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Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 106-A "Castles of Sand"
Patron Release 2019.12.09
Public Release 2019.12.23
It was just past noon that he strolled into the training ground, Jiraiya's latest masterpiece open in his hand. Not-Naruto one and two were already in the field sparring which only avoided being disappointing because Kakashi already had exceedingly low expectations of them.
"You know, you two might be better if you didn't suck." He offered helpfully, never taking his eye from the book. They both turned to him at that, similar expressions of displeasure on their faces, before the fact that he was back sunk in.
"You're late!" Naruko pointed an accusing Kunai in his direction, the other coming down to block a cheap swipe from Sakura. The pinkette seemed to be fighting more and more dirty lately and Naruko really wasn't sure if that was a good thing. For survival, sure, for her psyche? She had her doubts.
"Hmm?" Kakashi rose a brow, lazily looking up from the page to give her a bored stare. "Are you sure? I have a feeling I arrived precisely when I decided to."
"That's still late!"
"If you say so, not-Naruto one."
Sakura took another swipe at Naruko, managing a small amount of blood despite the – mostly- dulled blades they'd been using, before ceasing her attack and turning to her Sensei. "Say, where is Naruto-Senpai? Shouldn't he be here?"
"Oh, he's probably busy with an attractive woman on the Mizukage's desk...or something." Kakashi gave an uncaring shrug and returned to his book. Naruko scowled at the answer but Sakura didn't seem to mind the imagery if her pinking cheeks were any indication.
"You're not even trying to make up something believable, are you?"
"And you're not even trying to not suck." Countered Kakashi. "I suppose we're both disappointed."
"Why are you even here if Naruto's not? Don't you have more porn to read?"
"Of course I do." Kakashi seemed almost insulted that she had phrased it as a question. "But it's come to my attention that I've been neglecting my duties as your Sensei."
Sakura perked up at that, hopeful, but Naruko narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"...And so I've decided that I'll read my porn here, that way you don't miss out on having someone to tell you how much you suck as you train." An eye-smile accompanied Kakashi's continuation. "Think of it as motivation...or something."
Naruko gave a sigh, expecting such a disappointing answer, and Sakura just gave a pout.
"I'm not sure what I expect from you, anymore. I'd be better off getting more training from my mom."
"Yeah, probably." Kakashi gave another shrug. Less people to have to 'train' was better for him. "Say, maybe you should ask her too, not-Naruto two. She'd probably enjoy having two Kunoichi to trai-" Kakashi turned his attention to Sakura only to pause as he watched her licking Naruko's blood from her Kunai. She froze when she realized he was watching and hid the Kunai behind her back with an innocent – but terribly unconvincing- smile.
"...I'm not sure if handing you to Anko would be a good idea or something that might legitimately give me nightmares." He admitted. "I think I'll keep you for now, Ibiki's got the right idea."
"What," Asked Naruko. "Find a job that doesn't involve training?"
"No-well, yes," Kakashi nodded. "But I was talking about keeping the crazies where you can see them. Probably the only reason Anko has a job still with all her antics, each one is just job security."
"Don't say things like that, Kakashi-sensei." Naruko scowled. "It's not very nice."
"To Anko or not-Naruto two? Because I really don't care much either way."
"Both." Her fists found themselves resting on her hips, reminding Kakashi a lot of Kushina. "You shouldn't be saying stuff like that to people. Besides, what's Anko going to do when she hears you've been saying things like that about her?" Personally Naruko didn't care much for the woman but she was pretty sure she disliked Kakashi more.
"She'll try to stab me." He flipped the page of his book. "Or complain to Naruto." Kakashi shrugged yet again. "Probably both, really" His eye briefly flickered towards his other 'student' only to snap back towards her in surprise at the brilliant smile she was giving him.
"...Is everything okay, not-Naruto two?"
"Do you really think I'm like Anko-san?" She asked hopefully.
Fuck, she was multiplying. Hopefully Naruto could control this one too.
"...Perhaps too much so for my comfort, not-Naruto two."
Her smile intensified until her eyes ended up completely closed and the pink of her cheeks had become a deep red. "Thanks, Kakshi-sensei!"
Yeeeeeeah.
No.
He wasn't dealing with a mini-Anko, no way in hell. Kushina could have her. Hell, anyone could have her so long as he didn't have to deal with her and Anko didn't get a chance to further influence her.
Maybe he could trade her to Gai? The panda-girl on his team would probably be more fun to poke fun at anyway.
Safer, too, even with her love of sharp things.
They had eventually made it to the desk but had ended their fun back in Anko's room. The only concerning part about that was that Naruto didn't actually remember the journey from his office to her room.
He had the strangest feeling that chains were involved, however, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Well, not about the chains themselves- he remembered putting them to good use- but certainly about people witnessing it.
Sitting up in bed he took a long minute to observe her sleeping form. She was attractive, that was undeniable, but what really caught his attention was how relaxed she was when sleeping. No, not relaxed, that implied she was typically stressed when awake, but she was serene as she slept and that was a rare sight indeed.
His eyes trailed down her exposed body down to the blankets tangled between her legs.
Well, maybe not completely serene as she slept, but it was a notable difference that was for sure.
Leaning over her he undid her ponytail and placed a kiss on her forehead before slipping out of bed. The sheets had managed- mostly- to escape her legs and he tossed them over her. He was sure they would share the same fate as the blankets soon enough but there wasn't much he could do about that outside of slipping back into bed and sacrificing his own legs in their place.
Looking around the room he confirmed that his clothes hadn't made it with him- he really hadn't thought they would have- and he didn't even consider trying to wear whatever he might find in her closet. With a sigh he shook his head and realized that if anyone was in the halls they were about to have questions.
Still, he was Tsukuyomi, the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni. What did he have to be embarrassed about?
With all the confidence of, well, a Daimyo, he strolled out of her room completely naked and made his way down the hall. His first thought was to stop by his office where his clothes were no doubt strewn about but he figured that wasn't the only thing scattered over his office and decided he really didn't feel like reorganizing any of the paperwork that had been on the corner of his desk.
Hell, he didn't even feel like righting the desk they knocked over. His back was probably going to be bruised for a few days from that fall.
So instead of stopping into his office he went for his own chambers.
"Tsunami." He gave the woman a nod as he passed her and did his best to ignore her eyes on him as he continued walking. Anko had worn him out far too much for him to even consider any more fun today but Tsunami was a convincing woman and he wasn't willing to risk it.
