Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 112-A "No Boys"
Patron Release 2020.03.02
It couldn't have been a minute after the little girl had ran away that Naruko was joined in the garden by a curious woman. She wasn't very tall- that was the first thing Naruko noticed about her- maybe half a head taller than Naruko herself, and even the slight heels she was wearing didn't add a whole lot.
The next thing Naruko made note of were her teal eyes which, honestly, were probably the most striking thing about her. She wasn't gorgeous- Naruko didn't think so, at least- but she was pretty in a plain sort of way. Naruko couldn't actually explain why she was pretty, she just was.
Her body was somewhere between the softness of a healthy civilian and the toned results of an average Kunoichi which, if she was being honest, would put her above your average civilian woman. There was just something about her that seemed more housewife than mercenary and it was hard to tell what it was.
Her hair was a light brown that came down to her shoulders and Naruko thought there might be just a hint of makeup on her face. Her skin was more pale than tan, but nothing especially noteworthy in either direction. Really, the way she seemed to be simultaneously "plain" and "pretty" was proving difficult for Naruko to wrap her head around.
In the end she decided to blame those eyes. Those were very pretty and, now that she thought about it, it was like seeing two beautiful flowers surrounded alone in a desert. The hair framing her face only seemed to support the image.
Soft curves of her face like dunes of sand and one corner of her lips rising like the sun….
Naruko suddenly realized she had been staring and the woman before her was smirking in amusement.
"Find something interesting, dear?"
"I've found quite a bit, actually." Naruko was able to admit easily enough, a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks. "I didn't know all of this was even possible."
"Oh?" The woman hid her smile behind a delicate hand and gave a soft giggle that the wind seemed keen on imitating. "That's a sweet thing to say and your wonder is just the cutest. First time in a seal, then?"
"Not the first, but it's the first time it's looked like this. The first time it was just a flooded basement with rubble everywhere."
"Hmm? The closest I know to that would be the connection between Mito's seal and my own, but there's no rubble there."
"Ah, no, it was within my seal. I didn't see any on Naruto's side."
The woman gave Naruko a strange look for a second, her head tilting ever so slightly to the side, and after a thoughtful frown her eyes lit up with realization. Before Naruko knew what was happening she found herself wrapped up in the woman's arms.
"It's good to meet you, Imouto-chan!" Naruko couldn't see the woman's lips anymore but she could certainly hear it in her voice. "I didn't think I'd ever get the opportunity."
"Imouto?" Asked the Uzumaki heiress.
"Oh, my bad." The woman released her from the hug but kept her hands on Naruko's shoulders as she gave her a beaming smile. "You've probably not heard of me, Naruto's been really busy lately. I'm Karura, your future sister in law."
…..What?
"Amaterasu-sama?" One of Mai's favorites poked his head in, hoping they weren't inturrupting anything important. The woman in question looked up from the work on her desk with a raised brow, her assistant in training doing the same in almost eerie synchronization.
"Yes?" The young woman prompted.
"An Inuzuka is here at the compound, he claims Tsume-sama sent him with something that needs to be urgently brought to your attention."
"What are you waiting for, then?" Mai's response was immediate. "If he's from Tsume then send him in." Not only was it important because Tsume was one of their allies and was supposed to be considered an equal in the partnership between the House of Wolves and the Inuzuka but it was important because it was from Tsume.
The woman was still a very dear friend, one whom Mai did still love deeply.
Only matters concerning Naruto and his well being would ever take precedence over something from Tsume.
"At once, Atamaratsu-sama." The Wolf ducked out of the room and was back in the space of thirty seconds, obviously having already escorted the man far into the compound. There was a reason he was one of her favorites.
The man in question was half-shaved -quite literally- and Mai could only assume the majority of the shaving cream whose remnants now clung desperately to his jaw was probably scattered over the path the man had taken to get there.
He was wearing pants- thankfully- but no shoes and no shirt, his chest still wet from a recent shower. He looked…..less than thrilled, really, but he had made his way regardless with news from Tsume.
"I understand Tsume has sent you?" Mai tried to disguise her excitement to hear from the woman while her future assistant did her damndest to hide her amusement at the man who had been more or less ripped from his shower to act as a messenger boy.
"Tsume-sama wanted you to be aware that Naruto-san stopped by for a visit earlier, Mai-sama, but when he went to leave citing forgetting something of urgent import he collapsed in her sitting room. Tsume-sama isn't worried but thought it best that you were made aware at the least."
Mai had risen from her seat the second the word "collapsed" left the man's lips and Hanabi started collecting the papers from the desk so they could be stored in the young woman's imminent absence.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, you're free to use one of the rooms here to...finish up...if you'd like. We'll find you a shirt you can wear back to the compound." The Wolf behind him gave a nod, understanding he'd need to secure a razor and a shirt for their guest.
"Uh, yeah, I'd appreciate it."
"This way then, please." The Wolf placed a hand on the Inuzuka's elbow and guided him out of the doorway just before Mai rushed out of it, Hanabi sticking her head out after her.
"Did you want me to come too?"
Mai paused mid-step and turned back to the room. On one hand it would be a chance for the girl to get out and if she was catching up with Tsume it would be nice to have someone sitting with Naruto until he woke up and- if necessary- escorting him back to the apartment.
Hanabi was also supposed to remain hidden for the time being and she didn't think the girl needed any hints about the relationship mai had with Tsume previously. Maybe when they were a bit closer.
"No, that won't be necessary. I'll be back before dark, you can use this time as you like."
Hanabi gave a disappointed nod and retreated back into the office as Mai resumed her brisk pace out of the apartment. As she turned the corner Hanabi looked up at the Wolf. "When he's taken care of can you come back to the office please?"
"Of course, Hanabi-sama. It should only be a few minutes."
The Inuzuka man looked down at the former Hyuuga heiress, noticing her presence for the first time, and his eyes widened as he realized who he was seeing.
