Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 126-A "Offers and Gambles"
Patron Release 2020.10.19
When she had managed to catch up to her godson he had made it into her sitting room where he gazed curiously at the various pictures and knicknacks that had been collected by her family. The only thing of hers there was a picture of her and a young Shizune on one of the shelves but the rest of the Senju had added plenty of other bits and pieces over the many years they'd resided within Konoha so there was no shortage of things for him to examine if he so wished.
He picked up a small acorn onto which an image of the Hokage Monument had been carved. The fact that there were only two faces shown carved into the cliff face was more than enough to date the piece. He gave a small, mildly interested hum as he placed it back where it belonged and turned to face her standing in the doorway as if she were the guest here.
"Will this do?" he asked, delicate red brow arching ever so slightly. "Or did you have somewhere else in mind?" The fact that he was so graciously allowing her the privilege of being the host didn't go unnoticed by the Sannin but she didn't focus too much on it. It didn't take a genius to match his attire and his attitude to realize he was a young man accustomed to being in charge and that just seemed right for the son of Minato and Kushina.
"If you like," She offered easily enough. "We could go to the kitchen or the gardens if you'd prefer." From the way his brow arched even further it was also clear to her that he hadn't missed the fact that she had returned that control directly back to him. He did not, however, comment on it.
"I believe you said you had a pot on, perhaps the kitchen would be more suitable- at least to start."
She nodded in agreement and beckoned him to follow her as she made her way to the room in question. "Sure, this way."
When she reached the kitchen she pulled out a cup for him and set it at the table, both providing for him and telling him where she'd like him to sit. She was not disappointed when he looked at the placed cup and amusement shone in his eyes, his lips twitching upwards just barely enough for her to notice. He gave her a casual, knowing nod and took the spot as requested.
No stranger to the smaller games then, either, Tsunade found her curiosity growing more with every moment she spent with her goddson and so far not a single answer had been forthcoming. Perhaps Sarutobi-Sensei had taken a more direct hand at aiding her godson than she had realized, sly old man.
"So," Tsunade took her position closer to the stove, leaning on the counter that separated the kitchen from the small dining table. Her standing position placed her above Naruto and forced him to look up slightly but he didn't seem bothered by that in the slightest. The amusement in his eyes told her it wasn't due to ignorance, either, he knew exactly what she was doing and if she was reading him right he approved. It was a strange thing to wrap her head around so she sat it to the side for now. For all she knew she was reading him all wrong anyway, no point focusing on something that might not be there. "What brings you to the Senju compound?"
"You, of course, Tsunade-Hime." He said it like it should have been obvious and she supposed it probably was. She and Shizune had been the sole occupants here for years and with Shizune going to work for the Imperial House of Wolves it was just her these days. Actually, wasn't he connected to the Wolves? Tsunade struggled to remember if she had heard any such rumor but with how infrequently she left the compound- as in never, considering she just sent out for a D-rank and had Genin pick up her groceries each week- she wasn't quite sure. Maybe Shizune had mentioned something about it back when she had first met him?
"I'm flattered, really." Despite the sarcasm in her words a genuine smile flitted across her hadn't realized just how much she had missed having company since Shizune had departed the compound. Almost- almost- unconsciously she folded her arms under her bust, bringing attention to her girls.
A brow arched in question at the move but those purple eyes continued to stare into her brown. Well, that eliminated him coming to see her because he had heard tales of her beauty, not that she had really considered that a genuine possibility. She was also slightly disappointed not because she particularly wanted him staring at her chest but because it rarely failed to put men on the backfoot when it came to conversations.
The persuasive power of crossing her arms was not something that should be underestimated but it looked like that wasn't going to be any help.
"Shizune continues to hold a high opinion of you, I suppose that's as good a reason to be flattered as any." And with that the conversation started properly, a subject provided despite Tsunade having no idea what his goals with that subject could possibly be.
"You've spoken with her recently?"
His brow arched again. "Of course, we work fairly close together and it's common for us to have responsibilities that cross." That confirmed him being associated with the Wolves, then, it was good to have that settled before they got too deep into a conversation about a matter she was sorely lacking information for.
"Is she doing well? She must be pretty busy because she hasn't been stopping by to visit lately."
"She's been given a team and I believe it would be safe to say she has an apprentice, so I'd agree about her being busy." That was a blatant lie, he knew that she was in desperate need for new projects to keep her busy now that he wasn't constantly injuring himself but he had no way to explain why she wouldn't be using that free time to visit her former master. "She seems happy enough." That part wasn't a lie, simply because if she wasn't happy she would probably speak up about it. Gods knew she had no issue expressing exactly how she felt back when he was her patient. She also seemed- from what he could tell- to legitimately enjoy teaching Hanabi, so he felt comfortable enough making that assumption.
The smallest of frowns tugged at Tsunade's lips. While he seemed to be honestly answering her questions it felt like he was dangling most of the information just out of reach. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Naruto's lips twitch in the opposite direction, raising in amusement. It was such an Orochimaru-esque response to her inner frustrations that she immediately found herself on guard again.
"Is something the matter, Tsunade-Hime?"
The kettle began whistling behind her before she responded, for which she was grateful. A few extra seconds to gather her thoughts would stop her from saying something stupid. She paused as she reached for it, wondering why she was so concerned about that. She'd never bothered to consider her words before, always unabashedly telling people exactly what she thought. Was it his connection to Shizune, her only way to know how her former apprentice and all but daughter was doing, or was it because this was the godson she'd never met and some part of her still wanted to make a good impression on him?
