/Quick Reminder - Responses to Reviews are available at Eyazahrid dot net. If you've asked a question in a review that's where you're going to get your answer. I am currently caught up with Commentary 129 having been posted on the first, though who knows how long that might last. /
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 130-A "SRO"
Patron Release; 2020.12.25
She'd been here a few times before now but Sakura still felt strange every time she entered Naruto's apartment. She wasn't sure if it was something to do with the fact that she could come and leave without the owner of said apartment even being present, the fact that the 'apartment' was nothing of the sort, or just how natural it felt to interact with the various Wolves within.
There weren't a whole lot of them present recently, she had noticed, but she really wasn't privy to the reasoning behind that. She could ask, probably, but it wasn't like it was any of her business in the end anyway. Chances are they were just on missions like she and her team should probably be.
Sakura couldn't say she minded not being on missions too much, most of them were boring and the pay wasn't even that great so it was usually better to just stay here in Konoha. The only thing she really did miss out on by not being on a mission was spending more time with Naruto- though if he was too busy to be attending most teammeetings then it was better that he wasn't being pulled away for some stupid mission- and the opportunity to make more bouquets.
It had been too long since she'd last arranged any flowers, though the occasional hit she managed on Naruko had managed to sate her slightly.
Tasted really good, too.
Unfortunately most missions didn't actually involve combat- at their level, anyway. Chuunin were said to get a majority of them as Jounin missions were usually sensitive matters requiring stealth or diplomacy rather than brute force- so even if they were going on missions she'd just end up staring at Naruto- not a bad thing- while they escorted someone, delivered something, or some other menial, worthless task she couldn't be bothered to really care about.
If not for the rare opportunities for bloodshed Sakura thought she might actually end up retiring as a Kunoichi and doing something else with her life. It's not like she really needed the money, anyway, and she was sure her mother would have been happy for her to follow in her footsteps and learn to lead the Haruno merchant family- or what was left of it after the Kyuubi attack- as had been expected of her.
Now that she thought about it- and it was a rare occurrence for Sakura to focus even the smallest drop of attention to that aspect of her family- she wasn't exactly sure who her mother was planning to pass the leadership of the Haruno family to. She very much doubted her mother was intending to retain it until her deathbed- or maybe she was- unless she had decided that with Sakura choosing the path of the Kunoichi meant that the Haruno family had reached its conclusion- for the merchant side, anyway.
It was also possible that Mebuki thought Sakura might end up leaving the Shinobi lifestyle and was just waiting until then to pass on what she knew- actually not a bad idea, there was nothing that said Sakura had to be a Kunoichi to see the flowers she loved so much. There were more than a few ways she could still get what she needed while taking up control of the Haruno family- or that one of Sakura's cousins would be stepping up to take the position of head merchant and, eventually, council member.
Sakura wasn't really sure which cousin that would be- she'd never been close to them on accounts of them making fun of her forehead, a problem that really seemed really quite childish and inconsequential to her these days- but she also wasn't really sure how that would work. As the council seat and the house leadership had both been based down the same lines for generations there had never been any question to who inherited what. With this situation, though, there rose an issue.
The council seat was hereditary, awarded to the Harutno's for being one of the first families to flock to the newly built Konoha and their efforts in establishing the initial economy between Shinobi and civilians looking to live here. The headship of the Haruno merchants, however, could be passed down to whomever the current head chose as their successor. Naturally that had ended up being their own offspring but now, if her mother was to choose one of her cousins, then would they be the merchant head while Sakura became a council member?
It seemed a strange dynamic to Sakura- mostly because the contribution the Haruno councilmember could offer to the council dealt directly with trade that was controlled by the Haruno merchant head- but Sakura would really rather not be either if she was honest. It just didn't seem very exciting to her, though she realized she probably wasn't going to find anything more exciting than a shinobi lifestyle- as long as she remembered to avoid Jounin promotions and being eventually saddled with a team.
Green eyes blinked in surprise as she came to a momentary halt in the middle of the hallway. Is- is that how Kakashi felt about their team? Being pulled from an exciting lifestyle to instead be saddled with low level missions with Genin and his only hope of action being something going horribly wrong on them? What a horrible turn for a career to take.
Not that Sakura didn't think he would retire and do nothing but read Icha-Icha all day if Jiraiya was able to publish one at least every month.
She couldn't actually blame him for that either, Jiraiya's works were masterpieces.
Speaking of which-
Pushing open the door that separated the literary treasures of Naruto's library- well, one of them, anyway. Each of the sitting rooms had enough shelves that they could probably be considered a library. In the residential sense, at least- from the rest of his maze-like apartment- she was getting pretty good at navigating it, actually- she was looking forward to grabbing the next book in Jiraiy's Icha-Icha series.
They didn't really have to be read in order as most of them were fairly self-contained stories but there had been a few plots that had stretched over two or three books and Sakura had found herself liking the way the man's writing had grown over the course of the books. It was much more satisfying to see the style and quality increase with every new cover than to jump between them and be hit by the jarring differences.
She may have also been aware that some of the man's latest works contained a very specific individual and so she was saving those for last as to not ruin the rest of the man's work for her. This earlier stuff was fantastic but she was also sure it would pale in comparison to anything featuring Naruto- assuming the man had done her teammate justice, that is, and he'd better hope he had because otherwise Sakura was going to be hunting his ass down and showing him how to make some real art- so she'd resist the temptation for now and work her way through the books in the order an older fan would have been able to enjoy them over the years.
And on the topic of older readers- "Kakashi-Sensei?"
The man in question looked up from the shelf he'd been perusing- did he want Icha-Icha Maid Madness or something more refined such as Icha-Icha Geisha God?- to see one of the Not-Naruto's- he could never remember which was which, he assigned them numbers each time he saw them based on who was in his immediate field of vision first- standing in the doorway to sitting room...six? He thought it was room six, anyway. The one with vines of white ivy painted over the walls. Well, what walls you could see considering the majority of them were covered in bookcases. He could only just make out the tips of the curling ivy peaking out above and, if you were paying attention, one might notice that the bookcases didn't have a back, allowing you to see the vines when you pulled out some of the books- and gave her a small wave.