"Hyuuga Hanabi?" He asked in surprise. "I heard you had gone missing during Suna's invasion!"
"I've been kept very safe, thank you." She responded politely but tersely, making it obvious she had no intention to discuss the matter. "If you need something please call on one of the Wolves, we've very relieved to know that Naruto-sama is safe in the care of the Inuzuka clan."
With her piece said she returned to her place behind Mai's desk and pulled out a stack of completed paperwork, scowling at how disorganized it was. She was going to be fixing that and soon.
The Wolf reached over and closed the office door before turning back to their guest. "I do believe you're in need of a good razer, I'll see what I can find." His hand moved from the Inuzuka's arm to his shoulder as he guided him down the hallway to the nearest vacant room.
Hanabi probably wouldn't have been his first choice when looking for a potential assistant for Mai but fom what he had been seeing she was going to be a good fit.
Now they just needed to figure out a name for her, too.
"And remember-"
"Yes, yes. No boys. You've said it about a dozen times just today, Zabuza-sama." Haku interrupted with a roll of her eyes.
"I was going to saw 'use protection' and 'don't do anything I woudn't do' but yes, that too. No boys."
Haku gave him a blank look. "What kind of protection, exactly, do you expect me to use if I'm supposed to stay away from boys?"
"The best protection is abstenance." Zabuza nodded sagely, earning a slap to his arm from a scowling Mei.
"Leave the poor girl alone, she has to experience life sooner or later. Just be glad she's not interested in boys."
Haku hoped Zabuza didn't see the dusting of pink that spread over her pale cheeks but based on the widening eyes of her Kage and the conspiratorial wink she sent to the last of the Yuki clan Haku was pretty sure Mei had noticed. Damn.
The Hyoton user liked women, that was certain, but she couldn't help it if she was just the tiniest bit curious about men, too. She'd be lying if she said this wasn't the best opportunity she was going to get to sate that curiosity but it wasn't anything she cared too much about. Now that Mei knew about it, however, she'd probably never hear the end of it.
Damn that woman.
"Yeah," Zabuza grumbled. "At least there's that. Have fun, I guess." His shoulders slumped a little bit, his eyes softening. "Stay safe, Haku."
She had to get up on her toes but she reached up to give her father a quick peck to his bandaged cheek. "You don't have to worry about me, Zabuza-sama. You trained me, remember?"
That was exactly why Zabuza was worried. He had taught her well enough to get out of trouble, sure, but he wasn't exactly any sort of role model for not getting into trouble in the first place.
"...Yeah, yeah I did."
Mei's raised brow and expectant look made it clear that her thoughts were in the same vein.
"Just...remember all those times I've tried diplomacy?"
"Yes, Zabuza-sama." He wasn't suggesting she actually copy his example, was he?
"Don't do that." Ah, yes, that sounded more sensible. "In fact, do the opposite."
"It's fine, Zabuza-sama." Haku assured him. "I've been doing that for years."
The Demon gave a nod. "Good, goo- Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing, Zabuza-sama." With a wave and a mirror of ice Haku vanished from sight.
Mei and Zabuza stared at the mirror as it slowly dissolved and then at the space it had occupied for several long moments before Zabuza's gruff voice broke the silence.
"I blame her attitude on you, you know."
"Excuse you?" A delicate brow arched up in response. "You were the one raising her as you galavanted around the elemental nations."
"Yeah, I know." He agreed. "It just makes me feel better."
"I have no idea how you of all people managed to raise such a lovely young woman."
"What?" He scoffed. "You think I do? It's a goddamn miracle."
"That, Zabuza, I think we can agree on."
"Erm, 'future sister in law'?" Narko asked with a nervous laugh."What do you mean?"
The woman gave her a smile Naruko could only really describe as "wicked". "Naruto-kun is your brother, isn't he?"
"Yeah, he is."
"Well I'm the mother of his children. We're not really married but we might as well be and that makes us family, Imouto-chan."
He had- Naruko was suddenly reminded of Gaara from the Chunin exams calling her "Auntie" and was going to let out a groan when she made an important observation.
"Wait, children? Plural?"
"Hmm? Well, yes. I believe you've seen Isobu-chan already." Karura turned behind her. "Come out, Isobu-chan, come meet your other auntie."
….Other auntie? Did she really even want to ask?
...Maybe later, after her other questions had been answered.
The little girl Naruko had seen earlier popped her head out from behind a wall of the distant palace and observed the two of them for a bit before slowly emerging and walking cautiously over to her mother and the strange lady that had appeared in their home. She stopped behind Karura's legs and peered up at Naruto with tilted head.
After another few seconds she offered a hesitant wave and a barely audible "Hello".
Naruko returned the wave. "Hello there, Isobu-chan. How are you?"
"...Good."
"Oh, well, that's….good." She really didn't know where to go from there. This was supposed to be her niece, of sorts, but Naruko hadn't really been prepared for such a meeting. In fact, she hadn't been expecting any of this today.
"Alright, why don't you go off and work on one of your sandcastles, Isobu-chan? Your auntie and I are going to be talking for a bit."
Isobu gave a nod of agreement and ran off, her bare feet slapping the white marble floors. If nothing else, Naruko could admit that the girl was cute she just wasn't sold on the whole "being an aunt" thing.
"...So Isobu and Gaara, huh?" Naruko continued awkwardly. Karura's eyes lit up at the sound of her son's name.
"You know Gaara?"
"Erm, we met in the Chunin exams. His team helped mine during the second exam." Karura seemed absolutely delighted.
"Oh, that's wonderful. I'm glad you two are already makes things much easier."
"Yeah…." Naruko agreed "He was really…..helpful."
"Yes, he's such a good boy, isn't he?"
"Absolutely. Erm, I actually came here because I had some questions, if you don't mind."
"Oh, not at all. We're family, after all, and family sticks together. I'm here for you whenever you have questions." Karura grabbed Naruko's hand and started pulling her to one of the benches in the garden. "Come on, let me know what you're having trouble with. Is it a boy? I bet it's a boy."
