unlikely – but at least Naruto had the benefit of his Kage-Bunshin being present up until about a week ago . He'd need to get back soon- or at least send a Kage-Bunshin back- so that people didn't start questioning it too much. Saying he was sick or something should work, but it also depended on what Kakashi or those in Konoha- such as Mai and Danzo- had told anyone looking for him.
Based on his clone's memories that group would include his teammates alone, which should further simplify matters. It was a good thing in this case that his social circles were pitifully small outside this motley family he'd created.
"I've called you here primarily to discuss the future of the House of Wolves, but before we can focus on that I find myself needing to know exactly what happened after I killed Yagura." After he had sealed the Sanbi within himself, really. He hadn't seen to that at all since he had awoken which was probably a mistake. In fact, he hadn't checked on any of them.
'Karura, love, please check in on the Sanbi for me. I'll be in later to meet them.'
"Ooooh, that's the first time you've called me that, beloved, I like it. I'll check on her for you but I expect you to finish what we started after you've visited her."
Well, that answered the question of gender, at least. Were all the Biju female or was it just his odd luck? He'd worry about it later.
It did seem, however, that he owed a backlog of attention to some of the women in his life. He wasn't completely sure how that worked but he didn't exactly mind either. Not yet, anyway. He'd probably regret thinking that after he had taken care of them all.
Thinking of women whom he owed attention, he'd need to see Tayuya when he got back. He mentally winced- and nearly did the same in the real world- when he realized how long ago it had now been since the dispelling of his Kage Bunshin had left the young woman high and dry. He was going to be in for a hell of a week when he got back, that was for sure.
Maybe he should send that Kage-Bunshin now so that it could get to work. Testingly he reached for his Chakra, dragging it up and trying to mold it. With a wince that very much was physical he released it. His entire Chakra System was still rather raw from the corrosive Chakra that had surged through it recently and while he probably could muster up enough for a Kage-Bunshin it certainly wasn't an attractive prospect. Luckily he shouldn't be needing anything more than his chains for the time being and he was much more capable with them than the S-Ranked Kinjutsu he had been gifted.
Besides, he had a feeling Tayuya liked it a bit rough. The chances of her being a biter- and not a gentle one, either- were too high to rely on a Kage-Bunshin. He'd have to remember to stock up on bandages before she got her hands on him.
'It would be my pleasure, love. Did you want to resume on the throne or in my personal chambers?'
"You have chambers in here?" She hadn't seen anything like that as long as she'd been living here.
'Of course I do. I may have created it for you but it's still my palace.'
"Does it have a dungeon too?" There was an excitement to that question that told him exactly where her mind was going and he really wasn't surprised. Karura had been, after all, the model prisoner in her time with him and she was always eager to please her jailer. That particular personality trait should have been much more obvious to him.
'It can, love. It can.'
He didn't need to be within the seal to see the expression on her face and its affects on him were only slightly lessened by his absence.
'The dungeons it is, then.'
"Please hurry, beloved." The need in her voice was unmistakable and beyond alluring. Gods above, he needed to make sure he was never gone for a week again. There were too many women in his life to be able to make it up to them regularly.
He glanced over to Anko who had begun squirming impatiently on his desk. 'I'll do my best, Love. Be patient for me.'
"Beloved," She practically purred. "You know I would be anything for you, you need only ask."
He felt her slip away further into the seal and allowed the connection to fade. It would seem she was eager to check on her sister, probably in the hopes that it would make him arrive faster.
Now, where was he?
Ah, yes, in the middle of a meeting. It was fortunate that conversations with Karura were as fast as thinking.
"Anko, Guren, Kabuto-sensei, Katsuri, Mikoto, which of you would like to fill me in?"
"I will, Tsukuyomi-sama." Answered Katsuri. "During the battle I sent a group of our forces to begin ransacking and sabotaging the village of Kirigakure. Due to the Mizukage's distraction that included the Mizukage tower and most of the government buildings.
"What locals remained didn't pose much trouble but we did gather specific individuals who we thought you might want back here in Nami."