Well, it was more of holding up an open palm in greeting but the message was the same….ish.
"Ah, Not-Naruto, what are you doing in Naruto's apartment?" Not that he really cared, he just wasn't expecting to run into one of the many people he was specifically avoiding- the top of the list being anything tied to responsibility such as his Genin team- here in what should have been a sanctuary second only to his home.
Or maybe not, considering his recent visitors. Even here among more people the Wolves respected his privacy enough to leave him alone.
Mostly.
"I, uh, came to use the library. Naruto-Senpai has a lot of books."
Kakashi's brow rose. "So does the Konoha library…."
"Yeah," She nodded in agreement and moved over to the shelves. "But the Konoha Library doesn't have Naruto-Senpai."
That was fair, Kakashi would give her that one. "I suppose not, though I don't think he spends all that much of his time in his sitting rooms." Kakashi frowned for a second. Actually, he was probably sitting in a waiting room at the moment to keep Anko from running away at the first signs of paperwork and bureaucracy. That was comparative, he felt. He'd probably rather be in a sitting room- or his bedroom if he was keeping Anko with him- but waiting rooms and sitting rooms were only really separated by how public they were.
When the host wasn't present, anyway.
"No, he doesn't." Sakura agreed, moving closer to the section of books Kakashi had been browsing. "I'm in them often enough to know that. But he doesn't leave the apartment all that often either, does he?"
He had a pretty good feeling that he knew the answer to that already but spared a second to consider it anyway. "Not too often, no. He's very busy."
"So as long as he's in the building the chances of running into him are increased. I have better odds reading here than I do wandering out in Konoha."
"That's right, but you know you could probably visit him in his office, right? Unless he's working on something sensitive he probably wouldn't mind you reading near his desk."
Green eyes turned to him with surprise, wonder, and no small amount of hope. He didn't think he'd seen so much hope in them since her first day as a Kunoichi back before she had started to encounter the rather unromantic truth of the profession. "Really? You think he'd let me?"
Kakashi offered her a shrug. He didn't know for a fact but he was pretty confident in saying Naruto probably wouldn't turn her away unless he was dealing with something she had no business knowing. "It's worth a shot, I guess. At least when you ask you'll be interacting with him, no?"
"Yeah- Yeah!" Even between those two words he could feel her confidence spike and a wide smile stretched across her lips to beam at her Sensei. "Thanks, Kaskashi-Sensei, I'll have to give that a try."
"He's not in at the moment." Naturally the first thing Kakashi needed to do was hamper that excitement and bring her back down to the horrid reality they all- well, everyone but Kakashi- existed in. Her smile faded considerably, the disappointment palpable, and Kakashi felt his own smile growing under his mask. Ah, the sweet smell of crushed dreams. One of his favorite scents.
Who decided it would be a good idea for him to be a Sensei again? They needed to fire that asshat before he made any other stupid mistaks, though considering how long it had been it was probably too late for that.
"Oh, well," She looked down for a second, a frown pulling at her lips, before reminding herself that she hadn't really been planning on being able to see him today anyway. "I usually try not to get my hopes up about him stopping by for a visit." She admitted. "Even if he wanted to read I have a one in seven chance of it being this room if he chooses a sitting room to read in and a one in who knows how many if he chooses anything else. I'll just have to remember what you've said for the next time he's in his office."
"Always choose this one then, do you?"
With a firm nod Sakura agreed. "Hm, yeah. This was the first one i've been in and where I spent time with Naruto before." Her cheeks brightened slightly. "It also has the best books." She hadn't actually checked but this room seemed to have the complete collection of Icha-Icha in it and she very much doubted the others would too.
Naruto was a practical sort, usually, she couldn't imagine him having multiple copies of the same book for each of the rooms. Then again, he also had seven sitting rooms and what, five dining rooms? Maybe it wasn't too absurd to think all the sitting rooms might have identical libraries so he could always find the book he wanted to read irregardless of which room he found himself using.
Then again, she wasn't certain the Icha-Icha were really Naruto's sort of reading either. Something about them just didn't seem to suit him- though that may be because she found it hard to believe he would bother reading them when everything around him practically played out as one as far as she could tell- so it seemed like either something belonging to one of the Wolves around here or, possibly, a poorly chosen gift for him from someone.
He probably hadn't appreciated the gift itself- she couldn't say if he'd appreciated the thought but she doubted that too- but Sakura knew she sure did.
"...Yes, the best books…." He knew why he thought it had the best books, but which books did it have that had caught her atten- Oh. Kakashi's visible eye blinked in surprise as she returned Icha-Icha Busty Beach to its rightful spot in the collection- how had he missed her carrying that?- and reached for Icha-Icha Daughters of the Daimyo. "...Good choice…" Now that he'd seen it he kind of wanted to revisit that one but his love for the series forbade him from denying it another lifetime fan.
"..Ah, is it?" She flipped it over to read the brief description on the back. As with most of Jiraiya's synopses it wasn't much more informative than the title. In fact, in most cases the title would give you a better idea of that particular novel's plot. "I'm sort of worried he might have recycled a lot of elements from Female Fortress and just turned the fortress into a castle. Is their Daimyo father anything like Commander Rojiki?"
Kakashi's brain actually had to take a moment to restart when he heard that. She- she wasn't just reading them like some did, she sounded like an actual fan of the series. Maybe...maybe he wasn't such a bad choice of a Sensei after all, he seemed to have done some real good in this case.
"He..uh...doesn't play a huge part in the story, unlike Rojiki did-" Mainly because he was dead by the start of the story but he'd be damned if he spoiled anything. "But the story itself is quite a bit more lighthearted than his attempts on Female Fortress and focuses more on courtly hijinks. Definitely closer to Icha-Icha Carnal Carnival, I'd say."
"Ooh!" Her eyes lit up for the second time during their interaction. "I loved Carnal Carnival! Tomani has probably been my favorite protagonist so far, the way he ended up accidentally making everyone else happy while trying to juggle three dates was great."