"...It's not a boy…."
Karura looked over her shoulder with a disappointed pout. "Oh well, I can always hope." A sudden realization flashed across her face. "Oh dear, I never got your name, did I?"
"...Naruko."
What the hell had she gotten herself into? Maybe she should have listened to Mito and stayed on the other side of the bars.
Yeah, that was Naruto alright and he was most certainly not conscious at the moment.
Mai stared down at Naruto's sleeping- as far as she could tell- form with a mixture of fondness and exasperation. How did he keep getting himself into these situations? At least it had been near someone they trusted, the Wolves probably would have freaked out if Naruto simply hadn't returned.
"Thanks for letting me know, Tsume." Mai looked over he shoulder to address the woman leaning against the doorframe. "I don't know why he collapsed but I'll be having words with him about it when he wakes up."
"Give him a chance to explain, at least." Tsume frowned. "I don't think he intended to. He was saying he forgot something important right before he fell."
"Oh, he'll explain alright." Mai's fists rested on her hips. "We didn't' even know he had gone out and he didn't take a single Wolf with him. I'll have to glue Katsuri to his hip for this. She'll be happy to be around him and one pleading look from her and he'll feel too guilty to send her away."
Tsume threw her head back with a bark of laughter. "For being so high up he hierarchy you sure have him wrapped around your fingers, huh?"
"He's not that hard to figure out," Mai smiled. With another glance to the sleeping young man she turned to face Tsume fully. "It's just that the methods we employ don't always keep him out of trouble."
"Is he the one looking for it? Sounds like it may be stalking him."
"It's only stalking him because he keeps trying to court it." Mai countered. "Considering how he practically invites trouble to share his bed I don't think it can even be called stalking at all." That was probably both literally and figuratively Mai noted. It wasn't hard to get into his bed- or his pants- and most of the women he surrounded himself with could definitely be called trouble.
Orochimaru was a prime example.
"Ha! I guess that's why he needs you around, huh Mai?" Tsume chuckled. "Someone to drag his ass out of the fire."
"Something like that." She smiled. "Come on, let's let him rest."
Tsume backed out of the room so Mai could exit, closing the door behind her.
"Yeah," The Inuzuka matriarch agreed. "I don't think he should be out for too long. Did you want to stay?"
"Of course," Mai slipped one o her arms around the woman and squeezed her in a half-hug. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to spend much time with you, I've been busy worrying about those fires he keeps throwing himself into."
Tsume released another bark of laughter. "I understand, when Kiba started walking I spent my whole damn day trying to keep him out of trouble but I didn't have an entire clan enabling him."
That earned a soft giggle from Mai. "It feels like that, sometimes. The Wolves absolutely adore him and will happily join in on whatever he's decided is a good idea without question. I have to give him credit, though. For as much as trouble loves him he's always looking out for the Wolves first. I think it would be fair to say he adores them more than they do him."
Tsume gave a small smile at that, even if it wasn't directed at her the fodness that shone in Mai's eyes as she spoke about Naruto filled her heart with warmth. There was a slight bitterness to it, Tsume wouldn't even try to deny that, but she could still be happy that Mai was happy.
She just wished she could play a larger part in it.
"Well, that's what family does, isn't it? Supports itself through thick and thin? I'm glad he was able to find one in the Wolves."
"Yeah, me too." Mai looked up to her with a bright smile. "But I think we'll leave talk about Naruto for when he's awake, what have you been up to?"
"Nothing as exciting as you, I'm sure. Just boring clan shit."
Mai gave another giggle. "Sometimes that sounds wonderful, I could use a vacation.
Both were slightly surprised when Tsume's loud barks of laughter didn't wake Naruto up.
"So what were those questions, dear?" Despite claiming they were now sisters, Karura seemed determined to treat Naruko as a daughter or, perhaps, a niece. Naruko was half convinced it was simply the woman's personality and half convinced that it was because the woman simply seemed older. She didn't look it by any means, Naruko might say twenty-six at the most, but the way she held herself made Naruko envision someone in their late thirties, perhaps early forties.
But, again, she didn't know how much of that was just the women's personality.
Nor did she actually know the woman's age and she wasn't about to ask.
"It was about the seal, mostly. My side was acting weird so I went to Mito to see what was going on but beyond saying it was from other Biju visiting her she wouldn't answer my questions."
"Weird?"
"Mito says I was just feeling the Sanbi's chakra but wouldn't tell me how that was possible."
"Ah!" Karura's eyes brightened with understanding. "Yes, Isobu did draw on some of her Chakra as I introduced her to her aunt Mito. I'm sorry if that caused any problems."
"Isobu-" Naruko blinked in surprise. "Are- are you saying that Isobu is the Sanbi?"
"Of course, why else would she be here?"
That actually led into a lot of Naruko's other questions but she was still trying to wrap her head around that shy little girl being a Biju. "But she's just a little girl, the Sanbi is supposed to be a giant turtle!"
"Oh?" Karura hid her mouth behind a hand as she giggled softly. "Do you really think we spend all our time in such inconvenient forms? The world isn't that large, we start to feel a bit squished and don't get me started on avoiding humans. You people are everywhere, if we don't look before we lie down we'll crush a town."
"We- you're one too?!"
Karura gave a surprised blink of her own. "Oh dear, I suppose I didn't really introduce myself all that well. I assumed you knew after you mentioned Gaara. He was my Jinchuriki, you know. I'm Karura, the Ichibi."
A bushy tail peeked out from behind the woman and Naruko wondered if it had been there the whole time. In the end she decided it couldn't have been, how the hell could she have missed that?
Karura seemed to understand the question in her eyes before she actually said anything.
"I can bring out any parts I want." Karura explained as two ears peeked out from her hair. "It's one of the perks of being able to choose our bodies."
"Choose? How does that work, wouldn't you just have a form you were….er….born with?"