"Such as?"
"Ah..." Her cheeks brightened slightly. "All the girls from the brothel we were staying in."
Of course they did. He glanced over to Anko who gave him a nervous grin as she began scratching the back of her head. And that narrowed down the origin of that particular idea.
"...Very well, and after that?"
"When we had taken all we could I ordered the explosives to be detonated and for the Wolves to pull out. Kakashi, Anko, Mikoto, and Guren were sent to ensure you were able to either disengage from your current opponent or provide you time to finish. Anko and Mikoto caught up to the caravan we had commandeered with you in their arms. Kakashi was not far behind and Guren..." Katsuri looked towards the woman in question, prompting her to fill in that particular detail.
"...I was raiding the hospital." She did her best to avoid meeting his eyes.
"We had already looted all the supplies we could from the hospital, would you like to tell Naruto-sama what you went back for?"
"...Orochimaru wanted whatever genetic samples we could acquire and any medical records we could get our hands on..."
That sounded pretty standard and she was one of Orochimaru's Kunoichi.
"And...?" Katsuri was obviously not going to settle for just that and Naruto had to wonder what else Guren had gone for that Katsuri was so insistent she admit to. He didn't need to wonder for long.
"...And some nurse uniforms."
Naruto gave a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. They had mentioned the hospital, hadn't they? He should have expected that.
"Dare I ask why, Guren?" Katsuri smirked slightly as Naruto addressed Orochimaru's top Kunoichi but Naruto was quick to put an end to that. "And what about this is so important that it needed to be brought to my attention, Katsuri?"
"Uh..ah...because she didn't come to your aid, Naruto-sama." The rather large blush growing on her face detracted from the sincerity of her words.
"It's because I wouldn't share them," Guren answered. "They're my loot, I don't have to divvy them up if I don't want to."
"What are you going to do with over a dozen uniforms? Some of us have good use for them."
"What, role-play with Tsukuyomi-sama?"
Katsuri's face became a very bright red. "...Yes."
Guren blinked in surprise, having known but not having expected the woman to admit it- especially not in front of Tsukuyomi himself.
Outwardly Naruto only released a slightly tired sigh and shook his head at the two of them. He was amused, of course, and perhaps just a bit disappointed in the way they were acting, but he was finding it harder and harder to be surprised by the antics of his Wolves.
"...Okay, if you're willing to admit that while standing in his office I'll give you one of them, just don't let Orochimaru-sama know I encouraged anything between the two of you."
"...Thanks."
"Would anyone else like to finish filling me in?" Naruto asked. "There are still matters that need to be discussed today."
"Anko and I saw you falling from the Mizukage tower and caught you." Mikoto jumped right in. "As Katsuri mentioned Kakashi was watching our back as we brought you to the caravan. We headed north west to a small fishing village and hired out their boats with the promise of as many supplies as they could fit in their boats when they got here. Apparently it was sufficient payment as every boat they had was provided for our use.
"We let Sai take over after that, as your highest ranking subordinate, and he saw them paid and directed us here for you to recover. Kakashi was sent back, as you know, and we've been awaiting your awakening ever since."
"I see, thank you. Anything else?"
"No that's all I...well..." She paused and suddenly looked slightly sheepish. Or as sheepish as one could look with all but an eye covered. "I may have brought someone along with me, Naruto-kun. I hope that 's okay."
His first instinct was just to waive it off as fine and continue on but as he was raising his hand to do just that he paused, a sudden concern growing in him. He knew the antics of his Wolves and while Mikoto hadn't shown anything to that degree she was part of the strange family he had built. His family, he had come to realize, had a tendency to do some rather odd things.
"...Who...exactly...was it you brought with you, Mikoto?"
She was silent for a moment- a bad sign in general but one that supported his suspicion- and turned her head down and away from him slightly. "Ah...Hoshigaki Kisame, Naruto-kun."
Hoshigaki...Kisame...
He was fairly certain he had been fighting him, how the hell had Mikoto ended up dragging him with her?
"...Hoshigaki Kisame..."
"...Ah...yes...?"