"No, no." She shook her head as she brought the kettle to the table. "It would just be nice to hear more about what she's been up to."
"Of course, of course." He gave an understanding nod. "You know, there is a way you would be able to see her more often." Naruto dangled that out for her, waiting to see if she'd bite.
Blinking brown eyes realized that she had made a mistake in her assumption. Shizune hadn't been the topic at all, just something to catch her attention. Despite realizing this, she knew she wasn't going to be able to resist following into his baiting question. Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly as she finished pouring the tea and took her own seat across from him. He hadn't really been giving her a chance at controlling the interaction earlier, had he? Even if she hadn't immediately given it back to him, he hadn't actually given it up in the first place. He knew he was going to remain in control whether she realized it or not.
This went beyond the petty politics of Konoha which more often devolved into bickering and grudges, this was genuine court play. Sarutobi-sensei hadn't been dragging him off to meetings with the Daimyo, had he?
"Oh?" She was going to find herself eating bits of the information he dangled in her face from his hand and they both knew it but she nevertheless feigned having only the barest polite interest in what he was saying. "I suppose there probably would be a way, wouldn't there?"
Tsunade left it there, pushing down her desire to ask the question they were both waiting for.
"Yes, I dare say there would." He gave her an appreciative look, a look for once she knew for a fact wasn't because of her appearance. He was not, however, about to surrender the information before she brought herself to ask for it. "So how have you enjoyed being back in Konoha? I doubt it's changed too much in your absence, it must be comforting to have returned home after so long."
Tsunade very nearly cussed out loud as the subject was diverted away completely. Now if she wanted that information not only would she have to ask for it specifically but it would be completely out of the blue rather than following any sort of natural conversation. His eyes told her that it was her move now but that he was happy to wait. It didn't really accomplish anything but Tsunade did recognize the powerplay for what it was. If there had been any doubt that he intended to interact with her from a position of authority it was very much cleared away now.
Used to being in charge indeed, she wondered what he was really after with this- it sure as hell wasn't just to meet his godmother.
"It's too bulky, shaping it properly will end up leaving large gaps which defeats the purpose."
"But it's light-weight and strong enough to be useful." Countered Rusty. "It's exactly the sort of thing we need to use."
Shizune stood in the kitchen with a cup of tea, leaning against the counter as she watched the two former Suna Shinobi hunched over the coffee table with many dozens of papers scattered over its surface. Naruto, after determining that the two intended to stay- not that they had many other options- had given them a new project for them to work on. There had been no hesitation for the two picking it up, a combination of boredom mixed with a desire to prove to him they could do better than last time he had given them instructions.
She had a feeling he had long since brushed that event away from his memories but the two of them still hung onto it and had worried about the consequences of further disappointing him since. Perhaps if this went well they would stop panicking every time he was near.
"That doesn't matter if there are such large gaps where that protection isn't present," Clicky dismissed his argument. "We both know he'd rather have them fully covered but more weighed down than exposed so carelessly." Shizune had to give her silent agreement to that statement. It was, after all, the entire reason the project had been created in the first place.
She understood why Tsukuyomi would have wanted his forces to have more armor than Shinobi usually wore and she could see why one of the instructions he had passed on to them through Naruto was to make them look suitable as the forces of a noble house but she still found the idea slightly strange. It just wasn't right for Shinobi to wear armor, no matter how much mobility he wanted to preserve for them.
Actually, that wasn't quite right. Shinobi didn't wear armor these days, technically it was a more traditional attire for any clan so it made perfect sense for the members of a noble house to wear it, she just had trouble picturing wolf-masked Samurai creeping around in bulky armor. Even the Senju and Uchiha kept it mainly to the torso- with the exceptions of the heads of those clans who were so powerful they didn't even bother with stealth anymore- rather than wear a full set. There had been a reason for that, one that Tsukuyomi seemed keen on ignoring.
That was wrong too, admittedly, because Naruto had made it clear that the armor wasn't just going to be worn by the Wolves- the two of them intended to make it respond to the Wolves' movements in a way similar to how Inoichi's new limbs functioned so that it moved as naturally as the Wolves within and should be, theoretically, just as stealthy.
The problem was finding a way to cover the Wolves in the armor while ensuring they had full range of motion. If the armor was going to be following their movements it needed to be able to perform them perfectly or it would start getting in their way and becoming a hindrance.
Torsos and joints were looking to be the largest problem areas already and she wasn't looking forward to the inevitable bickering that would occur when they tried to tackle necks that would have to allow for full movement while accounting for masks, helmets, and whatever they came up with for the chest and shoulders. It really was a giant, human-sized puzzle.
"Why don't you two worry about the shape for now and adjust it later when you find a suitable material?" She suggested. "When you know how it's going to have to be shaped and behave you can narrow materials down to those that would match." The two shared a look and a shrug but Shizune still had one more suggestion. "You could always use the same method you used when designing Inoichi-san's limbs, too." Technically she had been a part of that project and technically she was part of this one too but her role was to supervise and ensure quality because she needed to be able to be pulled away for her other duties at a moment's notice. "Start with a basic puppet and then just make it as anatomically correct as possible. If all else fails you can always hollow it out and put the Wolves inside it like that."
"That wouldn't work," Clicky immediately dismissed that idea- but not fully. "There's no way they would fit properly to control it without sacrificing a lot of movement, their limbs just aren't long enough. We could definitely start with that though."