"I do." Karura rose a brow as a look of amusement settled over her soft features. "It happens to be a malleable mass of yellow Chakra."
"Oh." Yeah, that's really what a Biju was, wasn't it? Cheeks burning Naruko scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, forgot about that." A sudden thought struck her. "Hey, so if you were just a mass of Chakra how'd you come to be a Tanuki?"
Karura clapped her hand together in delight, her teal eyes sparkling. Evidently that was the right sort of question to ask if Naruko wanted information.
"I'm sure Mito would talk your ear off about it - personally I think she's had way too much time to contemplate our existence being the first one sealed an all- but I'll keep it nice and brief for you."
Despite her words, everything about her seemed to scream that she was beyond excited to be able to share the story with someone. Naruko had to try very hard to keep the thought of "sisterly bonding" far, far from her mind. She only partially succeeded but at least that brought it down to just "bonding".
The idea of bonding with a Biju was weird but not as weird as it being an inlaw.
"We all started as Chakra, but not normal Chakra. Your Chakra is made of spiritual and mental energies combined, whereas ours was elemental in nature. We tended to go to places where those elements were plentiful because they felt more comfortable and for the most part we adapted forms of the animals we found there.
Of course, we were still giant masses of Chakra and the thought of making ourselves smaller never occurred to us. What was the point? We'd learn later that the point would be to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. You can imagine that as giant animals of immense power we most certainly gained the attention of humans.
We did benefit from that, though, because it brought humans to our attention. Humans were much more interesting than the animals we were around so some of us would take their form to get closer and even those who didn't still kept a close eye on these new, strange beings to better avoid them.
Regardless, we learned from your people and started to think and act more similarly going from animal gods to the gods of men."
"Gods of men?" Asked Naruko as she leaned forward. "I've never heard of the Biju being worshiped as gods."
"I'd be surprised if you had, it was a very long time ago." A wistful look entered Karura's eyes, flashes of better times running through her head. Well, better times for the others, she was quite happy with how things had played out so far. "We were more rare back then simply because you humans didn't interact much. You all had your little groups and tribes so joining even for a single night of celebration was sometimes very difficult if we didn't want to be noticed."
"I thought you hadn't cared about being subtle?"
"We couldn't exactly join in on the festivities if everyone runs away screaming at our arrival or threw themselves to the ground in worship, could we?" It was clear to Naruko that Karura was enjoying this quite a lot. "And it really depended on the group. Some welcomed us with praise and adoration and others would prepare to try fighting us. It was amusing but ultimately futile. You humans didn't even have Chakra back then, what could you hope to do against our might?
"As you all started to create towns and cities and people flowed from one to the other it was easier for us to join you but the stories of the wandering deities visiting in the night faded away. We became even more human when we could spend so much time around you but we were never quite right and people would catch onto us every so often. Eventually most of us decided it wasn't worth the trouble of blending in only to be sussed out and have to start all over again.
"You were all also quite obsessed with money and trade around that time, neither of which we really had nor cared to obtain. We didn't really need to eat and shelter was more of a comfort than anything else but our lack of money was noticed so we started to go out less and less. In time you forgot all about us and we, in turn, stopped paying any attention to the matters of men."
Karura frowned deeply. "That was probably a mistake." She admitted. "Time flows fast when you're immortal, we knew that, but we hadn't really understood just how fast humans grow and spread until we looked back at you and the entire world was crawling with you."
"You had managed to obtain CHakra, too, and that was a surprise. I think some of the others still kept enough of an eye on you that they knew but most of us had no idea before humans were suddenly a legitimate threat."
A wicked grin spread over her lips as amusement danced in her eyes. "Mito I know for a fact never stopped watching and yet she still ended up being the first one sealed. Granted it was a giant statue of herself and only held her for a few years but it's still something I can hold over her." The grin turned into a frown and she mumbled. "Until she brings up the tea kettle….."
"Anyway," Karura clapped her hands together to clear the thought from her head as she returned to a brighter mood. "I think that about covers it. What was the question again?"
Naruko gave the woman- Biju- a blank look for a few seconds before releasing a soft sigh. "...How you came to have animal forms."
"Oh, right." The Tanuki smiled broadly. "Well, I'd say we've covered that pretty well then, wouldn't you?"
"...And then some." Naruko mumbled. With a twitch of her ears Karura's eyes narrowed and her smile went from happy to looking forced.
"I'm sorry, what was that Naruko-chan?"
"Uh, nothing." A nervous laugh left her lips. "Just thinking to myself."
"Mmmhmmm." Karura didn't seem to believe her but she moved on all the same. "So did that answer all your questions?"
"About the Biju in general, I guess." She could still think of a few but if that was Karura keeping things brief- though Naruko doubted very much that she had succeeded- she really didn't want to know what a full explanation would entail. "But I'm still wondering why your seal is connected to Mito's and how you met my brother."
"Hmm?" Karura gave her a curious look. "Of course our seals would be connected, They're both on Naruto."
Wait…..what?
"You're sealed in Naruto-Nii?" Naruko tried to clarify. He was much older than should be possible for a safe sealing and her mother would have mentioned something if her brother had also held a Biju in addition to helping her contain Mito. There was also the fact that Suna had been in possession of the Ichibi last she had heard.
"Yes, where else would I be?"
"But...how? When? He should be too old to be able to handle having a Biju sealed into him."
Karura gave her a disappointed look. "He's always had a Biju in him, dear. What are a couple more?" It was Naruto, there wasn't a damn thing he couldn't do as far as Karura was concerned.
"….Couple?"
"Really, dear," Karura rolled her eyes. "How do you think Isobu ended up in the seal too? We're all within Naruto right now, yourself included technically." A thoughtful frown crossed her face for a second as she observed the shocked Uzumaki heir. "Hmm, if you've managed it I suppose that means it should be fine for Gaara to meet his aunty Mito. I was wondering about that but I haven't wanted to bother Naruto, he's been really busy lately."