"T-tsukuyomi-sama..." She distractedly returned his greeting as he slipped through his doors and quite purposefully locked them with a solid click. Having his door remain open after he walked in naked was just inviting trouble.
More specifically inviting an aroused Tsunami into his bedchambers.
Maybe there was some Wolf business he could send her into Konoha for? He was sure Kakashi would appreciate the company, though not as much as Tsunami probably would.
Originally her role had been more administrative than anything else, moving paperwork and serving as a liaison between a busy Sai and everyone else in Gato's old mansion. She directed the builders, the tradesmen, and the Wolves idling around between patrols.
When Tsukuyomi's mansion- she personally thought 'palace' sounded better- was being made she continued but took a more active role in making decisions, eventually more or less taking over the project with some help from Hana. Sai, busy in his office making poor financial decisions, had let them without a second thought.
After it was complete- structurally- she continued to decorate the mansion, design the gardens, and organize the various day to day tasks. When she was more or less finished she attempted to return to her administrative duties only for Sai to stop her with a shake of his head.
"If you're taking up administrative duties here," He had asked. "Who on earth is going to run Tsukuyomi's mansion?"
And so she had found herself officially the head of the palace of Nami no Kuni's Daimyo. It was more than a slight jump from the widowed daughter of a drunken architect, in her opinion, especially considering the size of the palace. Since his arrival Tsukuyomi had remained on his private floor where his personal chambers, private office, and the rooms of his closest subordinates were kept. She couldn't wait to see his face when he actually had a tour of the entire sprawling building.
There was a reason he could look down at the rapidly growing city of Nami in the distance, after all.
Still, even though the palace had become her domain she didn't like leaving all the work to the young woman the Wolves had provided to act as her subordinates. She hadn't really asked about them but she really didn't need to. She recognized enough of them to know they were the young woman who had been sold to the Wolves during Gato's reign.
On one hand Tsunami wasn't pleased that they hadn't returned the woman to their families but that was massively outweighed by the fact that those families were the same ones willing to sell them in the first place, most of those families had used the money to pay Gato's tax and then used the remainder to flee Nami no Kuni, and they seem to have been well cared for by the Wolves.
Whether they had been taken in for this specific purpose Tsunami couldn't guess, but she knew for a fact that they were probably taken care of because the Wolves intended them to serve Tsukuyomi in some manner. She didn't want to think of the other uses they might have come up with for the poor girls.
But now they were under her authority and, more importantly, her care. They adapted quickly enough to their new duties and many of them actually seemed to enjoy having something to do which made Tsunami suspect they had probably spent the time since being sold kept in some room where they were provided with what they needed but nothing else.
Poor girls.
A few, though, had been more difficult and -not inaccurately- called the situation they had found themselves in slavery. Tsunami really didn't have a way to sugar coat it, it was slavery. They had bought the girls and now they were expected to serve without pay. The closest to giving it a positive spin had actually come from one of the girls to adjust the most quickly. "We're working for room and board." She had explained easily enough. "It's better than begging on the street."
The most popular counter to that was that they could work elsewhere but still have their freedoms but that was usually responded to with a shrug and "Yeah, but do you really think the Wolves are going to give you that opportunity? We belong to them now."
They hadn't come up with a response for that yet and despite their griping not one of them had actually attempted to leave. Probably because they knew their families were likely long gone and that they would only have the clothes on their back. None of them really wanted to start out as beggars, freedom or not.
Tsunami had a suspicion some of them were just trying to squirrel away supplies in preparation of trying but she really didn't know how to feel about that- or how the Wolves would react.
That was likely the largest deterrent, no one really wanted to be the one to find out first hand.
But as she had been thinking, she really didn't like leaving them with all the work. Not because they couldn't handle it- there were more girls than tasks for them in most cases- but because she couldn't stand just sitting around doing nothing all day. For that reason she had claimed Tsukuyomi's private floor as her own duty.
She also figured it would make sense for her to be the one seeing to the Daimyo's needs as the head of the palace. Those less than pleased to be here didn't mind the decrease in available tasks, though some of the others were disappointed at the loss of an opportunity to see Nami no Kuni's mysterious Daimyo for themselves.
As he walked past her, completely naked, she was glad she had made the decision. That was probably not the best way for them to meet their Daimyo, though she didn't mind the view one bit.
"Tsunami" He greeted without pausing, as if this was a completely normal everyday occurrence. Having never lived with the young Daimyo she supposed it very well could be.
She tried to remind herself that her thoughts were wildly inappropriate and that slipping into bed with him the other night had been a huge mistake. For fuck's sake, he had needed medical assistance and she had turned the situation sexual.
She blamed Kakashi for that, years of suppressed needs re-awoken right before the bastard left only for the young Daimyo to end up in her care very much naked and very much willing to give her what she needed. After a bit of convincing, of course.
That should have been the first red flag. Having to convince a young man to sleep with her indicated that he either didn't find her as attractive as she found him or that he was simply not well enough for those activities. Either way she should have backed off and kept things professional. Instead she had let her libido take over and once she was in bed with him there was no chance of her being able to drag herself away.
She had enjoyed it- immensely- but she was going to d h er absolute damnedest to make sure it remained a one time thing.
"T-tsukuyomi-sama." She returned, well aware that her face had gone completely red and doing her best to fight the growing warmth between her legs.
Just because she would keep herself from touching didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the view, did it?
Or that she couldn't fantasize about him when she took care of some of those needs.
Hurrying to scoop up the linens she had dropped she scurried away to put them away so she could take a break for a bit.
Preferably in his office.
She was sure it probably still had the wonderful smell of the activities he and the purple-haired woman had gotten up to.
Tsunami couldn't wait.
Naruko's foot tapped impatiently as another suppressed giggle racked the man's body and made his mane of white hair bob in the escaping steam of the bathhouse.
"You know," She started irritably, her voice conveying warnings Jiraiya was well conditioned to recognize but well practiced to ignore. "I really wouldn't be looking for you if it wasn't important."
The Sannin ignored her in favor of scribbling down notes that were quickly accompanied by a rough sketch. Naruko was slightly surprised by both the attention given to the women's faces- she really expected him to focus on more erogenous areas- and the fact that he could draw at all.
She hadn't known that.
Neither, however, made her any less impatient.
Walking right up to the man she gave him a swift kick between the legs only to regret it when they connected with something that definitely wasn't flesh. "Son of a bitch!" She hissed, the previous giggles of Jiraiya becoming a deep chuckle.