"...You could just make the limbs shorter, then, it doesn't have to be perfectly proportional to the Wolf in it, just anatomically correct enough for it to respond to their movements properly."
"Ah!" Even without her exclamation Shizune could have sworn she heard the lightbulb going on in the Kunoichi's head. "Yes, something like that could probably work…." Her voice trailed off as she grabbed for a spare sheet of paper and lost herself into her preliminary sketches, Rusty moving to peer over her shoulder and offer suggestions.
Finishing her tea with a slightly smug grin she set the cup in the sink and retreated back to her office.
The three of them really did make a good team.
With the conversation diverted away from the path Tsunade would have liked to follow she instead found herself following her godson's promptings in an effort to remain polite. "I can't say I'm all that happy to be back," She admitted, not surprised by how easy it was to share that information. She had spent years avoiding Konoha and hadn't really wanted to return in the first place. "All I do is sit around the compound. At least before I was traveling the world."
He nodded in casual agreement, his attention to her words kept between polite and honest interest with such perfection she knew it had to be an act. "I see, yes, that's quite understandable. For a visit, then, I'm sure you'd have enjoyed it much more. It's a pity your extended residence within Konoha's walls has soured the experience for you."
She knew it sounded bad that she, the last Senju, didn't want anything to do with Konoha but something about the way he said it made it seem even worse somehow and she found herself backtracking before she realized it.
"Well it's not all bad, Shizune hadn't been home in years and I'm sure she appreciated the chance to visit again too."
"If you'd like." The way he responded to that made her question if he might have known more about the subject than she did- which was ridiculous considering they were talking about her apprentice Shizune, the girl was practically her daughter!- but perhaps Shizune had mentioned something in her time around the Wolves that had given him that sort of insight. "But just staying around the compound? Is that really what you want to be doing with your time?"
He said it so plainly, a topic only slightly beyond small talk, but Tsunade's instincts screamed at her as those words hit her ears. This- whatever it was- was the closest to the real reason he was here that she'd heard thus far.
He didn't give her more time to contemplate it as he pressed forward and she had a spark of insight telling her that he did so very much on purpose to keep her from catching on too quickly. Whatever game he was playing it hadn't gone on long enough for him and, most unfortunately, it worked to break her from her train of thought.
"I'm sure someone of your expertise would be quite welcome at the hospital, who would turn away Senju Tsunade of the Sannin?" He gave her another appraising look. "Skills like yours are hard to come by, you know."
"And yet the Wolves have managed to get them through Shizune, haven't they?" She returned. What she hadn't expected was for Naruto to smile at that. It wasn't the polite upturn of the lips he'd kept on his face so far but a genuine, pleased smile and for the life of her she couldn't put her finger on what had prompted it.
"A generous amount of them, certainly, but there's no better way to obtain them than the original source."
And with that it all clicked for the Slug Princess, the small tidbits fitting together and telling her the answer to the question she'd kept from asking. She could see Shizune more if she worked with her.
She was being recruited.
It started with disbelief and quickly morphed into incredulousness and then a faint amusement that swiftly built up within her chest until it bubbled out in soft peals of laughter. She, a washed-up drunkard for a Sannin, was being recruited by someone young enough to be her grandchild- was this some sort of joke?
"Something funny, Tsunade-Hime?"
"You- you're kidding, right?" She asked, both unwilling and unable to try to remove the bemused smile that spread across her face. "You can't possibly be serious."
A crimson brow rose at that, as if answering some sort of challenge. "Can't I?" He asked calmly, the very image of patient indulgence. It was like a grandfather humoring his granddaughter and the irony of the situation only served to further amuse the Sannin.
"Weren't we just discussing this? I don't like being in Konoha-"
"Then it's a good thing the Wolves will be pulling out of Konoha by the end of the month." He cut in swiftly, stopping her before she could build up any sort of momentum that could possibly lead to her shutting him down before the proper offer was presented. "I'm sure you're busy 'sitting around the compound'-" A blatant lie and they both knew it. "-So I won't skirt around the matter any further-" His smile briefly transitioned to a smirk and his eyes shone with something almost dangerous. "-Though I thank you for indulging me in such simple pleasures- and we can get right to the point."
"The Imperial House of Wolves of Hi no Kuni would like to extend to you, Senju Tsunade-Sama, an offer to join us as a member of our Imperial House in fulfilling the role of Junior House Physician under Kato Shizune-sensei."
Brown eyes blinked slowly as the rest of her cognitive abilities went to trying to understand what she thought she had just heard. She had to be hearing things very, very wrong because she could have sworn he'd just said Junior House Physician and that she would be working for her former apprentice.
"Junior?" She questioned, the nearly affronted incredulousness plainly dripping from that single word as both blonde brows rose for her diamond seal.
"Under Kato Shizune-Sensei, yes." Naruto nodded, perfectly confident with repeating something she obviously didn't agree with- yet.
"Now I know you're pulling my leg. What on earth makes you think I would accept anything less than a position as Head Physician?"
"Well to start we don't have an opening for Head Physician, that role is currently filled by Kato Shizune-Sensei who has done a marvelous job and we're quite intent to keep her in that position and happy within the House." Naruto set his elbow on the table and rested his cheek against his closed fist. "She also happens to have tenure within the House of Wolves at this point and it would be remiss of me to remove someone used to our house's...quirks...in favor of someone new. Of course, adding to that is the fact that you don't want that sort of responsibility and would just be interested in the position for the authority and the principle of the matter. That sort of thing won't work among the Wolves, we value merit over reputation."