Yep, there it was, it was official-
Kakashi was the greatest Sensei ever.
No one was going to be able to convince him otherwise.
"No," Ganju frowned. "Shaking his head in disappointment. "It's not going to be ready for anyone soon enough."
"What? Why?" Guren was immediately concerned with that news. As someone used to working under Orochimaru it was well ingrained upon her that deadlines were not something to miss- especially considering Orochimaru generally didn't have the patience for the original deadlines in the first place. Any amount of time you were allotted for a project one should divide into fifths and pray to whatever gods would answer you that you had some sort of tangible result by then to satisfy him enough that you could continue with the project at all.
"Replacement parts are still a week or more out and labor will take half as long. New construction is easy normally but in this case we have to manage excavating into the mainland and maintaining everything in a sealed state, not to mention the only entrance is still the areas in need of repair. Something goes wrong there than all the new construction is fucked, it becomes worse if that happens when the base is active. Just Imagine Tsukuyomi-sama stuck in the new area because the entryway is completely flooded." Ganju shivered in horror. "We'd have to hope we're all aware because rescue efforts would need to start immediately and there's little chance of escaping from within."
One of Guren's eyes rose. "It shouldn't take that long to excavate, should it? You lot know Doton Jutsu, right? Shouldn't take more than a day, two tops, to have the area cleared out and ready to be reinforced with something a bit more trustworthy than dirt."
"...Wolve's don't really do jutsu, we prefer things that are a bit less obvious."
"Even for utility? Sounds like a waste."
"...There's also the matter that it's mostly rock. On one hand that's already a pretty solid area to be used once we have it shaped, on the other it's fucking rock and even if we had Doton Jutsu it takes a considerable amount of Chakra more to affect solid rock. We'd probably be resting more than working- and don't even get me started on the fact that we're trying to do this underwater."
That was fair.
"Orochimaru usually puts an entrance on the surface, we could do that to get down there and then remove the rock. When the old base is good to go we can connect them and seal up the top entrance again."
"Oh? Oh! That's not a bad idea, not a bad idea at all." Ganju turned towards the shore, waving over his crew. "Yure, Kiano, Hakkei, get over here. There might be something else we can try." The three shared a look before shrugging and heading over and Guren took that as her que to leave.
"Good call," Katsuri complimented her. "And better job keeping him focused. If we had to get him back on track again there would be no way we'd be done in time for Tsukuyomi-sama."
"Yeah," Guren shrugged. "Just doing my job. If he can get started on this we can include it in his report before it's sent back off. We have a few hours before he's supposed to head back, yeah?"
Katsuri snorted in dry amusement. "No, he was due to start heading back like six hours ago based on the message, we can only hope he was early. There's no way in hell he's leaving without another six of rest. He must have made the trip in, what, a matter of hours? A single hour? I'm almost certain he opened one of the gates in order to make it."
Gurend winced, that would not feel too good about now, she suspected, especially when he needed to be making a return journey. What was worse was the idea that they might upset Tsukuyomi- and by association Orochimaru- with their tardiness.
"You don't suppose we could use one of the other Wolves to send it back and he can just stay here to help, do you?"
"Tempting but the instructions mention he's supposed to be the one returning. I don't think I'll be defying Tou-Sama's expectations just yet."
"Yet?"
"If he takes too long to recover we'll throw him over someone's shoulder and have them run him back."
"...I think I like you." That was the sort of thinking Guren could get behind. It followed instructions as closely as possible without compromising the task at hand. That was the sort of thing that kept you alive working for Orochimaru.
"...Thanks." Katsuri didn't quite know how to take that so she didn't, choosing instead to bring up another problem. "So, any ideas on how to hide our activities here? The longer we're here the more likely someone is to notice our presence."
Guren gave it a few seconds thought before providing a suggestion with a shrug. "Steal a good-sized fishing boat to base ourselves from?"
"...I know if I give it too much thought there will be some issues with that plan," Katsuri admitted. "But that's probably the best start we're going to get. You have a port in mind?"
"Nope, but if we're setting shop up in Yu no Kuni maybe we should go for Kaminari no Kuni for the boat?"
"Works for me."
"Naaarutooooo~" Anko whined from her position slumped into the plastic chair of the Shinobi Registration Office. Whatever she intended to say next was cut off by two voices in perfect sync.
"We know you're tired of waiting, Anko, be patient." Kurenai didn't even look up from her book and Naruto's attention was still firmly on the minor reports that Kakashi had set aside for him. As they realized the other had said the same thing, though, they paused in their activities to share a look and an exasperated smile.
"We've been waiting for sooooo long though," She complained, arms moving from the chair to cross her chest. "It would be faster to get a pardon as a rogue Shinobi."
Again, without looking up, both Naruto and Kurenai countered her complaint together. "It's been twenty minutes." They commented dryly.
"Twenty minutes is more than enough time to light some candles and open a bottle of wine, we could already be undressing each other."
"That's a good point," Naruto agreed, moving to give Anko an unimpressed stare. Just as her hopes started to lift at his words he reached into his pocket and retrieved their numbered ticket. "Here, you hold onto this. Kurenai and I will be back in.." He paused, frowning in mock thought, before shooting Kurenai a questioning gaze. "Forty minutes, you think?"
It took her a second to connect what he'd just said to what Anko had proposed and she could feel the light blush that spread over the top of her cheeks. One look into his eyes, however, made her pretty sure he was just doing this to mess with Anko. She was relieved but also- to her surprise- slightly disappointed. Regardless she decided to play along. "Only if we skip the candles and wine, otherwise we're only going to get in a round and maybe some fun in the shower before we return."
She wasn't sure what was better, the way his eyes lit up in amusement at her words or the expression that she could see Anko adopt behind him.
"Wha-? No, no! You guys can't do something like that to me!"
"I'd day you did it to yourself, Anko, I was just planning to sit here and keep you company until you reminded me that Kurenai and I could be having some fun. If you don't want us to return, then, I guess we can include the candles and wine. Maybe there will be some left by the time you get to join us."