"Yeah, I really have been." The voice was noticeably deeper than the two women and their attention instantly moved to the red headed young man entering the gardens with an Isobu hugging his leg.. "Sorry I haven't been visiting much, Karura."
He paused several feet away as Karura's entire face brightened considerably and gently ruffled Isobu's hair as she nuzzled into him. "Naruko." He greeted her plainly. "I didn't expect to run into you here."
"Erm, morning?" She offered in return uncertainly, scratching the back of her head out of habit.
"I'd say we're probably a fair bit beyond that at this point. I was not aware you could even enter my seal."
"Heh, guess that makes two of us?"
From the look he shot her he wasn't amused in the slightest. "Quite."
She was going to have some explaining to do.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 112-B "Fun With Mito"
Patron Release 2020.03.09
"Wait, what do you mean whoever's on guard duty divvies up the paperwork?" Hanabi gave a disbelieving- and half-horrified- stare at the Wolf that had returned to Mai's office. It had been a perfect time to figure out how this administrative nightmare had managed to go on for so long.
Beyond the grace of the gods, of course, because she was certain it should have collapsed long ago. The administrative side, mind you, the Wolves would still exist regardless but the logistics to keep them efficient would have been next to useless.
"It comes in a crate and whoever signs for the crate split it in half," He paused before correcting himself "...-Ish…..and then sends it to their desks. When we're present we just deliver it to their desks personally, depending on whose desk is more appropriate."
"And who determines that?"
"What?"
"Who determines where it's most appropriate?"
"...We…..do…..?" The Wolf had a suspicious feeling that was the wrong answer, supported by the shades of red that were starting to make themselves known on Hanabi's face.
With a deep breath Hanabi managed to maintain control over the outburst she desperately wanted to release. "Get. Mai's. Wolves." She ordered shortly. Even when she had simply been a guest it was painfully obvious that the woman had her own favored Wolves though no one seemed to say anything about it.
She wondered if they still thought they were subtle when they had routines like clockwork.
The problem now seemed to be that all that clockwork was simply set up to help Mai do all the work she had rather than allowing it to be done more efficiently.
Hanabi would be fixing that and, considering Mai already had her Wolves trained to work on schedules and procedures the rest seemed to disregard, it shouldn't be nearly as difficult as building up all the clockwork herself.
"Hanabi-sama?"
"Get. Mai's. Wolves." She repeated with a glare. "We're fixing this, now." It was no wonder there was so much work to be done, it wasn't getting done properly.
"O-of course, Hanabi-sama. I'll see who's available." The Wolf gave a hasty bow as he retreated from the office and Hanabi rolled her eyes- though it was probably hard for non-Hyuuga to tell- at his back.
Most of the Wolves here were Mai's favored and it didn't seem to have changed much with those who had recently returned. She had her suspicions both as to why they had been left here and why those who were taken had been brought back. Of course, the easiest answer was that Mai was here in Konoha. If anyone was going to be left with her it only made sense that it was her own Wolves.
But regardless of any other divide that may or may not exist, Hanabi was about to make one. She couldn't wait to see the look on Mai's face when she had turned her Wolves into an admin team the reduced her own workload to a trickle.
Some part of her reminded Hanabi that for an organization that just sort of...happened...without any initial groundwork or planning- so she had heard, though she had no idea why it would have come together in that case- they had thrown things together in a workable- if messy and horribly inefficient- way. They also didn't have the benefits- again, as far as she could tell- of having been raised among the very organized Hyuuga clan nor were they being trained to take it over.
The Wolves had been managing to make things work through will and determination alone, Hanabi knew how to make things work.
And the best part?
She wasn't sitting on that damn counter anymore.
Oh yes, things were looking up.
Hey, if she was Mai's assistant and Mai had her own Wolves was Hanabi going to get a wolf or two too? She frowned slightly in thought. Did she want her own?
They seemed like a lot of responsibility, like caring for puppies. Hanabi didn't know if she had the energy to both look after them and completely restructure their administration and logistics.
Maybe once everything else was sorted, then.
Karura only lasted a few seconds before she threw herself into Naruto's arms and he seemed willing enough to accept her into them. The…..family…..-gods that was strange for Naruko to think-spent a few moments just enjoying each other's presence before Naruto turned his attention to his biological sister again.
"I see you've met Karura and my daughter."
"I have." Naruko nodded. "They're very lovely." Mother and daughter both flashed her a smile for that, though Isobu's was much more small and shy than her confident mother's.
"Yes, they are indeed." One hand reached down to pat Isobu on the head while the other squeezed Karura's waist closer to his body. "So you may understand why I'm a bit protective of them and the world I've built for them."
Oh, so that's where he was going with this. Naruko cursed herself for not recognizing it sooner and wondered how this would affect repairing relations with her brother. At the moment? Probably poorly, to be honest. But longterm Karura seemed to like her so maybe having her….sister in law….on her side would help Her brother warm back up to her.
And, really, visits involving his family were going to have more of an impact than visiting with Jiraiya, who was little more than an acquaintance to the both of them.
"Why are you here, Uzumaki?"
Oh, he was bringing out the clan name. Yeah, he wasn't very happy right now despite his family currently clinging to them. Or maybe because? He had already said he was protective- and Naruko had known that since they were kids, thank you- and he wasn't pleased that someone was in his seal uninvited. Those two things were probably compounding on his bad mood and there was no telling if things on the outside world were irritating him too.
All in all, not a good combination but Naruko was willing to bet she'd probably be in a better position if Karura and Isobu weren't in the room.
With them here, however, she figured her next best option was to be honest as possible which, considering she had nothing to really hide, wasn't going to be an issue.
"My seal felt weird last night so I stopped in to speak with Mito. She mentioned she had been visited by other Biju but wouldn't explain how so I got curious."
His purple eyes continued to stare at her in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time.
"...Sorry?" She offered with a nervous grin.