"The S-ranked Rogue Shinobi from Kirigakure famous as a Daimyo-Slayer, that Hoshigaki Kisame?"
"...Yes?"
"And he is, at this moment, somewhere in my country?"
"...He's downstairs..."
With yet another sigh he sent her a pleading look. "Please tell me he's at least supervised?"
"...Tsunami's here still."
Naruto massaged his forehead, fighting off a growing headache. "We'll talk about why you brought him and what we're going to do with him later, please keep him out of trouble."
"Of course, Naruto-kun." She spun on her heel and left the room to make sure Kisame didn't get up to anything. He wasn't exactly the most calm person and his love for destruction was well known. The last thing Naruto wanted was for a bored Kisame to tear through the city of Wave and the last thing Mikoto wanted was to be responsible for it.
As soon as the door clicked shut Naruto turned his attention to the patiently waiting Sai and Hana. "I suppose this is as good a time as any to ask about what's been going on in Nami while I've been away, who would like to start?"
"I'll go, Tsukuyomi-sama." Volunteered Hana. "Everything on my end has been pretty normal. The city is growing fast but requires little attention from us. The presence of your Wolves has served as a major deterrent for most troublemakers and those who were here during Gato's reign have made newcomers aware that they won't accept anyone trying to disrupt the peace they've been given.
"Gato's mansion has been redone and sits empty in case the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni ever visits, the Oto Shinobi have finished their outpost and begun training some of the civilians, and we've built a mansion for you." She gestured to the room around them. "You probably haven't had much of a chance to see it but the structure itself is complete. We're still working on getting it prettied up for you and weren't expecting your arrival so soon."
"Very good, thank you. Have there been any issues?"
"Nothing of any importance, just a few drunken scuffles and disagreements between shopkeepers."
"Good, good. And they're still receiving you well then?"
"I'd say," Sai cut in. "They threw her a parade two weeks ago."
"Oh?" Naruto rose a brow at the Inuzuka heiress whose cheeks reddened noticeably.
"They did, it was very sweet."
"Then I'm glad to know I chose the right woman for the job, keep up the good work Hana. If you need anything let Sai or myself know."
"Of course, Tsukuyomi-sama. I'll have the more detailed reports sent to you later for you to review at your leisure." She paused, slightly nervous to ask but knowing there was still work to be done. "If- if that was all, Tsukuyomi-sama? I was in a meeting with some of the city planners to determine how new roads would be built to keep up with city growth."
"Certainly, certainly." He shooed her off. "Don't let me keep you from providing for your people."
For a moment she debated refuting his implication that they were in anyway hers but thought better of it. They were her responsibility and she definitely did her best to care for them. Even so, they were his people in his country but she supposed if they were throwing parades for her and only ever heard the Wolves speaking of their lord she wasn't going to have much luck convincing him that they were his subjects even if it was the truth.
She would just have to find some way to make the people of Nami recognize who their Daimyo really was and realize how much he did for them even if he was rarely here.
Hell, that should have been obvious enough when the builders hired to build the mansion thought she was building it for herself. Why would she have a mansion before their own Daimyo?
Maybe a statue or something. No, that would probably just confuse them. A holiday, maybe? Or She could name some public service building after him? Those didn't sound too good either. She'd jot down some ideas after her meeting and run them by Sai later, maybe he'd have better insight.
"Thank you, Tsukuyomi-sama." She gave a shallow bow and turned on her heel to leave the room, deep in thought.
"Guren, I expect Orochimaru is probably eager for a report from you. Do you have anything to add before I allow you to return to her?"
"No, Denka-sama."
"Then you're free to go, please send Orochimaru my regards."
"By your command." She gave a deep bow and backed out of the room, pausing at the doorway only long enough to give Katsuri a nod.
Kabuto looked at the rest of the people in the room and adjusted his glasses. "I'd assume I'm to go next, Denka-sama?" He asked. "It seems as though we not privy to the matters of the Wolves are being removed from you office."
Naruto stared at him for a moment, purple eyes piercing his soul. "...Very astute, Yakushi-sensei. Proceed."