No, she realized, she didn't want the responsibilities of being anyone's Head Physician. He was absolutely correct about that.
But did she actually want any position at all?
Much to her own surprise she found the idea- now that she had gotten past the position they were offering- not completely disagreeable. She really had just been sitting around the compound wasting the days, it would be nice to actually have something to do again. She really should have joined the Konoha hospital if for nothing more than to fill her time but she hadn't wanted to deal with all the bothers that came with being part of such a facility, especially when it was almost inevitable that those in the hospital were likely to push her towards positions of authority due to her reputation-
-A matter he had already made explicitly clear wouldn't be happening within the Wolves.
No, that didn't sound too bad at all and if it also served as an excuse to get her ass out of Konoha again, well, he really had put together a surprisingly attractive offer.
Folding her arms again she turned away to mull it over for a second before returning to meet his eyes only momentarily. Glancing to the side she gave a huff. "...Say I was contemplating taking you up on that offer, I have two questions."
"Ask." His voice told her without looking that he knew he had her hooked and based on their interactions she knew he was only allowing that to be known because he was absolutely confident that she wouldn't be able to walk away from the offer even just to spite him.
Cheeky sod.
"What kind of pay are you offering for Junior House Physician-" She expected to be well compensated, damnit, even if she wasn't going to be taking up a more important position she was still one of the legendary Sannin and her services didn't come cheap. "-And how can I be sure you speak for the House of Wolves?"
A crimson brow rose and he addressed her second concern first, amusement dripping from his tongue. "Didn't you know, godmother, that I'm Tsukuyomi's left hand? I don't just speak for the House of Wolves, I speak for the entirety of Nami no Kuni and everything else touched by our moon-reading man."
The implications that there were even more things under his influence didn't go unnoticed by Tsunade and she had to wonder if she was making an intelligent move getting in closer to the ground floor or if this was going to be some huge mistake on her part.
She was really hoping on the former but she of all people was not ignorant to her own luck.
It was, however, nice to have an opportunity to take a gamble again- it had been far too long already.
"D-don't you t-tire?" Kari had folded over in a hunch, her grip barely keeping the handle of her pick from joining the head as she gasped for breath. Even having her chest covered by nothing but her bra- her thick coveralls stripped down and tied around her waist- hadn't managed to cool her down enough to stop the sweat that had begun trickling across tanned skin.
Juugo's refusal to look was part respect for his coworker and mostly because he was too focused on his current task to care. "Of. Course. I. Do." Breathe, swing, speak. Taking a final swing he rested his own pick over his shoulder and took three deep breaths to help cool his body down. "Just not as fast as the rest of you." He glanced back towards the train where the rest of the team had sat down for a break and Kari found herself following his gaze with a small frown.
She had joined him for the first 'shift' of this ridiculous attempt to get through the mountain and much to the entire team's surprise Yaiji had too. The three of them had worked for at least an hour and what she suspected was closer to two before she and Yaiji had retreated to recover. Honestly, the fact that the twig-like supervisor Yaiji had kept up that long was more surprising than the fact that he had started helping in the first place. But as the two of them left, two more of their team took their spots for an hour and then the next two for an hour more.
Kari had been more than ready to go by then but there was only so much room in the area they were trying to clear and the last thing they needed was for someone to be out of commission due to too many swinging tools in the small space. When the third shift had retired she'd taken her turn again with one of the members of the second shift but Juugo had remained in the middle for four shifts now and while his breathing was heavy he should have been much more tired than he seemed to be after five hours of this work.
The fact that his section cut significantly further into the mountain didn't go unnoticed to anyone on the team.
Juugo turned back to his handiwork, examining it with a critical eye. He'd been using the pick to crack the stone and then the hammer currently resting just within reach to shatter chunks away from its mother stone. They had taught him what he needed to know for laying the track itself but carving his way through a mountain had never come up and so he wasn't sure if that's how he should be doing it but it seemed to be working well enough for him so far leaving little reason for him to try anything else. Brown eyes flickered down to the shards of rock that covered the ground around him. The resting team had been clearing the buildup to ensure those working away at the mountain could continue doing so until they wore out completely and it was just about time for them to start clearing it again.
He could see Yaiji tossing a shovel to Bukra out of the corner of his eye which meant Deiko was probably grabbing the wheelbarrow.
Kari grabbed a bottle hanging from her hip and drained the majority of it before tossing it at his head. Juugo had no issue grabbing it from the air and he lifted a brow at her to ask what she expected him to do with it, earning a roll of her blue eyes.
"Drink it, you moron." She sighed. "Even if you say you aren't tired-" "I'm not" "-you still need to keep that body of yours hydrated. The last thing we need is you collapsing on us, it will probably take half the team just to drag you back to the train and there's no way we would be able to match your stamina or your workspeed."
He looked down at his exposed upper half and then over to the rest of the team before running his eyes briefly over her. "...I'm not that big." Sure he was broad in the shoulders and he may have been a bit taller than Kari and Deiko but that was more a case of them being short. Bukra, the bear of a man, probably weighed a Juugo and a half.
"No," she agreed as he took a swig from her bottle and halved what she'd left for him. "But muscle is heavy and while you might not get tired the rest of us are."
That was a fair point, he'd give her that. He agreed with a shrug before dumping what was left from her bottle on his head, the cold of the water a blessing as it dripped from his hair and down his torso. He didn't even mind the remnants of the snow that had been used to fill the bottle in the first place settling into his orange hair. Juugo went to toss the bottle back but she held up a hand to stop him.