"Mito wouldn't say?" He asked with a frown. He hadn't been trying to keep it a secret- granted, he hadn't really expected to need to keep it a secret. Who else would ever know?- but he supposed she might not know what he did and did not want spread around.
He could appreciate that.
"Hm? No, she wouldn't. Said it was your business and not for her to divulge or something. Didn't want me coming over here, either."
"It is rather...rude….to enter uninvited," Naruto agreed with Mito. "But I can understand the temptation, I suppose. You always were curious."
Naruko's beaming smile turned into a pout as he continued his statement.
"And far too oblivious of consequences to think before sating it."
"Hey!" Naruko's fists found comfortable positions on her hips in the natural pose of Uzumaki women. "I've gotten better." She declared. "Besides, not like you added a knocker or something outside her palace….." Her thoughts suddenly took a different direction as her incedulusness faded away. "Say, how did you change things here? I didn't even know it was possible."
"I hadn't expected a knocker might be necessary within my mental representation of the seal." He commented dryly. "It's not exactly a place intended to entertain guests." Despite that, he did have a lot of people within his mind now that he considered it. That was pretty strange, actually.
Naruko gave another nervous grin and scratched the back of her head uncertainly in response to his first answer. With a small sigh he continued.
"And because it was my half of the seal I simply decided what I wanted things to look like…..I guess."
"What?"
"What?"
"You said 'You guess', is that how you did it or not?"
Slender shoulders shrugged uncaringly. "I assume so, I don't recall doing anything else." He said that but he was also very aware of the seal covering his arm and what it could do, particularly in the area of sealing. It was quite possible that it had something to do with his ability to change the mental representation of the seal. Or perhaps it was simply his privilege as the Warden. Who knew?
"But Mito's seal is changed on my half of the bars."
Naruto blinked twice as he processed that. "...So it is."
"So how did you change things on my side?"
"By deciding what I wanted it to look like….." he repeated. "It would probably be more productive to try changing it yourself before asking more question."
She huffed a frown and crossed her arms over her chest but dropped the subject as she recognized the sense in his suggestion.
"Yeah, I guess I'll give it a try later."
"As you will." Naruto nodded. "Now, has your curiosity been satisfied?"
Before Naruko could answer a pouting Karura spoke up.
"Mou~, don't tell me you're trying to kick Naruko-chan out of my palace, beloved." She looked up at him almost pleadingly. "I don't get many guests."
Naruko could see the resolve drain away from her brother's face and practically hear him sigh internally.
"When did she become your guest, Karura?"
"When I didn't kick her out?"
He stared down at her for a few seconds of silence, purple meeting teal.
"...Very well." There was a loud crash in the distance accompanied by a brief sound of splashing water and a startled yelp. "It is your palace, Karura. Do as you like."
Before Naruko knew it she was watching as an excited Karura had leapt onto her brother, thrown her arms around his neck, and began attacking his lips. Naruto didn't seem to mind in the slightest, his hands coming down to her thighs to hold her up.
Naruko glanced down at Isobu as the little girl took a few steps back from the...couple….
Gods that was strange to think about.
Despite stepping away Isobu stared up at the two, mismatched eyes wide in wonder, but it was obvious she wasn't bothered by this either. In fact, she seemed happy to watch the two express their affection. Or, at the very least, to watch Karura express her gratitude.
Naruko was...less than comfortable, honestly.
By the time the two had finished Naruko found herself wondering if she wanted to remain as a guest or if she should just see herself out.
Karura's feet we set back onto the floor but she kept her arms around Naruto's neck. "Will you be staying long, beloved?"
"No, I need to get back as soon as possible. This visit was...not planned." He admitted. "I'm sure by now I've worried more than a few people." Considering he dropped right in front of Tsume, that was probably more than accurate. He would be lying if he said he didn't expect a glaring Mai to be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes.
Karura pouted for a second before a mischievous smile slowly spread across her lips. One hand dropped from his neck to his chest where her fingers began to lightly caress his skin. "Are you certain you can't stay for a bit, beloved? There's so much we could do together while you're here." She purred.
Naruto's eyes moved from hers to Naruko and then Isobu before returning to Karura, one brow rising in silent question.
"Your sister can watch Isobu for us?" She suggested, turning to Naruko hopefully.
Naruko wasn't sure if she was more bothered by hearing the woman proposition her brother or by how domestic the scene seemed when her sister in law was asking her to watch her….niece….so the two could have some private time.
"Erm….I should probably be going too. I don't know how long it's been since I stopped in to visit Mito…"
Either way, she didn't even want to know about her brother getting into...that sort of stuff….let alone be in the same building or, worse yet, be enabling it.
"Aw, please?" Karura begged, fluttering lashes over striking teal eyes. "It would mean a lot to me….."
"M-maybe Mito could watch her?" She suggested lamely. Karura perked up at that.
"Ah! Perfect!" She declared with a victorious cheer. "And she's always available, that means we can have some fun whenever we like, Na-ru-to-sa-ma."
"Or you could have some fum with Mito." Naruto suggested offhandedly. "Regardless, I need to get going." With a quick peck to Karura's lips he knelt down with open arms to invite Isobu in for a hug, an opportunity she took with a running leap. Spinning her around twice he kissed her cheek before resting her on his hip.
"Daddy has to take care of things outside still, you'll be good for Mommy while I'm away won't you Isobu-hime?" His answer was a confident nod from the young girl who leaned in to place her own kiss on his cheek. "That's my little princess." Handing her over to her mother Naruto glanced at his biological sister.
"As Karura seems to be fond of your company you may come and go as you please within her palace. The rest of my mindscape is unquestioningly off limits and if Mito doesn't like you trepeasing through her home please respect that."
He didn't wait for any sort of response before he faded away to deal with the problems his impromptu visit had inevitably caused.
The three remained in silence for a few seconds before Karura's musings convinced Naruko that she had probably outstayed her welcome.