"You think you're the first person to think of that, Naruko-chan? Tsunade-hime was doing that decades before you were even born." With a snap his notebook was closed and stuffed into a pocket within his vest. "So, whatcha need, kid?"
Naruko puffed her cheeks out slightly as she gave the man a glare but eventually settled for crossing her arms with a huff. "My seal's been acting weird, I thought I'd check with you to make sure everything was alright."
"Oh?" All traces of playfulness instantly vanished. "What's it been doing?"
"Well the other day it got really hot during my training. It was glowing on its own but for some reason I couldn't seem to access the Kyuubi's Chakra and when I tried to speak with her she didn't respond at all."
Jiraiya seemed to pause near the end but managed to remain silent and focused- mostly- as she continued.
"I rushed home but by the time I got there it had cooled down from burning to...pleasant. The Kyuubi seemed to be in a good mood too, though it sounded like she had been crying."
Jiraiya's mouth opened and then closed, opened again and was shut with a snap of his teeth.
Naturally he had concentrated on the most important part.
"…..She?"
"Yes, she." Naruko gave an exasperated sigh. "Is that all you heard from me?"
"Yeah, I heard you. Seal's hot, Kyuubi's a woman- is she hot too?"
She stared at him for a full minute, unable to believe he was one of the foremost seal experts in the world, a powerful Shinobi, and such a perverted old lecher even after all the time she had known him.
Admittedly it wasn't that long, but Kushina had told her stories of him for many years. She remembered back then, as young as she had been, thinking Kushina had been exaggerating and that he couldn't possibly be the way she described him.
As it so happens he was worse. Kushina had been more kind than he really deserved in her retellings, though she certainly hadn't said anything flattering about him.
Eventually Naruko gave in to the man, answering with another irritated huff.
"She looks like Mito."
"Senju?"
"Uzumaki." He blinked at the answer, processing before a lecherous grin spread over his face.
"And by that you mean-"
"Young Mito, yes. Early twenties. Her hair is more orange than red and her eyes are like rubies, otherwise they're the same." She paused wondering if she should continued but she had given him this much already, what was the harm in a bit more? "Besides the nine tails, of course."
"Oh?" She didn't think she had ever seen the man as excited as he was in this moment. The only thing that would have him more excited was probably that a naked Tsunade was currently on her knees wearing a collar and a tail and looking for him to be her owner. "Did she have the ears too?"
"No, she didn't."
"Awww." Jiraiya deflated a bit before perking right back up with his next question. "Was she naked?" And went immediately into the next. "Were there chains on her?" And the next. "Did she call you 'Mistress'?" and the-
"Knock it off!" Her fists found her hips in a pose that had Jiraiya instinctively flinching. "I came here with my questions, it's not a chance for you to gather more material for your damn books."
His eyes brightened significantly and all the excitement returned to his face. "That's a great idea, Naruko!" A sweep of his arms had her crushed to his chest in a massive bear-hug. "A book featuring a beautiful, female Kyuubi in chains- it's perfect!"
He looked down to the less than pleased young woman pressed to his chest as she glared up at him. "It was your idea, so you get first dibs of being the main character, the Kyuubi's mistress."
"What?!" Her entire face instantly went as red as her mother's hair. "No! Why would I even want that?!" Jiraiya shrugged his large shoulders, shaking her carelessly.
"I don't know why you wouldn't." He admitted. "But that's fine, using your brother for the inspiration for my last book was really well received by my fans, I'll just use him again as the Kyuubi's master. They'll love it!"
"You're hopeless!"
"No, I'm hopeful that Tsunade comes to her senses and proceeds to ask me to screw them out of her, it's completely different."
"You're almost as bad as Kakashi-sensei."
Jiraiya shrugged again. "He's the student of my student, he's kind of like my grandson. What did you expect."
That made a lot more sense than Naruko was particularly comfortable with, but she had bigger problems to worry about.
"Hey! When are you going to put me down?"
"What? It's not like I get a chance to hug young woman often."
Unlike his groin, the years had miraculously failed to teach him to protect his face- a fact Naruko took full advantage of with her chains.
Dropping the girl Jiraiya fled, leaving an irritated Naruko standing in the bathhouse with a face red with equal parts anger and embarrassment.
"You didn't even give me an answer, you bastard!"
Godsdamnit, now she was going to hunt him down again.
And this time it wouldn't be as easy as stopping by Konoha's most popular bathhouse.
Rather than bother to get dressed- Anko would probably come looking for him again later anyway- Naruto instead grabbed the white sheet from his bed and wrapped it around his waist a few times before taking a seat cross-legged on the bed.
With a look out over the bustling city of Nami and the ocean that stretched out behind it he took a breath of the gentle breeze coming in through his open window and closed his eyes. He had a guest to greet.
The salty air vanished, the cooling breeze replaced by a heavy, stagnant air and he knew his consciousness had pulled itself from the real world and into the reality of his many seals. Raising from the cold black marble the sheet around his waist became a loose pair of white pants tied shut by a purple sash. Simple woven sandals came into existence on his feet and a white ribbon tied his hair back into a neat -ish- ponytail.
Clothed- mostly- he took a look around the seal. Nothing really seemed to have changed as far as he could tell, Karura's desert palace was to the right, Karura's small home was in front of him- he could see her sleeping in the bed-, and to the left was...nothing.
He took a quick look behind him- nothing-, above him -there were holes up there that should be patched later-, and below him. The murky water looked no more inviting than it ever did.
So where had the Sanbi been placed and, more importantly, how had Karura managed to get to them?
Maybe...?
He turned a curious look to Karura's palace. It wouldn't have attached the entrance to her little domain, would it? That was...well, interesting but mostly just inconvenient. Walking to the elaborate arch that marked the boundary of her world he placed one hand on it and stared into the palace. Nothing different in here, outside maybe?
Stepping into her world he went straight for the closest window, peering out for any sign of another world joining hers. He really didn't need to, he was more or less a god within his seals. He could appear right next to his seal's newest occupant with merely a thought should he desire it but he still preferred to do things the same way he would in the real world.
It simply felt more natural.
The first thing that caught his attention was the slight salt in the air, followed by the sound of crashing waves. There, in the distance, he could just make out the shimmering blue of an ocean along the horizon. Unless Karura had been making such large changes to her world, he had a pretty good feeling that he had found his new guest.
As natural as it would feel walking, however, he was not about to trek that sort of distance through the sand, imagined or not. Instead he took a step away from the window and into the distant sand, Karura's palace reduced to a sandcastle far away. Turning from the tiny palace his attention was caught by the vast, endless blue that stretched before him.