"From examinations conducted while you were...unavailable...I've detected nothing particularly concerning. The...Biju Chakra..." And he wasn't even going to ask about that when he knew very well the last traces of the Kyuubi's Chakra had left his system years ago. "Put a lot of strain on your Chakra System but nothing permanently damaging, or, nothing that would further damage it, at least."
Kabuto frowned at him. "You haven't noticed any new issues with your ability to mold Chakra or your capacity, have you?"
"There's currently a great deal of pain if I attempt to mold it but I assume that's just from the amount of Biju Chakra I forced through my coils recently."
"Quite, I'd expect it to clear up in a week or so which, quite frankly, is absurd."
Naruto rose a brow, prompting him to continue.
"While not permanently damaged by what you did there is irrefutable evidence of the damage it did manage to do to you, damage that well exceeds what I witnessed during my examinations. It's almost as if the damage done to you was somehow healed and while that is indeed possible for a lot of damage caused to the human body by Biju Chakra to be reversed through Iryo-jutsu- though it isn't easy by any means- damage to one's Chakra System can not be undone by any technique I'm aware of..." Glasses were pushed back up his nose. "I don't suppose you might know how your coils have so miraculously retained the same level of functionality as when I last examined them despite your significant usage of Biju Chakra, would you Denka-sama?"
Naruto was silent for a few long moments, simply staring at Kabuto, before he decided to answer.
"...I have ties to beings far beyond capabilities you may be familiar with, Yakushi-sensei. I'm aware of the particular individual to undo the most recent damage but will not be sharing their identity with you."
Kabuto looked only slightly irritated by the answer but offered a respectful inclination of his head anyway. "Of course, Denka-sama, I did not mean to pry into your affairs. If I may, I'd like to do another examination before I take my leave."
Naruto thought about it for a second before waving his hand dismissively. "I'll call for you after I've finished and you can examine me then, things have been without my attention for too long as it is."
Kabuto definitely wasn't pleased about that. Not because he was being dismissed or because he particularly cared about the young Daimyo's health, but because Orochimaru did. He would have a lot of explaining- and probably both begging and running- to do if she discovered he hadn't ensured her prince's health and something happened during this meeting.
On the other hand, she also wouldn't want him disobeying him. Either way it was a loose-loose situation for him, kind of like trying to determine what pronouns to use for Orochimaru. To be perfectly honest, he had sort of become used to thinking of the Sannin as female. He wasn't sure why but it just seemed far more fitting. Thinking of him as, well, him again was more strange than adjusting to the first change.
Well, not first change, Orochimaru had changed bodies plenty of times before and never really cared for the gender of them but back then they had always made them look like his original body. Orochimaru openly using a body of a different gender had been weird but not as weird as getting used to him being back to being a male.
It really did seem far more complicated than duly appropriate for the situation but one really didn't want to somehow piss of Orochimaru of the Sannin and no one particularly wanted to bring the question up to them.
Then again, Kabuto had known her for quite a long time now and had a pretty good idea as to what her answer would be; Orochimaru was whatever Tsukuyomi wanted them to be.
Knowing that, he could say with reasonable certainty that Orochimaru was female, despite the fact that she was physically a male. Which he supposed was good, it made it- slightly- easier for him knowing what to think of Orochimaru of.
He still wouldn't be calling her "Mistress", though.
Not when he usually spent as much time in her dungeons as he did.
But that was all pretty irrelevant at the moment, wasn't it? Yes, the real dilemma was figuring out if he obeyed Tsukuyomi and risked having Orochimaru angry at him or if he disobeyed Tsukuyomi and had Orochimaru angry at him.
Put that way he supposed he had better chances obeying and that also kept him from pissing off all the people around Tsukuyomi, which he'd also like to avoid.
In the end it was a pretty obvious choice to make.
"If that is your command, Denka-sama, I will, of course, obey." He gave a deep bow at the waist and backed out of the office, careful not to turn his back towards the young Daimyo. It was generally considered outdated- except within the Hyūga clan of Konohagakure, the old one at least – but Orochimaru had made it clear enough that she wanted to treat Tsukuyomi as traditionally as possible.
