Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 155-A "Lazy Fox"
Patron Release 2022.03.10
In a fight for your life the deep, boisterous laugh that cracked through the air like a whip was hardly appropriate. Then again, it wasn't Kisame who was currently in danger of losing his.
Perhaps that was why he was comfortable enough to laugh in the middle of combat, a pointed grin splitting across blue lips as he swung his beloved Samehada with reckless abandon. It had been far too long since he'd last been able to cut loose.
The shaving blade crashed into the earth, sending large, solid chunks of hardened earth flying throughout the clearing. Impressive, considering the soil in Taki no Kuni was far more loose than somewhere like Tsuchi no Kuni. Perhaps the force of the attack had been enough to both compress it and shatter it apart in one smooth move.
Either way, the Taki Jounin found themselves scattering from the sharp shards that would no doubt rip them apart like shrapnel. The trees served as temporary cover but the Jounin hastily returned to the larger clearing. They had quickly learned- after Guyure had lost consciousness- that the trees provided little resistance to the path of Samehada and instead simply became large, dangerous projectiles themselves.
They had been careful to limit how much time they spent with anything between themselves and the wildly-swinging shark.
As the dust from his latest swing stirred through the air Fu launched herself across the clearing, scattering her duist as she went. Amao and the others were able to make out her silhouette through the dust and knew what was coming, scrambling for their goggles, but the Nanabi Jinchuriki called out a warning anyway.
"Eyes!"
Kisame had just enough time to blink and wonder what she meant before his entire world went white, the reflected light from Fu's special technique strong enough to pierce through the clouds of dust unhindered. Samehada was dropped to the floor as he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes in a futile attempt to alleviate the sudden burning pain.
The Taki Jounin took their chance.
Dami dropped to the ground, the Kunai he'd pulled shoved back into his own face. The rest of the companions managed to connect with the blue skin of their target.
Only, it wasn't where they had been targeting.
Having moved just enough to keep the blades from anything vital, the blind shark gave a vicious grin. With his constitution and tolerance for pain what would have been fatal attacks had been trivialized to almost nothing.
And it brought them all in range.
Still unable to see, Kisame relied on his instincts and a keen sense of smell to reach out and snag two of his assailants: Meiru by the throat and the slightly faster Amao by her lower arm.
Slightly faster provided an additional advantage against Kisame as Amao drew another blade with her free hand and slashed it across the swordsman's knuckles. She was quickly released.
Meiru wasn't quite as lucky but it could also be said that her leader's actions had resulted in one of the better outcomes as Kisame focused more on withdrawing from a danger he could not see than pressing any attack.
Not to say she managed to wriggle away from a grip that had managed to wield the hefty weight of his sentient sword for decades. Dragging her forward just as much as he slammed his face down, Meiru's forehead connected to his with a sharp crack and, due to the sheer difference in size between the two, her nose had an intimate encounter with his solid brow.
It hadn't stood a chance.
Dropping the bleeding Kunoichi to the floor, Kisame took a step back and shook his hand as if removing the blood that had started to well up from his wound would cause the cut itself to disappear. Amao took that opportunity to press her attack with the intention of, at the very least, keeping him distracted from Meiru who was much more vulnerable at the moment.
Ideally she would also end this skirmish by driving him off or managing to fatally wound him but Amao wasn't holding her breath. Maybe with enough of them utilizing Jutsu they could do some real damage but all the Taki Jounin had understood just how foolish it would have been to try pitting their own Jutsu against a man known as the O o Motanai Bijū.
He may not have the repertoire as someone like Copy Ninja Hatake but there was no doubt he could spit out whatever he did know with such overwhelming strength and volume that they wouldn't have stood a chance. It was beyond fortunate that his first instinct was to utilize Kenjutsu and he seemed to be more focused on enjoying himself than defeating his opponents.
Amao wasn't willing to count on that lasting for much longer but she also wasn't about to give him ideas by utilizing any offensive Jutsu of her own. That he hadn't decided to reciprocate when Fu had used her own Jutsu was a mercy delivered by the gods.