Karura's desert was supposed to be endless but compared to this ocean it was but a small island.
And speaking of Karura the woman wasn't too far away, kneeling down in the sand next to an actual sandcastle and a...young girl? Karura had confirmed that the Sanbi was female but after Mito and Karura he hadn't expected her to seem so young. And why would he? If both the first and last of the Biju were grown woman why would the others be anything else?
It would appear that he had been mistaken.
With long, leisurely strides he approached the pair, stopping several feet away before his presence was noticed.
"Beloved!" Karura scrambled up from the sand and launched herself into his arms. He caught her with a spin, setting her back down on the sand as she rested her head against his chest for a second to enjoy her presence.
"It's good to see you too, love." She gave him a beaming smile and a quick peck on his check before she turned to the young girl peeking out from behind the sandcastle.
"Don't be shy, Isobu-chan." Karura smiled gently. "Naruto-kun won't hurt you."
The young girl continued to stare at him from the safety of her castle for a few moments more before, much like Karura had, she scrambled around it and barreled towards him.
"Daddy!" In his surprise he only barely managed to drop down into a crouch to catch her as she tripped a mere foot from crashing into his legs, instead impacting solidly with his chest and nearly knocking him onto his ass in the sand. Karura gave a giggle beside him as the girl- Biju- nuzzled into his stomach.
He rose a brow at Karura, looking for some sort of explanation, but instead received only a pleased smile from the woman. "That's right, Isobu-chan." Karura turned her attention to the girl. "I'm your mommy and he's your daddy."
"Daddy!" It was muffled into his chest but he understood well enough, what he didn't understand was how this had happened. He didn't have a feeling he'd be finding out anytime soon- not with her attached to him, anyway- and Karura seemed beyond happy with the situation so he supposed he would simply go along with it for now.
It wasn't as if he didn't already have children, anyway, and one of them was even with Karura already. What was another one?
"Why hello to you too, Isobu-hime." His hand gently ruffled the top of her dark green hair and she pressed her face more forcefully into him. "Come on, if you keep doing that daddy can't see your pretty face."
She looked up- still pressed against him- and two brilliant eyes shone up at him in wonder, the slightest tinges of pink on her cheeks. One of her eyes was a bright yellow, like the sun at noon, and the other a shimmering blue of the summer sea.
"There's my pretty girl," He smiled down at her. "Were you having fun with mommy?"
"Uh, Uh-huh," She nodded into his chest and he ruffled her hair again, her cheeks darkening.
"Hmmm, that's good." Naruto hummed. "What were you doing?"
"...Castle." She squirmed out from under his hand and pointed back to the sandcastle.
"I see, that's a very nice castle. Is it done yet?"
She shook her head and grabbed his hand, intent to show it to him anyway. Naruto shot a look to Karura but she only giggled at him before giving a wave. "Have fun." She mouthed as she began brushing the sand from her clothes.
With no rescue forthcoming he followed behind the excited Isobu and plopped next to her in the sand as she went back to work. It took Naruto a minute to realize that she was recreating Karura's palace, just barely visible in the distance. He blinked in surprise and studied the sandy imitation a bit more, noting the detail he knew he had given Karura's palace but that wasn't visible at this distance.
For him anyway.
"...You have some really good eyesight, don't you Isobu-hime?" With a nod she blushed brightly and looked down to the sand so he gave her a gentle pat on the head followed by another ruffle of her hair.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Isobu-hime. You've done a very good job." Even with her head down he could still see as the red of her face grew even brighter.
"...T-thanks" It was almost too quiet for him to hear but by some miracle he managed to make it out over the sound of the wind and the crashing waves behind them.
"You're very welcome" He gave her head another pat- it was surprisingly fun to do and she seemed to like it- before frowning at his long green hair. "We'll have to have mommy braid you hair later so it's out of the way, otherwise you're going to get sand all in it." He decided. "But in the meantime," A large straw hat came into existence in his hand, the light blue ribbon matching her sundress perfectly. "This should keep that pretty face of yours from getting sunburnt. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
She shook her head in agreement as he plopped it onto her head and she gave him a grateful- if timid- smile in return.
"What? Is that not worth a hug, Isobu-hime?" He spread his arms out and soon had the tiny Biju attached to his chest again, barely managing to catch her hat. "That's better. Daddy and mommy need to talk for a bit but you keep playing here, okay? I want to see your castle when you're done."
She gave a determined nod- and a quick peck on his cheek- before hurrying back to her castle. With one last ruffle of her hair he placed the hat back on her head -noting that it blocked both the sun and his hand- and beckoned Karura over.
With one of the most brilliantly happy smiles he'd ever seen her wear she complied, nearly sashaying through the sand. She paused to give Isobu a quick hug and a kiss on her cheek as he created a small shack on the beach. He opened the door as she slipped her arm into his and they walked to the back of the shack where another door stood. The white marble arches around the wooden door gave away where it led to and Karura wasn't surprised to find herself walking through it and into her palace.
"I have a lot of questions, Karura." She giggled in response, something wicked shimmering in her eyes.
"I'm sure, beloved, but before that I seem to recall you promising to show me your dungeon."
Naruto spared a look back at the door, past which Isobu was happily playing in the sand. Well, a promise was a promise, he supposed.
Besides, his questions weren't that urgent.
In one smooth movement he swept her into his arms and started walking further into her palace.
"Well, in that case I'd best not disappoint. You punishment awaits, love."
"Ooooooh," She purred. "I can hardly wait."
She didn't have to wait for long.
106-B "Hana-Hime"
Patron Release 2019.12.16
Public Release 2019.12.23
"So it's sort of like a time-out, is it?" Kisame asked from his seat in his room, chair leaned back and feet crossed over a small table. "I don't think I did anything too bad but I guess I probably didn't make the best impression, huh?"
"It's not a time out, Senpai." Tobi sat on his bed, feet kicking back and forth. "Tsukuyomi-kun just doesn't want you unsupervised. You're an S-ranked Rogue Shinobi famous for slaying Daimyo. Do you really think he's going to trust the well being of his people to chance that you might behave yourself?"
"...It 's a fair point." Kisame nodded. "But supervised doesn't mean I have to stay in this room, does it?"
"...No, as long as you behave we can go somewhere else Senpai."
"Oh." He thought for a minute, rocking back and forth on the small wooden chair that didn't seem too fond of the massive shark-man currently utilizing it. "It's a big city isn't it?"
"Yes."
"A big port city?"
"That's right."
"So that means they get wares from all over the world, yeah?"