Apparently he would appreciate it but as long as he didn't get offended Kabuto didn't much care if he liked it. Orochimaru had ordered it and he wasn't stupid. It was simple enough to understand.
He didn't stop bowing until after the door had clicked shut and he was again in the safety of the hallway.
Well, as safe as it could be when Hoshigaki Kisame was apparently running around in the same building.
Hopefully he would be able to make it back to his chambers unaccosted because he really just felt like having a nap until he was summoned to check on Tsukuyomi. Having to deal with the House of Wolves always left him exhausted.
105-B "Realty"
With the others gone only those of the House of Wolves remained and Naruto stood from his chair to lean over his desk. He took a moment to meet everyone's eyes before he spoke.
"The House of Wolves, as you all know, has been rather busy as of late. Unfortunately the work we've done has provided less than desirable results overall." He allowed a long, deep sigh to escape from his lips. "Mizu no Kuni was an absolute disaster, it's undeniable. We managed to take quite a bit from Kirigakure before reducing it to ashes but our gains don't even come close to meeting what we lost in our campaign."
"My deepest apologies, Tsukuyomi-sama, I should have-" Sai stopped mid-sentence as Naruto held up a hand.
"The blame for Mizu no Kuni rests upon me and me alone, Commander Sai. Don't for as second think otherwise." The hand dropped to the desk. "You did the best you could with what I provided you, no one can deny that. Had my mistakes not set Konoha against us you very well could have placed the House of Wolves in an extremely advantageous position."
And if Naruto could do it over he would definitely support the rebels, if only for the opportunity to spite Yagura. Besides, he was already known for overthrowing the ruler of a country and taking over, no one would have been surprised if he helped someone else do the same.
Sai looked like he very much wanted to object but he held his tongue. He'd just have his sister convince their lord otherwise, she had much better luck persuading him. He couldn't imagine why that might be.
He didn't particularly want to, either.
"The results of our efforts in Mizu no Kuni have left us in a precarious position." Naruto continued. "We've lost our potential ally in Kirigakure, Konoha has shown themselves to be actively against us, the Fire Daimyo may be displeased with the fact that we burned Kirigakure to the ground- or at least use it to try to impose some sort of punishment or arrange better agreements between our countries even if he's pleased by one less competitor for the moment- and our resources have been rather taxed.
"The biggest issue here is Konoha itself, considering our presence within her walls. As much as I love her we cannot ignore the possibility that we may have to withdraw from her completely. As it stands falling back from Konoha would result in the entirety of the Wolves being here in Nami. Not only would that place a burden on the country but it would also reduce the growth of our great city." He met their eyes again, pleased to note that they all seemed to know exactly where he was going with this. "As we no longer have an opportunity to spread to Mizu no Kuni we need to discuss our options for further growth of the Wolves."
The three were silent for a minute or so, exchanging looks, before Sai took the initiative to clarify.
"So, if I'm understanding this correctly, you want our opinions on what country you should take over. Is that correct, Tsukuyomi-sama?"
"Taking over the country is inconsequential, I'm asking your opinions on where the House of Wolves should reside. We can always assume control over it at a later date."
Sai and Katsuri shared a look while Anko gave a wide grin at the thought of helping her Naruto-kun take over a country. She did love a good bit of chaos, especially when it involved bloodshed.
"Did you perhaps have a few countries in mind already, Tsukuyomi-sama?" Asked Katsuri. "Or were you looking for any options?"
"I do indeed have some in mind but I'd prefer to know what each of you think." He glanced towards the woman sitting on his desk. "That includes you too, Anko. I'm entrusting the three of you to spot opportunities I may have missed."
Anko's grin slipped away, a seriousness overcoming her demeanor. She knew when to stop playing around and if Naruto was trusting her to catch his mistakes she wouldn't fail him.
"Do we have a map?" She asked, hopping down from his desk.
"Second drawer on the right." Sai answered without missing a beat.