"...Fun with Mito, huh?"
Much to his surprise he had both been able to force himself awake from the sealscape- that had really just been a shot in the dark- and Mai was not standing at the end of the bed with arms crossed and hip cocked giving him a glare that in all rights should reduce him to ash.
What did not surprise him was the splitting headache that accompanied his return to consciousness. The only positive side to this was that this clone hadn't been active for anywhere close to as long as the one that had dispelled while he was in Kirigakure.
With a glowing green hand he set to work massaging his temples until the headache faded to a dull throb in the background. That was as far as he was going to be able to get both with his level of skill and against something that should probably still have him knocked out cold right now.
Even so, it was something entirely manageable as far as he was concerned. Using his other arm to prop himself up in an unfamiliar bed he continued rubbing his temples for a few seconds after the glow had faded. The hand dropped and he allowed himself to take stock of his situation.
He was shirtless, that was the first thing he noticed, and there was a bandage wrapped around his head loosely- it had probably been tighter when it was first applied- that he quickly discarded. His shoes were off- he could see them next to the bed from the corner of his eye- but his pants had remained on.
That was a good sign, usually.
Using his free hand he threw the fluffy white comforter off to one side and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Wasting no time his shoes were back on and he was halfway to the door. His shirt- he could guess- had probably ended up with blood on it so he wasn't likely to find it in the room unless he had been out of it for longer than he realized.
Normally he'd have to reclaim his shoes near the entrance of any sort of clan home, too, but he was fortunate enough to be in the Inuzuka compound- for multiple reasons, actually- and they weren't concerned with rules and niceties. He was rather thankful for that, with shoes and pants he really didn't have to worry about any other clothing and with his Chakra chains he was always armed.
Despite not actually knowing the layout of the home personally it wasn't that hard to find the main room where he had fallen- there was still a bit of blood on the coffee table but it looked like any that may have gotten on the furrs that covered the floor had been successfully removed. Well, that or the pelt had been replaced. That wasn't' a bad system, really, he'd keep it in mind.
From the main room he had a slightly better idea of where things were. The room he had come from- either a guest room or one of Tsume's childrens' - were accessed by passing through the kitchen. He had seen a dining room off to the side but didn't see further hallways. He knew the entry way was off to one side which meant the stairway between the kitchen and the main room- separated from the mainroom by a wall of bookshelves, which seemed uncharacteristic of the Inuzuka clan but who was he to judge?- had to lead to Tsume's bedroom and her office.
Unless those were in a basement of some kind, but most clans didn't really care for them in their compounds beyond perhaps a singular treasury or a hidden library of the head.
Briefly he debated just leaving the compound and heading back home but knowing how rude that would be resigned himself to seek out Tsume to thank her and inform her of his departure. Really, he just wanted to go home and take a nap until the last of the headache left him.
With a sigh he headed up the stairs where, as expected, he was greeted by two doors. The door to the right- over the dining room if he recalled correctly- was currently open and he could see a desk within with scattered papers. Tsume might get all her work done but she was about as organized and propper about it as one might expect of such a wild woman. Naruto couldn't really judge. If it worked it worked, just look at the system between Mai, Sai, and himself.
It was an act of the gods that anything got where it was supposed to go.
The left door was closed and he could hear the soft murmurs of conversation from within. Already knowing that Tsume had been Mai's first he wasn't really that surprised that the two were in her bedroom. He paused for a second, listening to words he couldn't' quite make out just long enough to decide they weren't currently engaged in anything he might intrude on before giving a quick rap on the door.
He gave them a second or two to grab a blanket- should it be necessary- before he opened the door and took a single step into the room. He was Tsukuyomi, he didn't pop his head in like a child looking for comfort after a nightmare.
"N-naruto-kun!"
Perhaps he hadn't given them quite enough time. Mai was topless- and perhaps completely naked- as she laid on the bed facing the door and Tsume was straddling the young woman's lower back with her bathrobe completely open and tight pants protesting the position she had chosen. One of Tsume's hands was up near Mai's neck while the other had dipped far enough to the side of Mai's shoulder blade that the tips of her fingers were probably feathering against his second in command's breast.
He took this in for a second- Mai had good taste, he was reminded- before dipping his head briefly towards the two women.
"My apologies for the interruption and the earlier inconvenience, Tsume. I appreciate the aid you've given me and hope I didn't startle you too much. I really must be going but you have my deepest gratitude for your hospitality." His eyes flickered over to a frozen Mai. "I'll see you back home when you've finished." And to both of them. "I'll see myself out, don't stop on my account."
With that he stepped back out of the room, closing the door with a soft click, and headed back down the stairs.
Maybe he'd seek out Shizune before that nap.
Or maybe not.
He was already going to have one black haired young woman berating him later, he didn't need to double it.
"I'm telling you, Mai, you're working yourself too hard." Tsume's fingers dug firmly into Mai's pale skin, working knots out of muscles the young woman didn't even know she had. "You're going to drive yourself into the ground at this rate."
"Mmmmmn"
Tsume wasn't sure if it was agreement or protest but she did know Mai was enjoying it and thaty was reason enough to continue. After a few more knotts Mai managed to regain her ability to form coherent words and responded.
"N-naruuuuuuuuuuu, Naruto found me an aaaaaaaaaaaaassistant recently."
"Oh?" Tsume rose a brow but didn't let up. "That's good. How are they doing?"
"Leaaaaaarninggggg quicklyyyyyyyy" Mai's body shuddered beneath her. "G-gods, Tsume. That's amaaaaaaaazing."
"I am." Tsume agreed with a wolfish grin but it quickly melted into a slightly concerned frown. "But it wouldn't get this bad if you visited more often."
The mood turned from playful to somber and as seconds dragged on Tsume's fingers moved more slowly until they eventually stopped completely. "...Sorry." The Inuzuka matriarch apologized. "I shouldn't have brought that up."