"If you just asked the question you really wanted to know I could give you an answer, Senpai."
"You think they'll have exotic food stands?"
"We can find out."
Kisame pumped his fist in victory and immediately proceeded to fall backwards in the chair. Kisame survived the fall. The chair did not.
"...Yeah, it's probably best that we get out of here."
"What, is Tsukuyomi going to be mad over a chair?"
"No, but Tsunami might be."
Kisame gave his Kohai a serious look- well, as serious as it could be when he was still on the ground surrounded by the scattered corpse of a chair that had died an untimely death. "Is she hot?"
"Yes."
"And angry?"
"Probably."
His grin nearly split his face. "I think I've found heaven."
Behind her mask Mikoto rolled her eyes. How the hell had anyone ever taken his seriously as an S-ranked criminal?
The sound of bare feet against the marble flooring had Naruto stirring from his drowsy half-sleep, his right arm pulling the warm, naked body of Karura closer to him. Purple eyes cracked open to peer towards the doorway where little Isobu stood , her hands, feet, and knees covered in sand and her hat clutched tightly in one hand.
It only took a thought to remove the wet grains and lifting his left arm from under the deep blue sheets of Karura's bed he beckoned her closer. She hesitated only for a second before padding over to him, her small feet slapping against the cold marble.
"Are you all done playing for now?" He asked as quietly as he could earning a nod from the Sanbi followed by a yawn as she attempted to wipe away the sleepiness from her eyes with the back of her hand with little success. "And all tuckered out, I see."
She shook her head at that, much to his amusement, and he folded down the sheets so she could crawl into bed. It was a good thing he didn't actually have to get up to put on pants, all it took was a thought and his white pants materialized over his legs while a small silk nightgown stretched against Karura's body.
"Alright, not tired then. Why don't you come join mommy and daddy for a bit?"
She nodded in agreement and climbed up the bed, her hat falling to the ground only to be caught by a breeze that didn't exist and placed on a bedside table that hadn't been there when she walked into the room. Isobu was so tired she didn't even think twice about it, instead curling into Naruto's side with a sigh and drifting off almost instantly.
With a fond smile Naruto pulled the sheets over her tiny body and wrapped a protective arm around her. He didn't return to sleep, however, instead simply laying there and enjoying the moment. This was family, this is what he lived for, and despite only having just met her Karura was absolutely right that she was now their daughter.
Why didn't really matter- though he would be asking Karura later- Isobu was his now.
He had a feeling Karura might actually argue with him on that though, she seemed more attached to the girl than he was. That was fine, he'd fight for her.
And speaking of Karura a glance down at her reveled her teal eyes staring back up at him adoringly from his chest. He gave her waist a squeeze in silent greeting, earning a pleased purr from the woman.
He gestured towards the sleeping Isobu with his head. "We'll talk later, love."
She hummed in agreement, nuzzling back into his chest. "Anything you want, beloved."
He'd get those answers, he was serious about that, just...later.
Family time came first.
Kakashi remained standing in the center of training ground seven even after his students had been dismissed. That was odd in itself, as his disappearance was usually what marked the end of training for the day, but the fact that he hadn't insulted either of his students when he did dismiss them was even more so.
He didn't seem bothered by the strangeness at all, flipping through the pages of his book without a care.
One page, two pages, three.
By the fifth page a figure walked out from the trees that made up the border of the training field. Their usual uniform was nowhere to be found, replaced by the black pants and sleeveless shirt typically used during workouts and training, but their mask was one the son of the White Fang knew well. They stood by the trees in silence for a while, just staring at Kakashi, and the former ANBU commander didn't bother so much as looking at them.
"I had to report to Asuma on my return." Blackrock started, his usual mask styled like a lizard replacing the plain porcelain he had worn in Mizu no Kuni.
"Did you now? That does sound like something you might be expected to do, doesn't it? Imagine that."
Souji gave him a blank look from behind his mask, unimpressed, as bandaged arms crossed over a similarly bandaged chest. "Cute." He shook his head. "I had forgotten just how infuriating you can be, it doesn't seem as bad when I'm focused on getting out of a fight with you in one piece."
"If you say so."
A tired sigh escaped Souji. " I asked about you when I got back, I wanted to see if your presence in Mizu no Kuni was known."
"Oh?" That actually did catch Kakashi's interest and he looked up from his book to meet Souji's eyes. "And was it?" Where he was might not have been known, but people would have at least noticed his absence. Probably.
Souji couldn't help the amused snort that escaped him even as he shook his head in utter disappointment. "Everyone I asked, from ANBU on wall duty to Hokage-sama himself, no one apparently had any clue you were anywhere but holed up in your apartment reading Jiraiya's latest book."
"See?" Kakashi didn't let any of his surprise show. Surely someone had known. Hell, they had charged right out of Konoha's main gate. Evidently whoever had seen simply wasn't' saying anything about it. He probably owed them a drink or something. "I always told you all that Icha-Icha were good for more than just entertainment."
"...So you did." Souji decided it simply wasn't worth arguing over. No matter how good Kakashi was at coming up with absolutely insane plans- that somehow worked, much to the frustration of any sensible person around him to have known what he was attempting beforehand- there was no way in hell you could convince Souji that reading porn in public had been done purposefully for years just to provide Kakashi with an alibi for an unauthorized leave of absence over the past month.
That was giving him far too much credit.
"My brilliance aside, how's your team doing?" Kakashi asked. "I noticed Yugao wasn't with you back in Mizu no Kuni." He knew this team and as good as they were for the task they had been given Yugao would have been there at some point to get them started. He wasn't surprised that she may have left, though. Not only would it have been a rather large commitment on Konoha's part as there were not a lot of ANBU but sending most of their best to Mizu to help in a civil war would have been a really dumb choice.
Even Asuma wouldn't do something like that, blindly focusing on driving away the House of Wolves or no.
There was also the fact that she was the current ANBU commander and her absence would be noticed. When you weren't publicly supporting a group it looked pretty bad to have that group suddenly emerge 'victorious' while your ANBU commander and her team were mysteriously absent.
Not that Naruto had really given them a victory, no, he had quite effectively stolen that from them before the left. He kept thinking he couldn't be more proud of his son only to be proven wrong again and again.
It was something he didn't mind being wrong about.
He did wonder if Konoha would support Kirigakure now that the rebellion was over, it would be kind of dickish not to and it was the only way to explain any sort of alliance later down the road, especially if Kirigakure rejected offers from other countries due to whatever agreement they might have with Konoha under the table. While Asuma made bad calls about the Wolves he wasn't a complete idiot, he would have milked the situation for all it was worth.