"If the two of you leave I'm coming with you, there's no way in hell I'm staying here while the two of you are having fun."
"That's fine," Naruto shrugged, standing up. "It will just mean you'll be staying in Konoha when we leave." He turned to Kurenai and extended a hand to help her up. "Coming, Kerenai?"
"Noooo~, please stay?" Two arms wrapped around Naruto's neck followed quickly by a pair of legs around his waist. He was fortunate that Kurenai reached out and grabbed his hand to provide counterbalance for the unexpected Anko that was suddenly on his back.
"Get off him, Anko, you're going to make him fall."
Anko puffed out her cheeks in protest, resting her chin on her arm as close to his head as she could get. "Are you calling me fat, Kurenai?"
"You're not fat, Anko, but you are a grown woman clinging to his back."
"So? He's strong." She turned to face Naruto as best she could without actually moving her head. "Right, Naruto? This is fine."
"Some warning would have been nice."
"Heh, sorry, but this means you'll stay, right?" Giving a fond roll of his eyes Naruto reached over with his free hand to ruffle her hair like one might a child.
"If you can behave yourself, Anko."
"I'll be good, I promise." Kurenai and Naruto sharead a skeptical look between them, doubting she'd manage to abide by that for more than an hour at best. She'd probably be causing trouble within the next five.
Anko took offence to that.
"Hey, I can be good if I want to!"
Their shared look turned to her, brows raised.
"I can!"
"Maybe," Kurenai agreed. "But when do you want to be good?"
"When Naruto-kun promises to reward me for it?" Was the answer she offered.
"You don't seem too sure of that." Maturely, Anko stuck her tongue out in response.
"Number 473, now serving number 473." The call from the receptionist's desk had Anko perking up on Naruto's back.
"Oh, that must be us, right? It's our turn now?"
"No," Naruto held their ticket up so she could better see it. "We have 726."
"726? 726?!" One of the woman's arms left his neck to gesture at the empty waiting room. "How are we number 726 when there's no one else here?!"
Naruto just shrugged. "That's the Shinobi Registration Office for you."
"There it is," Kankuro announced, left arm splayed out to present the splendor that was Nami no Kuni's crown jewel. "I don't know why you thought you could doubt me."
Temari rested her fists on her hips, her expression plainly unamused. "You say that like you were right about where we were and what way we needed to go- you weren't."
"Yeah," He shrugged. "But you weren't right either."
As it so happened it hadn't been directly north nor south-east but instead Nami had been East North-East from where they were. Temari had been closer, technically, but she didn't care enough to bring that up.
Well, she could, she just didn't have the energy for the argument that would no doubt follow. She was ready for a nice, long, relaxing bath and plenty of time away from Rasa and Deidara.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Let's get going. The bridge is another hour or so away and the sooner we get back the better."
"Yeah, yeah." Kankuro waved her concern away. "We made good time, don't worry about it." He turned back to give Deidara a quick glance. "If we were really in a rush we could just fly over there."
"Hey, hey! Maybe back when there was no one around but that's a damn big city, yeah! Way too many people there for me to be using something so distinctive."
"It's not like most of the people there will even know who you are," Scoffed Kankuro. "You might have an S-rank bounty on you because you pissed off Iwakagure but you're not exactly infamous, especially to civilians."
"That's the kind of thinking that gets you caught, yeah, and if there are so many civilians there we don't need people after my bounty following us here."
That was actually somewhat valid so between it and the pointed stare Temari was shooting him Kankuro dropped the matter entirely. "Sure, sure. Let's get going. Bridge should be this way."
"You mean that way." Temari pointed in the opposite direction.
"No, I meant the direction towards the bridge."
"Which is this way."
"Gaara?" Temari prompted, smiling when he pointed the same way she had been. "See?" Her attention returned to Kankuro. "It's that way."
"We can give it a try," Kankuro shrugged. "But if you want to get there as soon as possible the trip is much shorter without having to double back."
"If I want to get there as soon as possible it's a much shorter trip to go in the right direction." Temari grabbed Gaara's hand and the two started walking, Rasa trailing aimlessly behind them.
Kankuro shared a look with Sasori and Deidara who both shrugged. "We can go your way," Sasori suggested." We don't have to stick together."
That was a good poi-
"And if you end up being wrong we can just fly there."
Kankuro gave him a flat look before sighing in defeat. "She's going the right way, isn't she?"
"From when I last visited Nami? Yes."
Damnit.
"This isn't working." Across the room Tsume looked up from her book, brow raised.
"What isn't working?"
"This." Mai gestured around her. "I was able to relax in the beginning but now that I know what's going on back in Konoha-"
"You're too busy worrying about it to let yourself recover?" Tsume rolled her eyes fondly. "That's just like you, Mai. Naruto sent you here so you could rest and relax. If he didn't think it would have caused more panic and stress he probably wouldn't have told you at all so you could enjoy the rest of your vacation."
"But he did and now I can't."
"So you're saying…?" Tsume had a pretty good idea where Mai's thoughts had taken her already but she wanted to hear it from the young woman before she ended up accidentally putting ideas in that head of hers.
"I'm going back to Konoha." Even as she said it she had reached for her bags- already mostly packed, Tsume noticed- and began to gather the rest of her things. "You're free to enjoy the rest of the time Naruto reserved for us here."
Tsume allowed herself an amused snort. "You think I'm going to just sit around here without you? You must be out of your mind. Come on, let's get packed up and checked out."
"...Thanks, Tsume."
"If you want to thank me, what do you say to another round before we check out?"
"...I think we could extend the vacation an hour or two."
Tsume's laughter managed to do more for calming her nerves than anything at the resort had since that letter. The last of their vacation would do that several times over.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 130-B "Reward"
Patron Release 2020.12.30
"Oh my god, that was soooo horrible." Anko complained as she took the final steps out of the Shinobi Registration Offices, Kurenai and Naruto following calmly behind her. "We were in there forever."
"It was three hours, Anko." Naruto's flat comment was followed by one from Kurenai.
"That's not all that long."