"On the desk, right?"
"Yes."
Anko gave a sheepish smile and moved towards the second desk shoved up against the wall. "I switched his desk." She explained. "I thought it might be more fun to have the Mizukage's desk in here instead."
Naruto knew why that would be almost instantly. That was his Anko alright, always making preparations to spice up their fun. He had to wonder what her obsession of having sex on Kage's desks came from, though, because there had to be a story there.
Or it was just Anko being Anko, she rarely needed a reason to do any of the things she did.
She removed the map from the specified drawer and practically skipped back to the desk. Just because she was taking things seriously didn't mean she necessarily had to act completely seriously. Remaining focused while pretending otherwise was nothing to her, she had been doing it for her entire career in K.I.T. Well, most of it, anyway. She still liked to cut loose from time to time but she blamed that on a high-stress job.
Most Shinobi did, it was too convenient an excuse not to utilize.
Spreading it over the desk the three proceeded to study it, weighing what they were seeing against what they knew of each country and the needs of the House of Wolves. Silence fell over the room, somehow both serene and tense. The weight of the Wolves' future rested on their decisions now but there was no time limit, no risks to their thoughts. For all the world around them was concerned they were simply four individuals standing around a table.
"Cha no Kuni." Sai broke the silence. "It's not too far from Nami, only shares a small border with Hi no Kuni, and has easy access to the Hanguri Gulf, Nanmen Ocean, and Kanashii Ocean. It's also significantly larger than Nami and currently possesses no Hidden Village."
"Unless it's hidden." Anko added helpfully.
"...That we know of, then." Sai didn't normally work with Anko but even he was familiar enough with her antics to be unfazed.
"That border with Hi no Kuni could be a problem, though." Pointed out Katsuri. "It is quite a bit south of Konohagakure itself but that won't help much if they're already making moves against us. They'll be able to move freely within Hi no Kuni without issue and that's without taking into consideration Hi no Kuni's response to our actions in Mizu no Kuni."
"Perhaps, but they are the most economically powerful country. Having a border with them would promote trade opportunities and Cha no Kuni possesses quite a lot of coast. If we play our cards right we could create a second Nami no Kuni and take advantage of Hi no Kuni's economic strength."
"Cha no Kuni is only between Hi no Kuni and some of the island nations, most of which are self sufficient. We might be able to draw the trade from between Kaze no Kuni and Hi no Kuni as an alternative to transporting good through Kawa no Kuni but it would cost us more than it would benefit. We already have Nami no Kuni drawing a lot of the trade between Hi no Kuni, Kaminari no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni- what's left of it anyway-, and the eastern half of the world. There's no point in trying to create competition with ourselves at the risk of making ourselves an easy target."
"...A fair point," Sai admitted with a nod. "We could still set up a base at the southern edge, though. Near the capital. But what did you have in mind?"
"Mitsu no Kuni." She answered. "It's far from Hi no Kuni but has relatively easy access back to Nami no Kuni through the Kaizoku Sea. Mizu no Kuni sits between them but they've been pretty heavily crippled for the time being. There aren't many hidden villages in the area, either, which means it should have plenty of demand or, at the very least, should be easy to expand our influence should we need to."
"There's not a strong economy in those areas," Sai noted. "But with Nami almost a straight shot away by boat that's not a bad option. It would also be good if we ever need to withdraw from Nami no Kuni. Mizu no Kuni won't be a problem for a while, true, but they will eventually become a rather large one unless we continue to handicap them somehow."
"Hey, why don't we just say "Fuck Hi no Kuni" and spread ourselves right next to them?" Anko proposed with a grin. "Yu no Kuni to the north stretches all the way to the coast- easy access to Nami no Kuni. It also borders Kome no Kuni which you more or less have control over through ...Orochimaru..." It still left a bad taste in her mouth to say that word but she supposed she could accept working with them if it benefited Naruto. It helped that she hadn't had to interact with the bastard yet. "So with control of Yu no Kuni you would control the entire northeastern border and a good portion of the eastern through Nami no Kuni."