She had a feeling that mercy was about to run out.
When he reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping the blade inches from his throat and stared straight into her eyes she realized that moment had come.
His vision was already back.
Kisame's grin, somehow, seemed to grow even more pointed as it continued to tear across his face. Any more and his entire jaw was liable to detach and fall to the ground. "That was kind of underhanded," He childed, though he certainly didn't seem anything other than pleased. "I like it. It's refreshing to fight without dealing with all the stupid Jutsu people come up with, I don't like to have to think when I let loose."
Amao grimaced. She knew it, he was still just playing with them. That was fine- optimal, even- so long as reinforcements arrived quickly.
Where the hell were they?
"Anything yet?" Akunaki called back, not bothering to turn around. In the back of the loose group a recently rejoined Warane had been given the task of keeping a lookout for the hawk that would carry sign of Taki's need. He was really, really hoping not to see it.
Judging by the fact that Akunaki asked every few minutes, however, it was clear she expected it to show up sooner rather than later.
"No, noth-" His words dropped off as he heaved a large, defeated sigh.
"Warane?" She asked. From the tone of her voice it was clear she already knew and her actions of slowing down so they could change direction and head back said as much too.
"It's a hawk," Warane admitted. "Flying mostly south, so probably to warn Hi no Kuni of Iwa's presence." Akunaki had managed to fully turn herself around and the Wolves that had been behind her continued on just enough to fall into the same rough positions behind her by the time Warane had resigned himself to pulling out the small pair of binoculars in his vest. That had been a good half of the reason he had been chosen, the other half related to either his earlier failure to keep an eye on young Sakura or because he had been the one to come into contact with the Taki Shinobi earlier.
Possibly both.
At least the hawk wasn't flying towards Yu no Kuni as he'd instructed them to do if they needed to call for their aid, that was already a good sign. Hopefully the hawk was just sending word of their success and the event as a whole to the Daimyo or Hokage so they would know Iwa was up to something and could start making preparations just in case it became something major.
He did quietly curse the fact that Akunaki had deliberately slowed down their pace just in case, though, no doubt wanting to keep the distance between them and Takli as short as possible so they could reach them in a timely manner. If they had been going at their usual clip they would have been too far away to see the hawk at all, regardless of what color ribbon might be tied to it.
"Warane." She repeated. It wasn't a question; it was a command.
With one last sigh he brought the binoculars up to his black eyes and quickly had the hawk in focus. Apparently that had been wrong, as yet another, much more hopeless sigh slipped past his lips. He was smart enough to start speaking before Akunaki had a chance to demand answers from him again, though.
"It's red." He confirmed morosely. Akunaki nodded.
"Warane, Beiji, Ohokiri." Came the command from their ravenous lady. "Stay with Juugo here; keep him and the package safe. We'll rejoin shortly."
"Hai, Akunaki-Sama." They chorused. Warane was just relieved to not have to head all the way back again.
With Juugo taken care of and a sign from their allies ally, the rest of the Ravenous set off to assist at full speed. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late by the time they arrived, though Akunaki had a bad feeling about that.
The Chuunin she had faced hadn't been anything special as far as she could tell so the Jounin of Takigakure should have been able to easily dispatch them. That they apparently needed assistance was more than a bit concerning and she had to wonder if the situation hadn't become more complicated than she could have expected.
Perhaps that in and of itself should have been expected. They were Wolves, after all, and every single one of them knew that anything to do with their Lord Naruto had a tendency to become far more complicated than could be reasonably explained.
The universe just seemed to take an interest in him like that.
Akunaki and her Ravenous couldn't really find it within them to blame it; that would have just been hypocritical.
One might think that after decades of being locked away in a flooded basement- even if for a few years it had become a splendid ballroom with accommodations fit for royalty- one's first priority upon finding any way to experience the outside world would lead to immediately doing, well, anything.