Spinning around to face them her hands found themselves planted firmly on her hips. "Not that long?! Maybe if there had been other people in there I could accept that but there was no one else there! How could it possibly take three hours to let one person fill out paperwork?"
"Just because you didn't see anyone else in the waiting room doesn't mean they didn't have other work that needed to be done, Anko, those offices manage every Konoha Shinobi and maintain records for foreign Shinobi too." Kurenai pointed out.
"They also handle a lot of the hunter-nin operations and international bounties." Was Naruto's addition. "That's a lot to be done by just one office. He paused to consider the time of year. "I think there should be a graduating class from the academy soon, shouldn't there? They're probably quite busy with that, too."
"So? We were actually there, the other work wasn't going to up and leave. Why couldn't they pause for ten minutes, see to us, and go back to their work so we could leave? There's no reason we should have to waste our time for them to get their work done."
That made an awful lot of sense for being part of one of Anko's complaints, he had to admit. He'd have to keep that in mind for Nami and the Wolves.
"You're welcome to head back in and make that suggestion if you like." He offered with a shrug. "I'd figure you're just about sick of that waiting room by now, though."
She didn't even have to consider that. "I'll just let them know the next time I'm there."
"You'll be waiting a long time again, then, too but it's up to you in the end."
Her hands moved from her hips to fold over her chest. "Well, I'll have to wait again at least once anyway, I'd rather put it off as long as I can." Her tone became hopeful. "Besides, for all we know I may never have to visit them again."
Yeah, that was a fair point too. She'd only have to come back if she ended up returning to Konoha for some reason and wanted to rejoin the Shinobi forces.
"Perhaps." Changing the subject, Naruto turned to his right to meet Kurenai's red eyes. "So, how do you think she did?"
"Hmm?" Kurenai looked up from her book, momentarily resembling another Jounin-Sensei she would not appreciate being compared to.
Unlike him, however, she had been paying attention. "What do you mean?"
"Anko- would you say she behaved well enough for a reward?"
"Ah, well…" Glancing at Anko proved to be a mistake as she was immediately bombarded by the sight of a pleading pout and hopeful eyes that begged her to say yes. "...Yes?"
"Well if Kurenai thinks you behaved I guess you're due a reward, Anko. Your place or mine?"
"Hmm" Cocking her hip to the side she brought one of her arms from her chest to rest her index finger on her lips. "My place is more private but I haven't tidied up and don't want to wait. She pouted and glanced around looking for inspiration to strike- there. Kurenai was immediately on guard as those pleading eyes returned to lock gazes with her.
"You'll host, won't you Kure-chan? Pleeeeease?"
"I think Kurenai would probably like to go home and relax, I don't think she wants to surrender it to you just because your apartment is untidy."
Anko gave him a confused look. "What do you mean? Kurenai's joining us, isn't she?"
Daimyo and Genjustu mistress both froze as Anko's words processed before turning to share a glance.
"I can't speak for her," Naruto eventually managed to regain his ability to speak and broke what was very quickly becoming an awkward silence. "But she's welcome to join us if she likes….."
He was very much aware that this placed all the pressure and responsibility for the situation firmly upon Kurenai's shoulders but that suited him just fine. He would not be the one initiating anything with anyone new, he had obligations to enough women already and he still hadn't completely figured out how that had happened in the first place.
Not that he was complaining.
Kurenai's expression remained confused for only a second before she had realized what he'd done and shot him a dirty look. She then repeated her mistake of glancing over to Anko whose pleading expression had by some unknown power exponentially increased in effectiveness.
She'd shared a bed with Anko on a drunken night or two before, so that wasn't completely new, but she really didn't know how she felt about the idea of adding another person to that- especially when it was Naruto.
"Pleeeease Kure-chan~, I'll do that thing with my to-" Kurenai held up a hand to stop her, shooting a panicked look to the surroundings to see if anyone was close enough to overhear.
"Fine, I'll host. Be at my place in twenty minutes-" She spared another glance towards Naruto, certain the red in her cheeks was rising in sync with his crimson brow. "Both of you."
"Yeeeeeeeeesssssssss!" Anko threw a fist into the air, practically vibrating in excitement. "I promise you won't regret this, Kure-chan!"
No, Kurenai thought, she probably wouldn't.
But she probably should.
He actually found it slightly strange to have a letter from Kirigakure no Sato without having that Kiri Kunoichi here delivering it personally. Perhaps it was simply because she was the only member of this new Kirigakure that Asuma had the opportunity to meet so far and was thus the face he associated with that particular hidden village. It made more sense that not every letter from the new Mizukage would be personally delivered by- who he suspected to be- her favored Kunoichi.
It helped that he knew the young woman was either currently in Konoha or had left for whatever other task Mei had given her. He didn't actually know but he wasn't the one assigned to watch a foreign dignitary and it didn't matter enough to him to ask. If she was still in Konoha and caused trouble he would be informed, otherwise either someone was still keeping an eye on her or she had already left Konoha.
Picking up the letter he only spared a moment to verify the proper seals were present before opening it. It wasn't the greatest paper but he supposed he shouldn't be expecting too much from a village that was mostly rubble.
Introduction, pleasantries, gratitude, statement,...solution?...Proposal? Oh?
Blinking the last few hours of paperwork from his eyes and sitting up more properly he read through the letter again. That- that wasn't a bad idea at all. It would still be slanted in favor of Kirigakure considering he'd already been giving them support but the opportunity to reduce the amount of manpower they had in Kaze no Kuni just about made up for that.
Things would need to be made official, of course, specifically with Iroh considering the inter-country cooperation- and occupation- that was being suggested but Asuma was sure the man would be more than happy for anything that could solidify ties to another country that would come to be completely dependant- and thus submissive- to his own.
If he was lucky, it might keep the man's eyes off what he was doing here in Konoha for a time, too. It had been by Iroh's decree that the Wolves were permitted to remain within Konoha, their identities anonymous to all but their own house and the Imperial Fire Court. The man was not likely to smile down on Asuma attempting to extradite the noble house from the walls of Konoha but once they were gone it wouldn't matter all that much. All Iroh would really be able to do is reach out to them and invite them back- provided he could find them.