Kakashi wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not - for the Wolves, of course.
Konoha not allying with them would make their recovery – and any possible retaliation- take longer and it had the added benefit of keeping them weak. Again, because that lessened the threat of retaliation.
On the other hand, if they were allied to Konoha they couldn't openly act against the Wolves, which would be absolutely glorious. He could already picture the amazingly tense situation a meeting of Hi no Kuni and her allies would be.
Tsukuyomi, sitting smugly across from an irritated Asuma and Mei, the Wind Daimyo sitting off to the side ready to agree with everyone else to save his ass, and of course the Fire Daimyo with a large, satisfied grin on his face.
Kakashi wouldn't be able to blame him, Iroh had become the most successful Daimyo in decades if not centuries.
Of course, a full meeting would be even better.
Tsukuyomi, Sai, Hana, Tsume, Hinata, and Danzō sitting across from Asuma and Mei, Hiruzen sitting by his son wishing he would realize that there was no way they could get rid of the Wolves and simply learn to take advantage of their presence in Konoha as an additional deterrent for their long-term rivals Iwa and Kumo.
That was something he'd pay to be there for.
And that was usually only a statement he could make about lesbian Icha-Icha scenes.
"They're fine. What we couldn't patch up ourselves was taken care of easily enough at Konoha's General Hospital."
"KGH?"
"We were off duty, of course. Training accidents at home and the like."
"Ah." They couldn't stop by the usual medical center because they officially weren't on any mission and despite ANBU matters supposedly being classified extensive records were still kept for financial reasons- because keeping ANBU level Shinobi who had managed to be hurt enough to need help in the first place alive tended to be an expensive endeavor- which meant each expense needed to be tied to an official mission. "How did you explain the fact that you were in the process of becoming a pink porcupine?"
."... Training accidents at home and the like."
"And they didn't question that?"
"I pulled most of them out beforehand."
"So you were just covered in bleeding holes."
"Yes."
"I'm surprised they didn't pull you from active service to reevaluate your suitability, what the hell did they think you were training with?"
"An angry Purplesky."
"Fair enough." Medics tended to turn a blind eye to ANBU on ANBU violence. They were all crazy anyway, it was pretty much expected that they would end up hurting themselves and eachother.
"I don't suppose the others were injured as much as you were, either. They didn't' exactly take a dragon to the chest."
"No, they had their own injuries but nothing too bad. Redwater and Bluegrass are already back on duty.
"Good, hopefully those injuries will be enough to teach you to listen when someone gives you good advice."
Even with the mask covering his entire face Souji looked distinctively unamused and shook his head with a sigh.
"Look, I get that you're in it to help him, I do. We turned a blind eye when he was sneaking into the Uchiha compound and took his side when he was fighting the Yamanaka but joining him as the group he's a part of supports someone like Yagura only to reduce a hidden village to ash-" Blackrock paused, shaking his head in disbelief at the words that had come from his own mouth. "It's too much, Kakashi. Support him all you like, but the best way to do that is to keep him from getting mixed up in all of this."
"That's never going to happen, they're his family now."
"No, you're his family." Blackrock corrected. "So it's your job to keep him safe. Hokage-sama wants the Wolves gone from Konoha, even if it means starting a civil war. You need to get him out of there."
"I appreciate the thought, Blackrock. Really, I do." Kakashi's book closed with a snap, his black eye boring into Souji's mask. "But he's a Wolf and he will not abandon his pack. I am a Wolf, and I will not abandon him."
Blackrock remained silent for some time, meeting Kakashi's gaze. "I see." The silence returned. "I thought as much. Just...try, will you? Try to get him out of this, none of us want to see Minato's son get hurt."
"I could have sworn you told me you hadn't been aware any of Minato-sensei's family had survived," The words were accusing but the tone lacked any sort of hostility. "But there's an easy way to ensure he doesn't, Souji."
"...Yeah, I suppose there is." Blackrock shook his head. "Try to stay out of trouble."
"Me? Trouble? I don't like what you're implying."
"Sure you don't. I'll see you around, Kakashi." He shook his head again. "Hopefully not on duty."
"You know," Kakashi started idly, his book opening to his last page with practiced ease. "Asuma doesn't really make that great of a Hokage, does he?" He turned the page of his book. "It really wouldn't be too much of a loss if that wasn't the case."
"Careful, Kakashi." Souji hissed in warning. "You're coming awfully close to treason as it is."
Kakashi shrugged. "Maybe, I was just suggesting that it;'s good to know you have other options should things go wrong, isn't it? If something happens to him or he makes some bad calls, well..." The former ANBU commander left his comment hanging there, flipping his page without a care.
"...Yeah, I suppose you're right." Kakashi didn't need to finish, Souji knew exactly what he was going to finish with.
'You have to do what's best for Konoha, don't you?'
Of course the son of a bitch would use that, it was the concept practically beaten into them from day one of training. Sly son of a bitch.
The worst part? Now he wasn't going to be able to get it out of his head.
"I'll keep it in mind." Not that he had a choice. "Don't do anything stupid. We all owe you a lot but there's only so much we can do for you if you're actively opposing Godaime-sama, Taicho."
"Opposing the Godaime? Not at all."
"Oh?"
"No, I'm opposing his dumb idea to get rid of the Wolves through force without ever having tried to so much as meet Tsukuyomi or any of his trusted. Negotiation goes much more smoothly before you start killing off someone's children."
"So it does." The rest of ANBU- those trustworthy, at least- would hear about this. One of their purposes was to act as the Hokage's hand but their primary purpose was to protect the Hokage. In this case, well, it might be from himself. "So it does."
As Souji vanished in a Shunshin Kakashi smiled behind his mask. At the very least the ANBU were going to begin having doubts about Asuma's decisions but the real prize was if he managed to draw their loyalty from the man- and their duty- to himself and, more importantly, Naruto. That would be an incredible amount of influence for his Sensei's son to have in Konoha.
It wasn't as if Kakashi disliked Asuma either- he felt for the man being shoved into a situation he never wanted responsibility in, like Kakashi with the original team seven- it was just business.
After all, what Naruto wanted Kakashi would do his best to provide, even if it meant leading a coup against Asuma so Naruto and his Wolves could remain in Konoha.
Then again, who knows? Maybe Asuma would learn from his recent mistakes and calm the fuck down before he had to take any drastic measures.