That was hardly the case with Mito. With Karura no longer distracting Naruko, Mito had eventually reached out again to pose her question and had received…a response. To be perfectly honest it had been a rather lackluster affair. Asking permission from a human was horribly embarrassing but Naruko hadn't even taken the time to recognize that fact.
With a simple "Huh? Yeah, sure." Mito had secured what she needed. She was almost disappointed that she hadn't even had to persuade the girl at all. Perhaps the constant appearance of Karura wherever Naruko was at any conceivable point in time had acclimated the girl to the idea of Biju coming and going as they pleased.
Or, maybe, her host believed having Mito out and about may serve as some sort of distraction to draw away Karura. If that really was her plan then Mito had to give the young Uzumaki due credit but personally the fox thought it was likely just another example of Uzumaki luck.
Whatever the reasons, Mito had the blessing of her host to learn the Kage Bunshin that had freed- mostly- Karura of her seal which had been the only requirement Naruto set. She had first considered going to Naruto- or, rather, having Gaara, Isobu, or Karura ask him to stop by her small residence within the seal- to learn it directly from him but in the end decided not to trouble him with it.
Karura had taught Gaara, after all, so there was no reason she wouldn't be able to teach Mito what she needed. In that regard, Mito had been absolutely correct. She had a feeling the Ichibi would be holding that fact over her head for many decades but for the freedom it would grant- temporary as it was- it was a price she was more than willing to pay.
Of course, the only thing Mito really wanted to do in her body was the same thing she wanted to do in the seal- spend time in the presence of Naruto. Seeing as he wasn't in Konoha at the moment- and especially not in a place like the Uzumaki compound- and because she was still hesitant to cross over the boundary of the seal without invitation she couldn't appear where anyone else marked with a seal currently was.
But Mito would take what she could get and the Uzumaki compound was far more spacious than her own home in the seal, so spending time here was preferable to sitting around and not utilizing her new ability.
The Uzumaki also had food.
She had whatever food she desired in her seal- something arranged by Naruto to ensure she was taken care of- but the limits there were that she had to think of the food she wanted. Needless to say, Mito had very little experience with the possibilities that existed. A majority of her exposure to new foods had come from the dinners she had shared with Naruto years ago and while she still greatly enjoyed them there was something to be said for the sheer volume of possibilities that now presented themselves to her palate.
The Uzumaki women didn't actually cook all that much- Kushina, she learned, had been busy with clan things until just recently and as such wasn't in the habit and Naruko was more focused on her training- but there were still plenty of leftovers from various restaurants in Konoha available for her to sample.
She was loath to compliment anything about those two but when it came to their ability to sniff out hole in the wall restaurants that served mouth-watering dishes that, should Mito be in possession of a true human body, would no doubt be the cause of her eventual death was incredible.
It was also something she was absolutely taking advantage of at the moment as she sprawled across a couch with a spread of half-eaten takeout containers on the floor- all within arm's reach, of course.
Like a lazy cat, the fox was more than content to take as many naps as she could fit in between being fed by the humans of the house.
For now, that is. Eventually an opportunity would present itself for her to spend some time with Naruto and she would be ready to snatch it but for now she would just enjoy her time in the physical world.
"You could at least put on some pants!" Kushina stopped as she was passing the room and huffed in irritation, hands moving to her hips without any conscious thought from the Uzumaki matriarch.
Mito raised one elegant brow in a manner so refined it clashed horribly with the way her hands continued to stab into the paper container with her chopsticks and bring their catch to painted lips.
She was completely naked in the Uzumaki compound's main sitting room, having decided clothing was too restrictive to properly enjoy her newfound freedom and enjoying the gentle breeze that caressed her skin from a window she had opened earlier.
"I could," Mito agreed. "But I don't see why I would want to."
Kushina didn't try to explain it, choosing instead to drop the matter entirely for the moment.
This was most certainly not the first time she had brought this up to the fox. Her other attempts, as could be plainly seen from Mito's current state of dress- or lack thereof- had not borne any results either. At this point it really wasn't worth her time, though she resolved to ensure the fox was dressed or gone the next time she had guests over to the compound.