….Wait.
Asuma's thoughts came to a grinding halt. He really, really wanted the Wolves as far away from Konoha as possible to lessen the chances of them causing- intentionally or not- problems for his village but where, exactly, were they going?
Nami no Kuni was the obvious answer and he could have more patrols near the border to keep an eye on them but what guarantee did he have that they would actually be going there? If they skipped Nami no Kuni entirely and vanished into another country who knows what they could end up getting up to? Back before they were widely known they set themselves up to take over a country, were they planning to do the same again?
Asuma frowned deeply, black eyes turning to the map of the elemental nations hanging on the wall of his office. If that was their plan where would they go? Something not controlled by Hi no Kuni, certainly, but was there a country that would give them influence akin to what they had already gained though Nami no Kuni?
Was he enabling them to become an ever greater threat by letting them lose rather than slipping a leash over their necks? He didn't like the thought of that, not at all, and that meant he needed to do something before he lost sight of them completely-
He needed a spy.
"Ah, your reservation hasn't ended yet, Mai-san!" The wide-eyed receptionist hurried out from behind the resort's welcome desk to run up to the two women quite obviously intending to cut their stay short. "Whatever the problem is I'm sure we can resolve it and make it up to you-"
"There's no problem, thank you, a...family...matter has come up and I must return home immediately." As Mai stopped to address the woman the Wolves who had accompanied her continued carrying her luggage out to the carriage, unbothered by the sudden change in plans or the lack of notice. They had been missing Tou-sama as well, they could imagine she was quite eager to get back to him.
She was, after all, his favorite and that title brought with it the honor of being able to spend the most time with him.
"Oh, I see, I'm terribly sorry to hear that. We hope that everything turns out okay. If things get resolved in a timely manner you are, of course, welcome to return to enjoy the rest of your reservation. We would be most pleased to have you back and I'm sure you would be able to benefit from returning to relaxation." The receptionist fell into a deep, respectful bow and backed away from the group without waiting for a response, obviously having been more worried about the possibility that they had driven guests away than any family issues that had caused a guest to cut their vacation short.
The resort was, after all, still being paid for the days that had been reserved by the House of Wolves. What did she care if there weren't actually guests that had to be served for that income? If anything it just made it easier on the entire staff.
"Come back?" Tsume muttered beside her. "Can't say that isn't somewhat tempting."
"I'll probably need it after all of this," Mai admitted. "I'll just have to force another vacation from Naruto."
"Force?" Tsume gave a brief bark of laughter. "You don't have to force anything from that boy. If you tell him you want a vacation he'll have a carriage waiting to take you away from your stress by the next morning at the latest."
A soft smile tugged at Mai's lips, Tsume wasn't wrong there. It quickly dropped away, that really wasn't fair to Naruto or any of the other people who would continue to work while she was away. She'd been wanting Naruto to take a proper vacation forever and she was sure Sai- and possibly Hana too- was most likely overdue for a well-deserved break.
Unfortunately they couldn't all be away from their duties at the same time, though she was sure that would be a fantastic vacation if they were somehow able to make it happen.
She'd have to make sure they all received vacations before she even entertained the thought of a second one.
"Yeah, he probably would. Now we just have to figure out what it is he gets up to when I'm on a vacation so we know what to plan for next time."
"Picking fights with Kage, from the sound of it. Interesting hobby, I'll admit, but you can't say he's not a fiesty one I guess."
"No, not at all." She agreed. "We just need to teach him when that's appropriate because if he's going to be doing that everytime I leave I'm never going to be able to take a vacation again."
Tsume shrugged at that. Sure she could look at it that way or - "You could always just start taking a vacation together, that should keep him out of trouble." She paused, frowning slightly. "Though I suppose that won't be much of a vacation for you if you have to keep an eye on him the whole time."
"Might be better than worrying about what he's doing while I'm away," She countered. "Besides, how much trouble would he be able to get into on vacation?"
Tsume stopped, blinked, and turned back around to face Mai. "...I don't spend a whole lot of time around him but even I know that saying that is just asking for trouble the next time he goes on vacation."
"Tsume, Tsume, Tsume," Mai waived off the Inuzuka matriarch's concern. "Don't you know there's no chance of that happening? Naruto doesn't take vacations."
"...Now I know you're just trying to tempt the universe."
"Into what, giving him a vacation? If it can manage something I'll be very impressed."
"...Please stop."
The bedroom fan made slow, lazy circles that did little to dissipate the heat and instead caused the warm air to continue caressing the room's occupants. Half-blocked by curtains the closed blinds did what they could to shield the apartment from the late evening sun, unable to fully block out the golden light that cast itself over the bed of tangled sheets and the wooden pieces throughout the room.
It was a heavy, stifling atmosphere and for many long minutes Naruto was stuck between finding it indulgently tempting and finding it terribly uncomfortable. It was the latter that won out in the end, the dampness of sweat-soaked sheets and what was probably the wine Anko spilled on him a few hours ago clinging to his skin in a most irritating manner.
Swinging his legs off the edge of the bed he took a minute to just sit there. He knew his salvation was only a few feet away but even so the lull of the bed and the warm flesh resting upon it tried to draw him back. He shook those whispers from his head and sought out his pants, eventually finding them draped over the back of the leather chair resting in the corner. He wanted to believe the cool leather would feel good against his skin but with the room unusually warm he was sure it would probably cling to him just as badly as the sheets.
He recovered his pants and walked softly to the other side of the room to slip out onto Kurenai's small balcony. It wasn't much, barely enough room for the chair and small table she kept our there, but the cool breeze was all he'd been after. Careful not to disturb the multitude of potted plants carefully circling the balcony wall he rested against it, purple eyes lazily scanning the evening streets of Konoha.
Naruto really didn't make a habit of doing so- he rarely had the time to spend staring out a window when he had such a large family to take care of- but he was stuck by the sudden realization that soon he wouldn't be able to do this.
Not staring out the window, of course, he could do that practically anywhere but he wouldn't be looking out over Konoha.
His Konoha.
Home.