"You finished it off, you get to refill it."
Brown eyes flickered between her and the snow back near the train. "You're just trying to get me to take a break, aren't you?"
"Ayup," She admitted easily enough, shamelessly enjoying the way the last of her water glistened over his torso. "Now get going, it takes a while for the snow to melt and I'm already feeling thirsty again."
With a shrug he let the pick drop next to the hammer and turned from the small cave they'd managed to carve out so far, confident that his tools would be there waiting for him when he returned. He was sure the team would be using this time to try to get the two sides to match his progress and turn the current wedge into something more rectangular and even.
They were welcome to try, he wouldn't be taking that long of a break, no matter what Kari might have thought.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 126-B "713"
Patron Release 2020.10.28
"You want me to what?!" Akishi's hands went straight to her hips as she stared down at the smugly amused face of Uchiha Sasuke- not that she would have any idea what that name actually meant- sitting at his desk.
"I know you're probably not used to human ears, but I do believe you heard me Snake-like." Orochimaru tilted Sasuke's head to the side and gave her a faux-pitying look. "Are you really having so much trouble understanding such simple instructions? No wonder Naruto-kun lacks faith in you."
She reared back at his words, raising on her tail as the top of her new hair gently kissed the ceiling. She didn't even notice when her hands moved from resting at her hips to display fingers curving like talons, sharp fingernails ready to to be used. "I am Akishi, fifth-born of Great Au! I have stared down at this world long before humanity existed, slithered through forests as old as the world- I have set brother against brother, sage against demon, and a species against a would-be goddess -"
"And if you want a cart arranged so you can fulfil Naruto's commands you'll be doing as I demand in exchange, understood?"
"But you want me to…" The distaste on her face was plain to see and only caused Orochimaru to smile more widely.
"The fact that you so obviously don't care for the task only confirms that I've picked out something suitable." He leaned back into his seat, obviously pleased with himself.
Her arms folded before her as she frowned down at him for a few long seconds before she slowly lowered herself back to a more regular height. "Fine," She couldn't look him in the eyes as she admitted her defeat, Akishi knew she wouldn't be able to take the look of victory that would no doubt spread across it. "I'll prepare the High-Priest's meal."
She'd never had to cook in her life- and that was a substantial amount of time- because not only was she one of the elder children of Au but she was a snake and snakes simply don't cook anything. This would be both far below her station but, more importantly, something she was bound to make a fool of herself trying to accomplish. The fact that it was a task below her would only make her failure sting even more, as she was certain he would know.
Perhaps he really was the Snake Sage as he claimed to be.
"Don't seem so displeased about it," Orochimaru snapped, instantly drawing her attention to his sneer. "I picked something you wouldn't like, yes, but Naruto's children take great pride in being able to serve him even in the most menial of manners. While this is the cost you will need to pay, it's also stripping away the opportunity for the Wolves to perform it. I would highly suggest not expressing such distaste for the task outside of this room considering what an honor it is to them."
Black eyes narrowed at Au's fifth-born. "You should be grateful I kept the cost as low as I did. You're already taking away my time from being able to complete my tasks to serve Naruto-kun's needs, I should have had you doing much, much more than cooking a simple dinner."
Akishi could only blame a morbid curiosity for the words that left her lips. "What else would you have added?" As soon as they had escaped her she cursed herself for them. She didn't know if it was because it had been so long or because she had been saddled with a poor hand since she arrived and was still trying to establish solid footing but she had been slipping - badly. That needed to change fast if she was going to be drawing in followers to accomplish her goals.
His mood went from scathing back to amused control a little too quickly for Akishi's comfort. Either he was acting for one of them or he had a mercurial mood that would be ...interesting… trying to work around.
"I had first been tempted to have you act as his personal assistant for an entire day," He admitted, smile widening as she flinched. "But you obviously see some of the issues with that. Not only would Naruto be quite displeased at having you around the entire day but it would take too long for you to convince him to allow it. Whatever arrangements I made would be long missed by the time you were ready to make use of them." He tilted his head to the side again, black eyes briefly roaming her form. It wasn't any sort of lust as far as she could tell but knowing- or suspecting- that didn't make it any more pleasant.
"Part of that, I suppose, could still be implemented. Preparing a bath for him should be something you're capable of- I would hope- but why stop there? Oh, no, I had very strongly considered having you wash him and then join him in that hotspring Ganju built to...help him relax." His look became pointed, black eyes staring into her red. "In fact, if the Wolves learn just how much you resent the honor of being able to serve him I'll add that to the price, understood?"
"...Yes." The fact that it came from gritted teeth didn't seem to bother Orochimaru and the horrified expression that had briefly crossed her face- while slightly insulting- did let him know he had also chosen a good threat to keep her from upsetting the Wolves which was important because upset Wolves would lead to an upset Naruto and that was something Orochimaru very much wanted to avoid.
It was good to know that he was able to use time around and serving Naruto as a weapon but it wasn't somethign Orochimaru really wanted to even dwell on. It really was a terrible insult towards his godson and he had to wonder if this child of Au who expressed that she was here to serve him even realized how her words and actions disproved her goals.
It also didn't look good for those she was here to represent, either, but that wasn't Orochimaru's problem.