She did not need to be displaying the naked body of the Shodaime's wife to anyone stopping by and especially not like this.
If she did- for some inexplicable reason- need to do so she would just pull out the nude- and rather risque- portraits the woman commissioned of herself that were currently tucked in the back of an otherwise unused closet.
Kushina didn't even bother trying to figure out why the woman had done that. There were some questions you were just better off not asking.
Giving another sigh and a gentle shake of her head, Kushina continued on her way to the kitchen while a victorious fox smirked from the couch and popped another grilled shrimp into her mouth.
Did she forget to mention that the other main reason she was spending so much time in the physical world was because it irritated the hell out of Kushina?
It wasn't much of a revenge- really, it was quite petty- but she would take what she could over the Uzumaki clan.
"Having given you both permission and an increased budget to see to the matter," Iroh brought up. "I'm sure you're well aware of the struggles Kirigakure now faces in the aftermath of the last time Tsukuyomi-Dono….wandered off."
"Yes, I'm very much aware that Kirigakure was reduced to rubble." His voice wavered on the petulant but Asuma's face was grim.
"Then perhaps, Sarutobi, you might understand how important it was to have him somewhere where we would at least receive some warning before he did something unexpected." The Fire Daimyo paused for a second before continuing with the first possibilities to pop into his head. "Like taking over another country or starting a war somewhere because those Wolves of his were growing restless."
"With all due respect, I would hardly call either of those unexpected." Asuma countered. That seemed to be exactly what Iroh was waiting for.
"And yet you saw fit to push out he and his Wolves where they could get into exactly that sort of trouble! Did the fact that Hi no Kuni is allied with Nami no Kuni escape your memory? If he starts a war we will no doubt be pulled into it." Considering how stretched his little empire was at the moment there was an inherent vulnerability that would remain present until his hold over his new territories was more solid.
They did have Kiri's support but at the moment that wasn't worth much, seeing as they were the ones primarily supporting them. If a war did break out they were probably better off cutting Kiri to save resources for their own forces instead of trying to bring the fallen greater village into the matter.
And there was absolutely no telling what Naruto and his Wolves would get up to during it, either. There was a distinct possibility that the young man might purposefully start a conflict to get something he needed or advance some sort of agenda knowing full well he and his forces could withdraw from it to leave Hi no Kuni fighting it instead.
That was something he'd not considered at all when he first supported the young Daimyo's claims to Nami no Kuni and at this point withdrawing them wouldn't change anything. Naruto was already well established as Nami's leader and Iroh was still loath to lose Nami no Kuni's shipping- especially now that his empire was growing to a size that could almost be considered unreasonable.
Iroh made a mental note to see about sending Naruto after Kawa no Kuni. It currently separated his empire and while Nami could still get supplies to and from through the Hanguri gulf he'd be much more comfortable not being so heavily reliant on the loose cannon that was the seat of the Wolves.
At least then he would know where he was for a time, too.
He allowed only a faint spark of amusement to flare up as he considered the irony of relying on them to make them less reliant on them. Naruto would probably see through that but Iroh was also sure he'd counter with toll roads or taxes on the borders. Trade with Nami was currently tax-free for Hi no Kuni but if Naruto took over Kawa no Kuni and didn't annex it and instead set one of his supporters as a Daimyo supported by Nami no Kuni- and thus, implying Hi no Kuni support- then he could get away from that.
Iroh would have to either rely on Nami for tax-free trading or not be reliant and lose the financial benefits his country was currently thriving on.
The annex of Kaze no Kuni really was proving to be a boon to the well-positioned young Daimyo. Iroh couldn't help the brief suspicion that Naruto may have known- or even engineered- the matter to create this sort of scenario. It was absurd, sure, but when it came to Naruto that young man seemed to pull off the impossible with unsettling frequency.