Not for long, unfortunately, and he was torn when it came to his feelings on the matter.
One one hand this is where he had grown up,the place- for good or ill- that had forged him into the person he was today. He was no narcissist but he quite liked being the person he was- whoever that was- and couldn't imagine being any other way. It just wouldn't be him.
On the other, with the exception of a few individuals he was keeping here- and he was more than capable of just taking them with him, should he wish- there really wasn't anything for him here. His children were out there, his projects were out there, his very future resided beyond the walls he had called his home for so long.
Here there were just memories- some fond, some haunting- but all of them done, over with. He'd taken his lessons from them already, he'd like to think, so beyond a fondness what really tied him to this village?
Try as he might, he couldn't find the answer.
Maybe that's because he was looking for something that didn't exist.
"You're frowning, don't tell me the experience was that terrible for you Naruto-kun."
He hadn't been aware he was frowning, actually, but as he turned to face Kurenai standing in her balcony doorway he felt his lips rise up into a faint smile. Her long black hair was an absolute mess from their afternoon with Anko and just a glance at the way the crimson sheets- he didn't know why he would have ever expected any other color from the woman- hugged her form he was fairly certain they were the only thing separating his purple eyes from the pale flesh he knew lie beneath.
"Nothing of the sort, I was just...thinking."
"While two beautiful women lay naked in the bed you left?" A delicate brow rose in question as she smirked. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed or concerned."
"Those two beautiful women appeared to be very much asleep, thank you." He pointed out. Pushing himself from the wall to turn around and face her properly. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Indirectly, sun decided to say hello when you came out here. I would have gone back to bed but I was too curious about what would have caught your attention over a naked Mitarashi Anko and Yuhei Kurenai."
"You had my attention for quite some time, Kurenai." He quite enjoyed the dusting of pink that covered her cheeks.
"Ah, yeah." She'd learned why Anko kept being in such abnormally good moods, that was for sure, though it was probably a good thing Anko had been there too. "I'm actually surprised you managed to keep up with us for so long."
"Anko gives me plenty of practice," Was his dry response. "I used to think she was insatiable, too, but you sure proved me wrong."
"Is it that hard to believe that of the two of us Anko is the innocent one?" She shot him a wicked smile and her crimson eyes sparkled with a carnal amusement.
"Not anymore, I've learned that lesson."
"Good, now why don't you come join us in bed again?"
"As tempting as that is-" His gaze swept over her barely covered form, drinking it all in. He'd seen her plenty earlier just not all at once. This wasn't quite that either but the way she was both exposed and hidden from his sight was far more alluring than if she had simply been stood there naked. It was like a present and he was already considering unwrapping her. "I think I'll have to pass. Your bed is currently quite hot and damp and I can't say I'm really a fan."
"That's fair, I guess you came out here to cool off then." She took a second to enjoy the portion of the breeze that managed to reach her, shivering only slightly beneath her makeshift crimson gown. "That is quite refreshing." She agreed. "But do you know what might feel even better?"
One of his brows arched in curiosity. "Do tell."
"A nice, cold shower. Care to join me?"
"Yeah, that does sound really good." His response earned him a smile from painted red lips.
"Of course," She continued. "After how intimate we've ended up being thanks to Anko there is something I'm going to expect from you after that shower, Naruto-kun."
"And what might that be?"
"I expect to enjoy a good cuddling, perhaps on the couch?"
"I think I can manage that."
Crimson eyes flashed with a wicked amusement. "You think you can handle me, Naruto-kun? That sounds like my sort of challenge."
Dear gods, he didn't know what the hell he had awoken in the woman- maybe she was always like this when she was horny- but as she dropped her sheets to the floor and sashayed towards her bathroom he came to the conclusion that he really, really liked it.
He was quick to follow after her.
Signing the last report she returned it to its folder and added it to the small stack before her on Mai's desk. The pile was pushed away and one of the Wolves quickly retrieved it to be packed away. Her work done- for the time being- Hanabi focused on the Wolves that she had called to her- Mai's, really- office.
"Thank you all for coming. I don't want to drag this out, there's too much to be doing at the moment, so keep things quick and concise." She pointed to the leftmost Wolf. "You get to start, report."
"The Den is almost fully packed up. We're finishing up the lower levels and Tsukuyomi's office now. Should be done by tomorrow at the latest."
"Good." She moved her finger to the woman to his right. "Next."
"Furniture from all unused rooms has been collected and prepared for shipping. We've arranged for a caravan on their way to Nami no Kuni to take it all with them. They'll be leaving Konoha in two days, last I spoke with them."
"Perfect, next."
"Files and books have been collected, Hanabi-sama, with the exception of sitting room six and Naruto's office."
Does that mean Tsukuyomi's office had already been packed up? That was strange, was Tsukuyomi not in Konoha? For some reason she thought he was supposed to be, so removing his ability to continue with his work sounded like a poor choice. A frown tugged at her lips. There was something she was forgetting, she knew it, but what about Tsukuyomi had ever really needed her attention? That was quite weird too, she'd never actually met the man and considering how high up the pecking order she now was that didn't seem right.
How was it she'd never met the Daimyo who supposedly lived here.
Daimyo.
Pale eyes blinked in surprise as she remembered an afternoon some weeks ago."You know, the wife of a Daimyo would be expected to be the pinnacle of grace and dignity." Naruto had said that, but she didn't recall Tsukuyomi being brought up at all in that conversation. In fact, his words had been a direct response to Tayuya's offer to marry hi-
Oh.
Oh.
Naruto was the Daimyo, Naruto was Tsukuyomi.
She resisted- barely- the sudden urge to slam her head into Mai's desk as the realization struck her. How the hell had she missed that for so long? It explained a good half of the mess when it came to the paperwork, too.
She could consider him Tsukuyomi's left hand her ass, he was also the right hand, the legs, the torso, and the godsbedamned head. Cheeky bastard.
With a deep sigh she set those thoughts away momentarily and instead focused on the other aspect of the report that had caught her attention -
"Why has sitting room six been left alone?"
"Uh, we figured there might still be individuals utilizing the sitting room until the day of our departure."