"We usually try to get him something to eat between five and seven because otherwise he won't even consider it until he'd rather just collapse into bed than eat. That's generally after he's finished his normal workload, too, so he'll be working on more personal projects. You'll still be interrupting him no doubt and it's highly unlikely he'll appreciate your presence but at least you won't be distracting him from the work he deems the most important. Consider that a favor."
He glanced to the wall where a plain clock ticked away passively, completely oblivious to the goings-on of the room it resided in. "You have a few hours yet before it would be appropriate to take him something-" Despite saying that Orochimaru knew there was a good chance Naruto hadn't paused from whatever he was doing to have lunch yet, he'd have to make sure one of the Wolves was already on that. "-So I would recommend heading to one of the kitchens so you can get started planning your meal."
And if the Wolves were in the middle of something, well, she might learn enough to make something passible. He may not have been very fond of the Snake-like but he did want his Crimson Prince to receive a proper meal tonight. Perhaps he'd need to spread around the fact that the Snake-like would have the honor of preparing dinner for him tonight, that was bound to have a few off-duty Wolves- and a few who were supposed to be doing other things- stopping by the kitchen to watch. Surely one of them would be responsible enough when it came to taking care of their father that they would step in to avert any complete disasters and ensure he received something actually edible.
"I'll take your advice into consideration, thank you." Orochimaru's amused grin only widened at that. They both knew she was going to take his advice, she just didn't want to admit it after already having to submit to the requirements he had set for his aid. It was a petty, pathetic attempt to maintain dignity and save face that was completely wasted in the present company.
"As you will," He shrugged uncaringly. "As long as your end is upheld, I'll arrange transportation for you and your little worm friends to get to the capital of Yu no Kuni. If you don't it's no problem of mine." His piece said he returned to the piles of notes on his desk. Half of them were devoted to ancient artifacts and musing on the technical aspects of the Shiki Fuin and the other half were various breakdowns of his Ten no Juin variants that he was trying to turn into easily understood functions so his godson could use that wonderful seal of his to replicate the parts he liked.
Both were nowhere near as far along as he'd liked, something he could blame partly on the presence of the Snake-like in his office. "Was there anything else?" He asked after a moment of silence, not looking up from the work he had resumed. "I'm busy with tasks for Naruto-kun too so if you could leave me to work in peace at least one of us won't be disappointing him, Snake-like."
"...I'll take my leave," She wanted to stay just to be defiant but she needed to figure out how she was going to prepare the High-Priest's meal and standing in the Snake Sage's office wasn't about to help either of them. She would, however, object to one part of his words before she went looking for the kitchens. "But it's Ak'Gyun."
One brow rose, followed by Orochimaru's face as he lifted his head just enough to meet her eyes. "I didn't ask for your name, Snake-like, I don't care."
"It's not my name, it's what I am. Not 'Snake-like'."
"Once again, I don't much care."
"No," She agreed with a small frown. "Perhaps not." There were no battles she was going to win here so gathering what little of her dignity she had left Akishi slithered from Orochimaru's office, closing the door behind her with the tip of her tail.
A minute after the sounds of her scales sliding over the polished wooden floors had been swallowed by the hallways Orochimaru looked back up from his work and stared at the door with a thoughtful frown.
"Ak'Gyun, huh? Interesting." It looked like he had another thing to add to his list of research to be done.
It would be nice to know what both he and his godson had been forced to deal with thanks to the meddling of Au. He was really starting to regret that particular choice of gifts.
Speaking of which, he wondered how Jirobu was doing on his next one. He was still quite behind, after all.
Trudging through the doorway, Souji made his way to the slightly worn green couch and collapsed onto it with a groan Normally that would have elicited some sort of response from those already in the apartment but today none of them were in those sorts of high spirits and they all knew why, even if they'd been refraining from discussing it over the past three days until they could do so as a complete group.
After a paltry fifteen seconds of rest Souji gave a defeated sigh and set the lizard mask in his hand on the table to his side before brown eyes swept through the room. Taru- most recently Goldencloud- was already here in his customary spot, a chair from the dining area pulled out so he could straddle it and rest his chin on the back as he looked towards the sitting area. further behind him, in the small kitchen, Hioki - Purplesky- was busying herself with a pot of tea, removing it from the stove and pouring six cups in anticipation.
"Ikkan has a late one tonight, doesn't he?" His question was directed towards Toru though it took him a second to recognize his own voice and longer for Toru to respond.
"Yeah," Toru frowned, glancing down the hall to the three bedrooms. They only ever slept in one of them, the other two serving as storage for the personal items they didn't feel like keeping in the ANBU-provided barracks. "He only got back an hour ago, too."
Souji grimaced at that. Ikkan - Redwater- had been sent off two days ago with orders for those stationed in Kaze no Kuni and he'd been tasked to return immediately with their latest reports. Asuma had gained a sudden increase in confidence lately and was redoubling his efforts to ensure Kaze no Kuni was defensible from her own people so he wouldn't have to keep worrying- or expending resources- on that front quite so much. Unfortunately Ikkan also had a guard rotation scheduled for tonight and they didn't have enough manpower to spare anyone to cover it for him, though Souji was seriously contemplating going in for him anyway- his work hadn't been too bad in comparison and at least he'd been able to sleep last night.
The creaking door- a feature, not evidence of disrepair- was followed immediately by heavy boots thumping against the corner of the entryway to announce the arrival of Buta- Bluegrass- who looked as tired as the rest of them felt. Even so he gave a wide grin as he took his own seat in the large blue recliner across from Souji, his massive frame causing it to groan in protest.