And considering he had already known of Suna's invasion plans, had an ally that had 'informed him', and miraculously managed to pull away Orochimaru- who happened to be the one to incite the plan in the first place- things were lining up just a bit too much for Iroh's comfort.
"We could always cut Nami before that happened." Asuma suggested. Then he wouldn't have to worry about having his hands tied by the village's main financial backer. It simply couldn't survive off missions alone unless they took a much larger portion of their Shinobi's payments and that was bound to cause a large flood of Nuke-nin looking for better pay working for other villages. They really couldn't afford that when they had to use Kiri just to have enough manpower to maintain a presence in Kaze no Kuni.
"There is only one situation in which that benefits us," Iroh declared. "And that's if they try to use us as a shield to cover themselves from the consequences of their actions."
Asuma raised a pointed brow, telling him that's exactly the sort of thing they should be avoiding, and Iroh continued.
"And the only time they would actually need that is if they started nipping at one of the other greater countries. In the case of the remaining, that would be Kaminari or Tsuchi, both of which are liable to march straight through Hi no Kuni in their attempts to reach them. We'll be pulled in and shielding them regardless, because either group will use that as an excuse to push into Hi no Kuni and you damn well know it."
With a grimace Asuma had to concede the Daimyo's point. Damnit, there had to be some angle that cut him free of Nami without costing Hi no Kuni anything.
Most unfortunately, he couldn't see any.
"Whether you like it or not-" And Iroh was very much aware that Asuma did not. "Hi no Kuni's future is tied to that of the Wolves." A brief pause. "And for that reason, it is imperative we know what Naruto's getting up to before it comes back to bite us. To that end, I'm charging you with discovering his whereabouts. If the gods favor us, he's simply taking a vacation somewhere. If not, well, I'd at least like the opportunity to prepare for the fallout."
"...Very well." It was clear Asuma wasn't pleased by this but Iroh didn't much care at the moment. He was the reason they couldn't keep an eye on the young Daimyo and the trouble he tended to get into.
Iroh also wasn't fully convinced the whole matter wasn't merely an act to cover for the unlikely alliance between the Hokage and the young Daimyo. How this task was handled should offer him some further insight on the matter and would, hopefully, assuage his fears.
He had a suspicion that it would instead confirm them.
Contingencies would have to be set in place.
Naruko hadn't even had a chance to take a shower before Kushina had intercepted her and dragged her off to her office. While slightly irritated that she wouldn't be able to wash away the sweat from her suspiciously solo training she was curious enough to offset it. Her mother was usually busy as a clan head and Naruko generally didn't see her very often between that and her own training. What made it even more unusual was the fact that they were in Kushina's office when Naruko was pretty sure they could have talked about anything they liked anywhere in the compound.
Well, that used to be the case. The fact that Mito could now be found in just about any room in the compound may have contributed to Kushina wanting to ensure a bit of privacy and was entirely Naruko's fault. She had assumed that Mito would be using her clone to spend time with Naruto and had completely overlooked the fact that Mito stuck to her own side of the seal.
If she was able to just wander into Naruto's side then she wouldn't have needed the body to spend time with him.
Still, Naruko hadn't expected to see her out and about so frequently but she supposed it made sense. If she had spent decades locked away she would enjoy every moment of "freedom" she could grasp hold of too.
"Shut the door please." Kushina asked as she took a seat behind her desk. Naruko did so. Despite Mito's apparent hobby of irritating Kushina she had left the Uzumaki matriarch's office alone and it had become a sort of sanctuary for her mother. Probably so Mito could avoid having her permission to utilize the Kage Bunshin revoked.
Technically the permission had just been to learn it so that didn't matter anymore but if Naruko went to her brother there was always the chance that he might step in and forbid her from using it. Understandably, Mito very much wished to avoid that and so she had stuck to the rest of the rooms.
Naruko didn't know if her mother preferred it to be her office left alone or would rather her bedroom remain undisturbed but Naruko seriously doubted Mito would be willing to trade. The fox had taken a liking to napping on the matriarch's bed and her size meant that if she was in the mood to steal clothing it was Kushina's closet she raided.