When the other three raised their brows at her she gave a giant grin.
"Come on, think of all the benefits it would provide!"
The three shared a look, brows never falling, before turning back to her. "
"Like what?" Asked Katsuri.
"Well, consider first the fact that it has hotsprings."
There was silence in the room as Anko continued to grin.
"...And?" Sai eventually broke the silence, prompting her to continue listing reasons.
"What?" Anko cocked her head to the side. "Is access to some of the greatest hotspring resorts in the world not a good enough benefit for you?"
"Anko..." Naruto gave her a look that very explicitly told her to focus and she released a nervous laugh.
"Come on, it was a joke! There are more reasons I just wanted things to lighten up a bit."
"We're determining the future of the Wolves, Anko."
"And that's a good thing!" She countered. "We're planning a future for this giant family, it should be positive and hopeful in here as we go over all the things we can provide them with!"
That...was actually a damn good point. Sai and Katsuri shared a look while Naruto blinked in surprise, a smile slowly drawing against the corners of his lips.
"You know, you're absolutely right Anko. You're absolutely right."
"Right enough for a reward?"
Moving closer to her he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him, reaching up with his other hand to grab the back of her neck and bring her down to his level. "Yes, I think that deserves a reward."
Sai respectfully looked away as the two spent the next minute exploring eachother's mouths but a red Katsuri didn't even try to disguise the fact that she was watching intently. Naruto eventually broke away, leaving a panting Anko to pout at him for not giving her more time.
"Come on, just a bit more?"
"After the meeting, Anko, you can have as much as you like."
Her eyes lit up brilliantly at that, sparkling in anticipation. "What are we waiting for, then, let's find a new country to take over!"
"We were waiting on the two of you to finish." Sai answered, finally turning back to face them. He looked completely composed save for the slight pink hue at the very top of his cheeks.
Katsuri, still blushing brightly, just nodded in agreement.
"Oh, heh." Anko scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Whoops. Done now, we can get back to work."
"...Quite." Sai shook his head. "What were the other benefits, Anko?"
"Like I said, we'll have access to the Hotsprings, but that also means we'll have control over them. Indirectly, at least. They pull in quite a lot, comparable to Nami, even. Even just the taxes from those resorts must be a fortune. Then we get to look at surrounding Konoha," Anko's grin became malicious as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Even though Konoha was her home there was little she enjoyed more than inflicting pain. "With everything from Kome no Kuni down to Nami no Kuni under our command we've essentially cut Hi no Kuni off from the other half of the world. Sure, they can pull things through Kaze no Kuni and over Kawa no Kuni but a lot of perishable goods won't make the trip and it's a lot of distance for something to go wrong. If they then want to hire protection for it the price of those goods will skyrocket and we can still take advantage of that using our shipping in Nami."
"Hi no Kuni might not like it, but if we end up with that much trade power over them they should tolerate our presence that close, especially if we play nice. Sitting between Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni also gives us the opportunity to accept bribes from both sides to allow spies through or to make things difficult for the other side to travel, that's both a financial and political benefit if we play our cards right."
The three shared a look, reminded that as playful as she was Anko was in no way unintelligent. She just didn't care to think about things that didn't matter to her.
"An alliance with Tetsu no Kuni, which is famously neutral in Shinobi affairs, would allow us to remain out of any conflicts between the larger villages and the more smaller countries we...persuade...to join us the greater our global influence. We could become the sixth major country!"
"Fifth," Naruto corrected her. "Kaze no Kuni and hi no Kuni are technically the same country now."
"Still," She pouted. "Imagine the security that would provide, especially with us allied to Hi no Kuni, Three major countries joined together and Mizu no Kuni trying to pick up the pieces of their country? We'd be part of a global superpower!"
"It's certainly...ambitious...Anko." Sai admitted. "I'm not sure I can get behind the idea of becoming a major country by taking over all the minor ones but I definitely can see why Yu no Kuni might be a good move."
"Mmhmm, I see it too," Katsuri nodded in agreement before turning to Naruto. "But what were you considering Tsukuyomi-sama?"