"Like whom?"
"Ah, Inu-Oji and Haruno-san, Hanabi-sama."
She...she didn't recognize either of those names, actually, and she spent another few seconds trying to wrack her brain for their identities only to come up blank.
"Who?"
"Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura, Hanabi-sama. Naruto's Sensei and teammate, respectively."
Ah, that made a bit more sense. The teammate. She was familiar with the name Hatake Kakashi already, though she hadn't been aware the man was Naruto's Sensei. Actually, she hadn't been aware he had a Sensei at all and it was hard to imagine him as part of any Genin team at all, she found.
Especially now that she had pieced together the fact that he was a freaking Daimyo.
She was going to be beating herself up about that for quite some time now.
"I'm assuming Naruto has given them permission to use his sitting rooms?" If the Wolves were not just allowing it but adjusting how they went about their duties to accommodate then she had a pretty good feeling he had but she knew better than to actually assume and ignore the matter completely. The Wolves were a strange lot and she would not be surprised if they considered the fact that Naruto hadn't said anything against it- if he was even aware- as approval or perhaps thought that as part of his team he would want them to be able to visit as they pleased.
"Sakura-san, yes. He told her she was welcome to visit when she liked."
"And Kakashi?"
"Erm, not...exactly." The Wolf scratched the back of his head and shot looks to his siblings for reassurance. "He just sort of started to help himself to Naruto's Icha-Icha collection and considering how close he and Naruto are and how involved Inu-Oji is with matters of the Wolves we treat him as one of us."
She hadn't heard any of that and felt another frown forming. He hadn't exactly been advertising to the world that he was a Daimyo, sure, but no one had been trying to hide- as far as she could tell- Kakashi's involvement in the Wolves. She was pretty sure she would have noticed the mention of someone so well known, that was not an asset to be glossed over.
Looked like one of her next projects was going to be standardizing reports to ensure all pertinent information actually made it to her desk. Assuming all reports mentioning the man hadn't been sent to Naruto, of course, or Naruto hadn't deliberately kept the man from the records to avoid future repercussions with Konoha.
She'd have to talk to him before starting that project, then, but that was fine. She didn't want to be starting a new one in the middle of relocating anyway.
"Does Naruto know he's in here at least?"
"Oh, yes. Naruto is aware that Kalashi comes in and borrows his Icha-Icha. Apparently some of them are special edition or something."
She hadn't realized he was that much of a fan but, as today was proving, she hadn't realized quite a lot. Perhaps the signs were there and she was just being oblivious on this matter too.
"Take care when you do pack them, then, otherwise well done."
The Wolf snapped into a smart salute.
"Alright, last one, report."
"Archived files from the den and the apartment have been collected. We were planning on including them with the furniture but have determined there would not be sufficient security. We're currently awaiting a destination so we can arrange proper transport for the archives.." They paused, slight uncertainty entering into their voice. "You haven't been provided the location we'll be relocated to yet, have you?"
Hanabi shook her head. "No, not yet. As soon as I do I'll be passing it on so we can get things sent over. Until then we just have to wait."
"Of course, Hanabi-sama." The Wolf bowed his head. "We will continue to be patient until word from the Father reaches us."
Even after her recent revelation it still took Hanabi a moment to connect "Father" to "Naruto" and while it was strangely fitting- for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on- it was still quite odd. It was going to take a lot of getting used to, that was for sure, but there was no way she would start calling him "Father". That would be even weirder.
Of course, if they were referring to him that openly how many other obvious clues had she been missing?
She thought it was probably better that she didn't know.
For her pride, if nothing else.
"That should be everything then." Hanabi nodded, taking a second to meet the eyes of her team. "Was there anything else that should be brought to my attention?"
She was answered with a chorus of "No, Hanabi-Sama" and gave another satisfied nod.
"Very good, you're dismissed. Keep up the good work."
Four bows met her before they made their way to exit the room and Hanabi felt the faintest of smirks pull at her lips.
It felt good to be in charge of people again, this was definitely a position she was going to be happy to get used to.
And because I am an absolute bastard, we're trying out an alternate formatting for the Patron List. There are still some 15+ hours for the Patron Poll on my page but most of them don't seem to care about how they show up as supporters anyway so I'm taking liberties to try this in a public chapter before the poll is over.
Lord Generals
Cephalon Keeper, Michael Huber, B4NH4MM3R
Lord Marshals
Ronji, Nathan Carlson, MythicFool, EagleE, Pope Gregory Trivium III, Konan, Sedition
Lord Majors
The SHARP fox, Malte Krain, StayFrosty, Noah, Alex Robb, Jeremy Webb, Jamel, McKinzie, Tjk9399, Raymond Saragian, Elypsus, magicheart 0, Gamer91, Theepicslime, Kurogane, Marcothephoenix
Lord Commissars
Stan the Drunkard, Tim Keizer, Akira, Ashley Pfeiffer, Daron Smith, gabriel reynoso, Romulan, Shi_no_Kage, Whatzzzzzzzup, Nick Payne, Christopher, Desertgem1, Daniel Witry, Liam Kearney
Lord High-Inquisitor
Janus
Lord Inquisitors
Jaykay2307, Angel Morales, Haistos, Bob Ross, Brendon, Joe Schumacher, Michael Friede, Cameron Yourell, Nilzor, Chase, Maroner, Forseeti, Carlos Campbell, Thanyx, Chace Gannon, Slip123, Godfrey Kawi, StoneMonkey, Nicholas Hoover, Nicholas Liu, Supernowy, Milton Pereira, YGO, Louis Lennin, OldManCain, Sivellan, Brandon Romero, Vio, MB, Brandon, LoneSaiyan, Para, Angel de la torre, Nekrull DeUmbrus, Jennifer carpenter, HKaz, Pantheras, Marin Dimovski, MasterT941, J. G., Tyrell2000, Draku, Gobo, Theo McPherson, June Tai, james escobedo, Sebastiaan asselbergs, ChaosFox, Perez, Hentai Prince, James, TheGreatBubbaJ, TheAbsoluteMonarch