Like many of the ANBU- not that there were a whole lot of them in the first place- Buta had been doing his part by taking on as many regular missions as he could manage. Generally A-ranked and perhaps even dropping down to snag excess B-ranked work, they cleared the board of jobs and allowed Jounin and Chuunin to focus on easier work so that Konoha continued to look unaffected by their current occupation of Kaze no Kuni.
Part of it was financial- it didn't make sense for them to be paying Shinobi stationed in a country they weren't making money from and neglect the work that was readily available for them to get paid from- but a majority of it really was just image. If word got out that Konoha was unable to handle the job requests coming in not only would it smear their reputation as the greatest of the five major villages but it would tell the rest of the world that they were struggling to muster enough manpower to both occupy Kaze no Kuni and function normally.
That was just asking for some of the others to become a bit more aggressive and start making pushes into Konoha territory. They would also be more than happy to take those clients for themselves, too, because it would both benefit them and hurt Konoha. All in all, things Asuma would very much like to avoid when the majority of his forces were abroad.
"Someone going to wake up Ikkan?" Buta's deep voice gained a lighter, questioning tone that was still deeper than anyone else you were likely to encounter and his bushy black eyebrows furrowed together in thought as if he was considering what he'd answer his own question with.
"I think it's probably better to let him sleep while he can." Souji looked over to Taru as he answered, receiving an agreeing nod of support.
Hioki spoke up from the kitchen, carefully balancing the cups of tea across her arms as she made her way into the sitting room to start distributing them. "We're still waiting on Taicho, we can wake him up when she arrives."
Buta gave an understanding grunt, reaching for one of the cups of tea as she drew near and settling back into his recliner to wait.
Souji and Taru took their own with nods of thanks, though Taru was the only one to start drinking his as Soiuji opted to set it next to his mask for the time being. Setting down the extra two on the stained coffee table- they should see about replacing that at some point- Hioki took a seat at the other end of the green couch, pulling up her legs and curling into her chosen corner. In the following silence- comfortable and familiar despite the subtle undercurrent of unease for the upcoming discussion- Souji let his gaze wander around their apartment, hoping for something to catch his attention even when he knew no such thing was there.
It had been an odd choice, he knew, for their team to rent one at all when they- and most ANBU- typically resided within the barracks where they had beds and facilities to be used between shifts and missions but he was fairly certain he spoke for the team as a whole when he said it had turned out to be a good one.
Even with them all chipping in toward it each month it was a bit pricey, some sixty-six thousand each, but at an ANBU Salary that wasn't all that bad and having somewhere to retreat from the rest of the world had proved itself priceless time and time again. Realistically they should probably downgrade to a much smaller residence- two bedroom at the max, they really should consider just a single- and place the rest of their things into designated storage somewhere but there was peace of mind that came from knowing your things were somewhere you had an eye on and that you could easily get to whatever you needed as you pleased.
Of course, he knew just how unlikely something like that was to happen. If the team had its way- and he was right there with them- they would keep this place forever simply out of fondness for the space and the memories it held. Really, they were more likely to leave Konoha herself than switch to another apartment voluntarily.
Her sharp fingernails tapped irritably against the kitchen counter as she frowned down at her third cookbook, brows furrowed. It wasn't that she was illiterate and she knew she wasn't stupid but, well, it had been more than a few centuries since she had last used any form of written language and not only was she terribly out of practice but the language itself had changed slightly over the years which was making this experience more than a little confusing.
She got the gist of it, she thought, but she was also aware that a part of cooking was in the details and subtleties. Or, at least, a part of good cooking.
While technically her task hadn't set any standard for the meal she prepared for Naruto he was still the high-priest and she was well acquainted with his current opinion of her and the other children of Au. She didn't think it could get any lower, but she really didn't want it to be her attempts at cooking for him that proved her wrong either.
What she needed, then, was something simple and straightforward enough that she was unlikely to be able to mess it up too badly but that would serve its purpose in sustaining the high-priest. As long as it was edible and the taste didn't horribly offend his pallate she'd consider it a success and she thought she had come up with something that would work. Rice, as far as she could tell, had remained a staple in the mortal world and from what she was seeing in these cookbooks a lot of meals apparently included some form of meat and vegetable. To that end her plan was fairly simple; cook some rice, place cooked meat and veg atop it, and if she was feeling especially daring she might attempt to follow one of the recipes for a sauce she had found to make it, well, just a little less plain.
All of that was good in theory but she already found herself running into a major hurdle-
Just how the fuck did one cook rice, anyway?
Packing always puts things in perspective, just seeing what you actually required compared to all the things you surround yourself with really reminded you of how little you truly needed in life. Of course, despite traveling the world for so long Tsunade rarely reflected on that fact as she did so- mainly because it tended to be Shizune who shoved as many of their things as she could manage into their bags before rushing after Tsunade as she fled debt collectors.
She was also usually too drunk to care about anything more than a clean change of clothes, either, and sometimes not even that so it really wasn't all that surprising she had been oblivious to the simple realization of what things she truly valued.
She...was a little disappointed, honestly. She thought there would be more.
Brown eyes peered down at the open bag on her bed, filled with all the things she wanted to bring with her. Beyond clothes and a few framed picture- copies, the originals were stored away in the hidden Senju vaults where she could rest assured of their continued safety- there really hadn't been anything else to pack.
She did have possessions, didn't she?