But a civil war did sound pretty fun now that he was thinking about it, he had never really considered the possibility of invading his own home and taking it over.
Warlord Kakashi? Had a nice ring to it if he did say so himself.
Of course, he wouldn't be in charge, even in name. Oh, no. He'd delegate that task to someone dumb enough to take it. Maybe Asuma, if he was still alive afterwards.
Taking over a village to stop the person in charge from doing things you didn't like just to force them to remain in charge for you to take care of your new village? That was a Kakashi sort of plan.
There was a reason he had been the ANBU commander, and it wasn't just so that he could avoid being a Jōnin-Sensei for as long as possible.
Okay, so maybe it was.
It had been a great idea, too. Worked for years and now was giving him pull with them that he really should have. Everyone wins-
Well, no.
Kakashi wins.
Just like it should be.
Asuma really should consider starting the training of a replacement so he could retire, there were no rules saying how long you had to hold the position and the stipend was for life.
A sudden thought struck the Dog Summoner- Had anyone actually told him that?
Hiruzen wanted his son in the position so he could escape it so Kakashi really doubted he would be giving him advice for how to escape anytime soon.
It could work, actually, and it wouldn't be too hard. Just a simple conversation, a casual question about who he was considering to succeed him.
Didn't sound as fun, though.
He'd keep it in mind as an option B.
"God's above, I didn't realize he was so young!"
Sai looked up from his desk as Hana entered his office. "Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Tsukuyomi! This is the first time I've seen his face. Sure, he wasn't super tall, but I didn't realize he was a teenager!"
"Oh." That's right, she hadn't seen his face before, had she? It had completely slipped his mind so he wondered if Naruto was even aware that he had revealed his face to the Governess of Nami no Kuni.
He had to wonder if he cared.
"Well, he's not exactly old." Sai agreed diplomatically, earning a flat look from Nami no Kuni's Governess.
"He's younger than I am, Sai. Hell, he's probably the same age as my younger brother!"
"That's not too young, then. Your brother was in the Chūnin exams, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, but my brother didn't take over a country and become a Daimyo."
"That's...fair." Sai admitted. "He's just a tad ambitious for his age."
Hana's gaze narrowed at him for a second, cocking her head to the side in thought. "Now that I think about it, most of you are pretty young, aren't you?"
"We got an early start."
She hummed in acceptance of that answer and the office fell into a comfortable silence for a bit, filled only by the shuffling of papers and the scratch of Sai's pen.
"Say, I was thinking we should probably do something for him." Hana broke the silence.
Sai looked up from his work, one brow raised. "What do you mean?"
"For Tsukuyomi. He's always working for the Wolves who have done so much for Nami no Kuni and yet hardly anyone here even recognizes him. It's not right."
"Well, he doesn't really spend a lot of time here, it's understandable that people focus more on the people they see regularly- like yourself." Sai moved the paper into one of the many piles on his desk before folding his hands together before him. "Are you feeling guilty that they praise you for what you do without acknowledging his part in it?"
Her cheeks reddened slightly as she averted her gave and he gave a nod, satisfied that he had the source of this idea. It was thoughtful, don't get him wrong, and he appreciated that she considered it at all- it proved that she had been a good choice on Tsukuyomi's part- but it really was unnecessary. Naruto certainly had no desire for recognition and he wouldn't at all mind Hana getting the recognition she deserved for her hard work and dedication.
"Tsukuyomi chose you for a reason and both the love of your people and the fact that you want his to be recognized speak highly for his decision but Tsukuyomi, despite being the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni, has not done anything worth recognition beyond appointing you. Everything you do reflects on him and was, technically, because of his actions, but the credit is yours, not his. I'm sure he'd tell you the same thing if you asked him."
"Y-yeah, I guess you're right." She agreed with a frown. "Still, I feel like we should have something for him, shouldn't we? Even if just in memory of his liberation of Nami no Kuni. You know, a holiday or festival, or, I don't know, naming something after him."
"I think he might appreciate the intention but he's not the one you should be focusing on- how will your people react? They'll be confused but they'll go with whatever you say because it's you who wants it. If anything we should be giving you a festival and naming something after you."
"They aren't my people, they're his. He's the Daimyo, he's Tsukuyomi Tou-sama."
A faint smirk pulled at Sai's lips. He had almost forgotten that title for him, but she had been the one to come up with it hadn't she? Figures she would still remember.
"I think you're looking at it wrong." Sai said after a pause. "They are your people, but you are one of his people. They're more like grandchildren to him and while he'll do his best for them he doesn't see them often and trusts their care to their mother- you."
"...Why is it every time we liken them to relationships things make more sense but the family tree is becoming only more complicated?"
Sai just gave a shrug. "Because in the end we're all just one giant family and the specifics don't matter so long as we're all looking out for eachother?"
She blinked at him, cocking her head to the side as if trying to understand what she was seeing. "You know, that has to be the deepest thing I've ever heard you say."
"Really? I'll have to show you the poems I manage to make out of reports one of these days, they seem to amuse Tsukuyomi-sama as he hasn't yelled at me for them yet."
"That might be because he's too busty yelling at you about your expense reports."
Sai opened his mouth to contend only to immediately close it with a snap. "A fair point." He conceded.
Hana gave a smug grin and took a seat before his desk, idly swiping up one of his many, many expense reports easily identified by the excessive amounts of red ink covering the page. She scanned the paper half-heartedly, whistling at the total near the bottom. "Damn, I know Nami no Kuni is bringing in a lot and that the House of Wolves gets a nice part of that-" It was something like forty percent, which was more than nice considering the fortunes that flowed through Nami's docks. "-but that's not a reason to throw away money." She started back up the page, paying more attention to the broad categories listed.
"What the hell does 'Tanuki Expenses' even mean? That isn't some bad plan to train war raccoons, is it?"
"Hmm? Oh, that's just what I started using for anything related to Tsukuyomi's son. He's got these dark rings around his eyes like a raccoon."
"...Wait, are you talking about Subaku no Gaara?" She had been at the Chūnin exams, damnit. That was the only person she had ever seen that she would describe as a raccoon.
"Yeah, that's him."
Hana was silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons before giving up with a shale of her head. "I'm not even going to ask how he ended up as part of Tsukuyomi's family, it will probably give me a headache."
"Good," Sai gave a nod. "Because I don't really understand it either."
An amused snort escaped the Inuzuka heiress before she returned her attention back to the page. "So I get that these are related to him, but why is the amount so damn high?"
"Well, it's not just him. His siblings and his father are currently with him."