"There were a couple, but one of my favorite options was here." He moved his finger over Ume no Kuni and tapped twice. "Ume no Kuni, a southern island separated from most of the world. Highly defensible, we could turn the entire country into a massive fortress to ensure the Wolves had a safe place to retreat from the rest of the world."
Glances were exchanged between the other three.
"I take it back," said Sai. "This is ambitious. You're talking about creating a sanctuary in the middle of the ocean to be able to withstand the entire world should it have to. Logistics would be a nightmare and deploying our forces would be delayed significantly."
Naruto nodded. "Mmmhmm, they would indeed. If we went with it we would require a number of bases scattered through the world for regular deployment and Ume no Kuni would sit ready in case it was ever needed which would, of course, detract from having control over it in the first place if we weren't actively using it."
His finger moved just north of Mitsu no Kuni.
"Ookami no Kuni seemed almost too appropriate," He admitted. "But it has most of the benefits of Mitsu no Kuni while being slightly further away from Mizu no Kuni in case they hold a grudge. There's no known Hidden Villages and it's capital barely counts as a city. Most of the land is undeveloped which his bad for civilians but excellent for Shinobi."
"Ooooh, I like it." Anko grinned. "The House of Wolves in Ookami no Kuni, it's fitting." The grin turned into a pouty frown. "But I like hotsprings more. We can always buy a country with the money we'd be bringing in between Nami and Yu."
That was a fair point and to be perfectly honest he had really liked the sound of it too. It had the added benefit of being perfect for one of his projects which he wouldn't have gotten nearly as much use out of in Ume no Kuni.
Sharing a quick look with Sai and Katsuri told him that they felt the same. "Yes, Yu no Kuni's benefits are quite nice, the country isn't exceptionally large- the others were also quite big, which would have been a pain trying to manage with their current numbers- and the fact that they no longer have a Hidden Village is beyond convenient. We may be able to work with that to take over without violence."
Anko froze at that, a sudden horror crossing her face. "Without...Violence? Nononononono, we should definitely target somewhere else, then. Yu no Kuni is a horrible idea."
"I said 'may', Anko. We'll see. Even if there isn't blood to be shed there I'm certain I can find you something somewhere else in the world." Someone always wanted someone else dead, that's why the Shinobi hadn't died out yet.
Anko clapped in joy, jumping up and down a few times before looking down at the map again. With a grin she grabbed one of his pens from the desk and quickly circled Yu no Kuni before tossing it haphazardly over her shoulder and sending Naruto a wicked grin. "Well, if we've decided on Yu no Kuni I suppose we're done here. Sai, Katsuri, why don't you two go back to Sai's office and start planning ways to see our lord's will done? I'll stay here and...take care of him, hmmmm?" Her words became a purr and Sai, despite not normally being one to follow orders from someone like Anko, was more than happy to vacate the room.
Katsuri was a bit more hesitant but followed Sai in giving Naruto a quick bow and exiting his office.
As soon as the door clicked shut Anko pounced, knocking Naruto to the ground and happily straddling him, her grinning face hovering over his less than an inch away. One of his brows slowly rose.
"I thought the plan was to do this on the desk?"
"Nah," Sitting up Anko began undoing her outfit with practiced ease, tossing the combination of fishnet, armor, and black fabric over her head carelessly. "We'll get to the desk before we're finished but I'm not patient enough to wait for you to stand back up."
"And you're patient enough to wait for me to undress while pinned to the floor? It's going to take longer that way."
"Oh, don't worry about that." She pulled a Kunai from one of the holsters on her leg and twirled it around. "You're in simple clothes today, no big loss." In seconds his shirt was reduced to shreds and she wasted no time ripping what little remained from his body to enjoy the sight of the prize beneath. "Oooh, nicked you a bit, didn't I? Don't worry, I'll clean you right up."
Leaning down she happily ran her tongue over his exposed flesh, claiming every drop of blood she could. Naruto was more than certain she had "accidentally" cut him very much on purpose-
But he certainly didn't mind.
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