Why Mito needed to take actual clothes that would be left behind wherever she dispersed was still a mystery when she could make the Kage Bunshin in whatever outfit she wanted but Naruko was sure questioning it would just cause headaches. Besides, it wasn't as if Mito really returned to her seal anyway. Naruko was pretty sure this Kage Bunshin was the first success Mito had and it had just stuck around since.
Not that it kept Kushina's clothing from being randomly discarded around the compound whenever Mito decided she was done with them.
She was very confident that was just to irritate her mother.
"What's up, Kaa-san?" Naruko asked, leaning against the door she had just closed.
For a second it looked as though Kushina was going to ask her to take a seat before the desk but then she thought better of it and gave a small shake of her head to disgorge the idea. Afterwards, it still took a moment for Kushian to decide on the words she wanted to use.
"While I know you've been focusing on your Kunoichi training, Sunflower," Kushina started slowly but quickly gained the confidence the Uzumaki were known for. "I've realized I've been neglecting your training as a clan head."
Naruko found herself blinking in surprise. She hadn't even considered that, though she had known during the training trip that she would eventually take on the mantle of Uzumaki head. Kushina had other plans for Naruto, ones she had assured young Naruko would be equally important, and Naruko had eventually come to assume that must have been something to do with her father and whatever clan or legacy he'd come from.
After their return to Konoha, though, things like that had hardly seemed to matter and Naruko had put them from her mind completely.
"That's fine." Naruko offered a shrug. "I'm more interested in being a Kunoichi anyway."
"Oh, I'm not saying you can't, just that I should get started going over this with you sooner rather than later." Kushina was quick to assure her. "One day you'll take over completely and it would be a weight from my shoulders to know you were ready for it no matter what happens."
Yeah, Naruko could see the wisdom in that and it wasn't like she was able to do all that much training on her own. They were put in teams for a reason. Unfortunately Sasuke was dead, her brother was off running a country, Sakura was….somewhere…and Kakashi was unreliable.
The Sakura thing was probably the most concerning. Her mother had been less than forthcoming with details when she explained that Sakura wasn't available and the girl hadn't mentioned anything to her or Kakashi. She didn't have to, of course, but Naruko still would have expected her to notify someone that she wouldn't be available for training.
It also wasn't like the girl to miss any opportunities to draw her blood- something the girl had some strange fixation on. Not just blood, but specifically Naruko's blood. She didn't know why but she would place some pretty heavy bets on it having something to do with Naruto. In the end, most things managed to trace back to him somehow.
Her mother had also seemed strangely nervous about the whole matter, too, so if she was worried about whatever Sakura was up to Naruko had a feeling she should probably be worried too.
Unfortunately there really wasn't anything she could do as just a fellow Genin with absolutely no leads. She'd just have to wait until something presented itself and it looks like she'd just received something to occupy herself for the time being.
"We'll go over the basics this week and then I'll be giving control over a matter to you so you can start gaining some experience."
"What am I going to be dealing with?"
"The Yamanaka." And now Naruko was much more interested.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 155-B "Turtle Shield"
Patron Release: 2020.03.25
"Hahahahaha, gods, it's been so long since I got to have any fun!" Kisame practically cackled in his glee. Really, he should have been wrapping this up and continuing towards Ame but he was just having too much fun playing with the Taki Shinobi and their Jinchuuriki. So long as he didn't lose her then he should be fine.
It wasn't as if he wasn't already so far beyond late that he was practically early again. The Jinchuriki should mostly make up for that. Probably.
Ducking another pass from said Jinchuriki he launched Samehada after her and managed to clip her back, sending the flying girl into brush and, unfortunately, out of sight.
"...Oops." He gave a half-hearted shrug, as if he couldn't be bothered to fully express how much he was already dismissing his mistake. "I should probably go make sure she isn't crawling off." He mused. "Maybe I can pluck off the beetle's wings?"