No, no she didn't. It was a slightly startling realization to make but the last time she really had any significant possessions she had still been a child. After that she had been focused on being a Kunoichi during the war and then had spent all her time wandering between bars and casinos.
As far as she was aware she hadn't been picking up knicknacks and souvenirs from her stays either, though maybe Shizune had, so all she really had from those many years were foggy, intoxicated memories.
It really was kind of pathetic but looking at it now she kind of liked the fact that she hadn't grabbed anything on her journeys. Not only did it make it easier for her to ignore that part of her life, setting it aside for a fresh start...sort of...but it also made it really, really easy for her to pack her things.
She was beyond ready to leave Konoha again, the end of the month couldn't come quickly enough.
It was with no small amount of trepidation that Yugao approached apartment 713 dressed in her preferred off-duty outfit of baggy grey pants and a tight black shirt. Technically it was in her name but in reality it belonged to her team- a team she had left to face the Wolves in Kirigakure. If she was asked by anyone else she'd tell them that she had simply been too swamped with work as the current ANBU commander to stop by for a visit but she- and probably her team- knew that it was because she had been avoiding them.
She'd already lost Naruto to this poor choice and she just hadn't had the heart to face her abandoned team so soon afterwards. She'd probably lost them too by removing herself from the mission but she could honestly say that fact didn't hurt nearly as much as her lost Kouhai.
It did add to her guilt. Though, and she wasn't completely sure how much more weight her shoulders- and heart- could possibly take before she ended up completely breaking down.
She was probably about to find out considering Hioki had reached out to her solely to inform her that she was expected to be at the apartment this afternoon. Yugao couldn't really blame her for not saying anything else between the team's return and that "invitation" and it was probably for the best that they hadn't stopped by her own apartment and been turned away.
Hopefully they would still be able to maintain a professional relationship after this because right now focusing on her huge workload was the only thing keeping her from wallowing in loathing and self-pity. There was no way in hell she would be able to keep functioning as the ANBU commander without a competent team she could count on and that would mean she'd find herself demoted or- worse- on some sort of leave that would steal away any chance of distracting herself from reality.
She still hadn't managed to find any opportunities to help the Wolves here in Konoha, either, but that might have been in part to the fact that she had remained mostly locked within her apartment going over massive piles of reports and writing her own summaries for the Hokage and his council. To her credit, she had kept them in mind when going through those reports just in case something stood out to her and struck her as information the Wolves might have liked to get a hold of.
Unfortunately nothing had really fit that criteria.
Also unfortunate, she had reached the door and had no real excuses for standing outside it any longer than she already had. With a deep breath to center herself- mentally preparing for them to tear into her for running away due to a personal issue when it was their livews on the line- she nearly opened the door before she paused.
Frowning for a second her shoulders sagged with a sigh and she instead knocked against the wooden barrier as a guest instead of an occupant. Moments later Hioki had poked her head out of the door, ready to shoo away whoever had stumbled onto their sanctuary- probably a solicitor of some sort, they just knocked on every door they could find- and instead found herself giving her captain a confused stare.
"Taicho? Come in, come in." She moved out of the way and opened the door for Yugao to enter. " Why're you knocking?" Despite asking a question she didn't seem inclined to await any sort of response, instead looking over her shoulder to call out for one of the others. "Taru, Taicho's here, go wake up Ikkan."
"...Do I have to?" Came back his response. "I managed to avoid Mitarashi's attempts to stab me but I don't think my luck's going to hold…"
"Well, look at it this way." Hioki turned away from the door to fully face him and Yugao didn't need to be on the other side to know exactly the sort of smile she'd be giving him. "You can risk it with an exhausted Ikkan or guarantee it from me."
"...My luck might hold a while yet." There was a slight scraping of the wooden chair against the floor as he stood up and made his way to the back room followed immediately by a knock on a door and the sound of glass shattering against the wall.
She'd put money on Ikkan having thrown a lamp at Taru. Fortunately for Taru he seemed to have missed.
"Come on," Hioki turned back to Yugao and ushered her in again, closing the door behind her. "The sooner we get started the sooner Ikkan will have a chance to get back to bed before his shift tonight."
"If Ikkan has a shift we can just do this at a better time" Yugao offered, more than happy to postpone the inevitable. Hioki gave her a look like she was crazy for suggesting something like that.
"We've only waited this long because he was out of the village, this is too important to wait."
"..Really?" This time Hioki stopped completely, placing a hand on her captain's shoulder and giving her a concerned look.
"Taicho do- do you know why we're meeting? Have you heard?"
"Heard what?" She'd heard all sorts of things in the reports she went over but nothing she thought would concern her team.
"We know who Tsukuyomi is now, Taicho, and Asuma wants him out of Konoha."
Well that was pretty obvious, it was no secret that the man loathed the presence of Wolves in his village. It was only natural that he'd want their leader out of it too.
"So?" Yugao rose a brow, put slightly at ease that this meeting apparently had nothing to do with her. "I don't see why that would require an urgent meeting unless you're planning an assassination." She actually hoped they weren't, she and her team had done enough damage to Naruto's new family as it was.
"Taicho-" Hioki gave her a serious look. "It's Naruto."
Suddenly Kakashi's words about the Wolves being his children made a whole lot more sense, though that was greatly overshadowed by something much, much worse-
Her Kouhai was leaving Konoha.
Yeah, I'm behind on the commentary again. I'll be getting to it as soon as possible but as you can see I was a bit behind with the chapter proper.
Thanks goes to my Patrons for their continued support despite my recent delays.
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