"No, no." Mai shook her head. "I'm sorry, Tsume. You're right, I haven't been by much."
"You're busy," The older woman tried to brush it off. "I understand that. I only have to run the Inuzuka, you're in charge of much more."
Mai's shaking head became more vigorous. "No, Tsume. Busy or not, it's not fair to you. My workload hasn't changed that much and I used to make much more time for you. I'll start coming by more often, I promise."
"...Thanks, Mai. I'd like that." She'd never actually admit it- and before Mai she hadn't even known- but she was lonely. Hana was off in Nami no Kuni and Kiba spent most of his time with his team leaving Tsume here alone in the house she had raised her family in. Mai's visits had brought her companionship she didn't know she was missing but that became even more noticeable when she too stopped visiting as much.
There was also the fact that even though Tsume knew damn well that Mai had managed to get with Naruto like she wanted the Inuzuka Matriarch still harbored feelings of her own for the young woman. She couldn't help it.
When Mai was here she could pretend- even if just briefly- that she was the one with Mai, not Naruto. It was a bit selfish, perhaps, but Tsume thought she deserved at least that small delusion every so often, even if it faded away to reality whenever Mai left.
But on the thought of having Mai all to herself….
As movement returned to Tsume's fingers the force they had used to undo Mai's stress was nowhere to be felt, replaced instead by light strokes and careful caresses of the young woman's pale skin. Mai noticed immediately- Tsume was sure of it- but she didn't say anything, just laid her head back onto the bed with a content sigh.
Tsume would admit that her hands were starting to stray a bit farther than was really appropriate but with a beautiful young lady beneath her and air of her ceiling fan caressing her own exposed chest Tsume was also feeling more playful than was strictly appropriate.
Besides, what did Inuzuka care for most rules?
She was more than halfway through convincing herself to attack Mai's slender neck with her lips when there was a sharp knock at the door she had been under the impression she locked.
Obviously not.
She felt Mai's body freeze beneath her, muscles she had unknotted tensing again as Naruto took a single step into the room.
"N-naruto-kun!"
Between the slightly panicked distress Tsume could hear in Mai's voice and the realization of who had just walked into the room- not to mention where one of her hands currently was- Tsume found herself freezing too. Not out of any sort of fear for herself- she was a Kunoichi, damnit, danger didn't faze her in the slightest- but out of fear for Mai and her relationship with Naruto.
As much as Tsume would love having her all to herself, she'd never want to be responsible for the heartbreak Mai would feel if things between the younger couple went sour.
The second he stood their felt like an eternity and Tsume realized with a sense of complete detachment that part of that second had been spent observing her, specifically the chest area that she knew- with a similar feeling of detachment- was currently very much exposed.
She'd get angry at that later.
"My apologies for the interruption and the earlier inconvenience, Tsume. I appreciate the aid you've given me and hope I didn't startle you too much. I really must be going but you have my deepest gratitude for your hospitality." His voice was calm and steady, as if he was describing to a shopkeep exactly what he was looking for rather than walking in on his….lover?...with another woman, and purple eyes flickered over to Mai. "I'll see you back home when you've finished." His eyes moved somewhere between the both of them- she'd realize later that meant her chest again- and he bid them farewell. "I'll see myself out, don't stop on my account."
The door shut with a gentle click and silence reigned as king within the room for another few eternities of slow seconds.
Tsume glanced down at her hand to see if its placement was as obvious as she thought it had been and confirmed that, yes, it was pretty damn obvious that she was far less than an inch away from the young woman's bare breast.
So Naruto had been….okay with it?
"Did...did he seem bothered?" Asked Tsume. She wasn't the best people person but he certainly didn't seem to display any sort of aggression or anger. Maybe she had just missed his jealousy or he was able to hide any feelings of betrayal too well for her to notice?
"N-no." Mai hadn't actually spared it too much thought, more busy with paperwork, the Wolves, and trying to keep Naruto out of too much trouble than contemplating their relationship but now that she thought about it he had never expressed displeasure that Tsume was her first and he collected lovers like the Konoha soil collected autumn leaves.
The strangest thought popped into Mai's head. If having multiple lovers just seemed normal to Naruto, did he also just assume his lovers had others of their own? At first it seemed ridiculous but the more she mulled it over it seemed exactly like the kind of thinking he'd have.
"...When you've finished."?
"...don't stop on my account."?
He did expect them to continue with whatever it was he walked in on and Mai was sure- though it may just be personal bias- that anything Tsume was involved in- especially with her torso so exposed- was going to seem sexual in nature.
Or, at the very least, it wasn't going to be completely innocent.
"I-" Mai hesitated putting it into words. It was strange when she thought it, how was it going to sound out loud? "I think he was under the impression that we never really stopped after you were my first."
That actually didn't sound as crazy when she said it. He had never asked if she had stopped seeing Tsume, had never said anything to indicate he was under the impression that they were exclusive, and the more she considered it the more it seemed to fit him.
Exclusive? It wouldn't be hard to convince Mai that he had no idea what that word even meant.
"...So we could have been doing things like this the whole time?" Naturally Tsume's attention was caught by the most important part.
With a roll of her eyes and a fond smirk playing at her lips Mai rose her back against Tsume who rose just enough to accommodate the unexpected movement. Taking advantage of the additional room Mai rolled over onto her back and reached out to place delicate fingers firmly on Tsume's hips to pull her back down.
"Well, I guess that means we have a lot of time to make up for doesn't it, Tsume?" The smirk faded away as uncertainty crept into Mai's voice. "That is, if you're okay with something like-"
She didn't get to finnish before Tsume had attacked her lips. It was brief but it was hungry and it told Mai that as long as the woman had her everything was going to be fine.
"It's not what I would prefer." Tsume admitted as she pulled back enough to devour the sight of the young woman she loomed over. "But I'll take as much of you as I can get."
"Good, because I need someone warm between me and that fan of yours."
Tsume's bark of laughter was the most genuine she had released in weeks.
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