"His father, the former Kazekage?"
"Yes."
She wanted to ask why the Kazekage wasn't paying. Former or not they had practically been royalty in Sunagakure for a good two decades. He was bound to have a good bit to his name, so why was Tsukuyomi paying?
Knowing she probably wouldn't get a satisfying answer, however, she decided instead to focus on a question Sai might actually be able to answer. "I thought Tsukuyomi-sama was his father?"
"He is." The energy seemed to drain from the commander just thinking about the situation. "His biological father, Rasa, is now considered by Gaara to be his grandfather...for some reason. His sister is apparently his mother and his brother is, well, I suppose that's the same. I only sent the Kazekage so he wouldn't be moping around here. He didn't take Hi no Kuni's annexing of Kaze no Kuni very well."
That was understandable for both Sai and the Kazekage, she thought.
"Even then, it shouldn't bee too expensive to support a small family. Where are they?"
"Vacation. Gaara wanted to see snow and his sist- erm, mother- wanted to visit Yu no Kuni for their resorts."
Hana blinked and glanced back down.
"How long have they been on vacation for?"
"Like a month."
A month? Godsdamn, that sounded incredible. What did she have to do to be considered Tsukuyomi's daughter in the same way this Gaara was his son? She'd be more than half-tempted to hook him up with her mother- age gap or no- for something like that. Hell, she would do that for a month relaxing in Tanzaku Gai and here he was sending his son for a month to Yu no Kuni, a country that ended up pulling in so much from their luxury resorts that they had gotten rid of their hidden village and simply paid neighboring countries for constant protection.
Three days in one of their mid-quality resorts would cost more than a month staying in Tanzaku Gai, and that assumed both heavy gambling and heavy losses in Hi no Kuni's most prominent gambling town.
She supposed that made sense, though.
If Tsukuyomi-sama was the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni than his son would be a prince. It was all but expected that he live a life of carefree luxury.
Of course, he was also a Shinobi with a rather bloody record at his young age which meant he could take care if himself too. What a combination.
"If that's the kind of vacation he sends his son on,you don't think he might be interested in getting to know my mother better, do you?"
Sai rose his brow again, amusement evident o his face. "Last I checked, she was interested in my sister," He pointed out. "But based on the woman in his life, I wouldn't say it's out of the realm of possibility."
"It's tempting." She admitted.
"You could just try to get close to Gaara if you're after the whole 'Hana-Hime' angle." Sai shrugged. "Or, you know, ask him for a vacation."
"You think he'd go for that?"
"Not for a month, no. He wouldn't trust me on my own that long. You could probably get a week though."
"Would that be before or after we do something for him?"
Sai's brow rose again. "You're really set on that, aren't you?" He drummed his fingers against the table for a few seconds and looked away in thought. "Look, I probably shouldn't be sharing this with you but there's another reason that trying to get Nami to appreciate him isn't really worth worrying over."
"Oh?" She leaned towards the desk as if it would make any noticeable difference to his next words.
"Konoha has been acting against the House of Wolves lately, as we learned in Mizu no Kuni. Our original deal with Yagura would have had us setting up a base there and we could have retreated to it if we needed to."
"But you already have Nami no Kuni, couldn't you retreat here?"
"We could, but that's a large burden on a small country especially as we'll be taking up valuable space that could have been put to better use as we expand. No, we don't want that to be our only option. Tsukuyomi-sama requested our input for relocation of the main body of the House of Wolves which means we won't be stationed here in Nami for much longer."
He paused for a second, catching her gaze.
"Like I've said, these are your people, Hana. I'm willing to bet that soon enough it will be your country, ruled in the name of Tsukuyomi-sama. If anything it should be your festivals and your name we incorporate."
"But...That's..." She tried wrapping her head around it, she really did, but being in control of an entire country? And if the House of Wolves was relocating that meant Sai was probably relocating to, so she would be in charge of the entire country by herself. She didn't know if she could do something like that.
"A lot to wrap your head around, I'm sure." Sai nodded. "It's probably better this was so you have some time to get used to the idea."
"I don't think I can do that."
"You can." Sai corrected her without a second's hesitation. "But we also won't be too far away, our best prospect is currently Yu no Kuni."
Oh, that wasn't too bad. They'd still be right near Nami no Kuni and able to help if she needed it. Just knowing that made her significantly more confident in her ability to make it work.
"Thanks."
"No problem, Hana-Hime."
"You're not going to drop that, are you?"
"Drop it? I might suggest it as the name of Nami no Kuni's city to Tsukuyomi."
"...You wouldn't dare."
"Try me, Hana-Hime"
Alright, I don't typically do ANs these days- or, at least, not very large ones- but I do have an announcement this week. Right after I launched my Patre0n I created a Discord for my Patrons which has grown in...interesting ways... over the last few weeks. While I am quite pleased with it, I do want to instill a greater sense of community.
The best way to do this, I feel, is to open it up to everyone else who's still reading my story. You probably see where this is going by now, but let me make it perfectly clear;
The Eyazahrid Community Discord- which I may need to change the name of at some point- is going to be publicly accessible as of January 1st, 2020.
Joining will require a link which I'll have available at Eyazahrid-dot-net, on my Twitter at Eyazahrid, and typed into the AN of chapter 107 (The public posting of which is 2020.01.05). The link on my page and on Twitter will be available on the first day of 2020 as soon as I wake up.
Granted, not everything in the Discord at this time will be available to public users. The Spoilers channel - where Patrons talk about the latest early release- for example will not be made available for obvious reasons, nor will the NSFW channels for an added layer of security. General chatter, game chat, fanfics suggested by readers like yourselves, music, memes, and a softcore 'Naughty' channel, however, will be.
There are two other channels I've given out to a couple of Patrons at their request and, well, enter at your own risk. The channels under the Personal Domains category I try to not interfere with too much.
We also have fishing and levels - courtesy of the Tatsumaki bot - if that's more your thing and a link to an idleRPG server where I think five of us have ever been active.
But wait, there's more!
In celebration of the Discord going public, on January 1st a Lemon I recently wrote will be available to all on my Patre0n page. It's not related to Sealkeeper at all but it's Naruto x Mito and the first Lemon I've written in over six years now. So at the beginning of the new year head on over to read it before dropping into the Discord to let me know how I did. They feedback I've received so far has been completely positive, but I don't know if more than those two people actually read it.
That should about do it for the AN, let's continue with our list of lovely Patrons who approved my idea to expand the Discord community at the cost of one of their exclusive Patron benefits.
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