Kisame turned to follow the trajectory of the Jinchuriki when he had to spin back around to counter a series of quick slashes from Amao.
"It's always when my back's turned," The shark grinned. "I love it!"
"Love this!" Something lodged itself in his upper thigh- a kunai by the weight- and Kisame was content to ignore it for all of a second.
That's when he heard the hissing.
Amao did her best to continue pressing the assault so he wouldn't be able to address the sudden issue he now had but found that exceedingly hard to do when Samehada functioned so well as a shield.
Holding Samehada with one hand and reaching down to the Kunai with the other, he wasn't stupid enough to take his eyes off Amao. Tossing it away, he knew he was cutting it close when his opponent was already retreating.
Either she thought he might throw it at her or….
The explosive tag wrapped around the kunai reached the end of its fuse much more quickly than he had hoped. That other Taki Jounin had no doubt been letting it burn down before she tossed it, though perhaps she would have done well to wait for just a bit longer.
Taking a step to steady himself against the ball of fire that had just been introduced to the left side of his back and upper thigh, Kisame gritted pointed teeth more out of frustration than pain.
"Goddamnit," he fumed, sparing only a glance to look at the results he could plainly feel. "They don't just hand these things out anymore." They used to but Akatsuki had very quickly found that to be a bad idea.
Pein didn't want his organization in cheap uniforms and Kakuzu hated unnecessary expenses. After the equivalent of two full replacements for the team, the old bounty hunter had put his foot down. The missions they were taking weren't for replacing old uniforms- especially when another set was damaged during it.
Kakuzu, with the support of Konan in this matter, had started charging them for replacements.
Kisame didn't have much money at the best of times, so replacing these was always a bitch.
Hell, the only reason he had this one was he had nicked Itachi's before Kakuzu could reclaim them.
Patting out the smoking cloak so he wouldn't lose more of it he returned his attention to Amao only to have to dodge another flying attack from the Jinchuriki. He noticed the sparkle just in time.
Immediately closing his eyes, he could still feel the light as it did its damndest to penetrate his eyelids. For the most part it succeeded, fortunately he was still able to block enough that when he opened his eyes again they were merely blurry and not completely useless.
Again.
Gods, that was one annoying ability. Using mist was one thing but this was just annoying. At least Zabuza's mist would at most get you a little wet, that fucking dust hurt.
"Irritating little shit." Kisame growled. "I'm all for you lot getting by being sneaky but that shit is fucking annoying." That only seemed to cause the Nanabi Jinchuuriki to smile at him, obviously pleased at making things even the slightest bit more difficult for him.
When she went to try again, however, she realized that maybe she had pushed just a bit too far.
"Suiton: Bakusui Shōha". Much like the name implied, torrents of water exploded from Kisame's open mouth to crash towards her. Even with her wings the sudden displacement of air dragged Fu back and Amao- who had jumped over to help her get out of the way- was swept back too.
Tha left Meiru. Kisame hadn't forgotten her.
Spinning around he managed to catch her just as she went for his exposed back. Her expression the exact moment she realized she wasn't going to be able to readjust mid-jump was something Kisame was sure to enjoy for some time.
The wave pounded into her face. The rest of her body soon followed.
Of course, because he had turned his attack completely away from his initial targets, both Amao and Fu had been given more than enough time to recover and spring back out at him. He was happy to meet their steel with Samehada's scales. Fu, smaller, continued towards the ground to get away from the large bludgeoning sword. Amao didn't have that option, gritting her teeth and bracing against the incredible weight.
Kisame's grin only seemed to stretch wider. "I thought you would know better, Taki-San." He taunted, shifting his weight to press down even more heavily against the Jounin. "Samehada isn't just a club and she wasn't designed to cut-" he ripped the blade towards him,tearing away the fabric of her uniform and a large portion of skin from her right shoulder. "-She shaves!"
As he pulled away he continued in a backwards spin to avoid the advancing Nanabi Jinchuuriki and by the time she had crossed the extra distance Samehada was already coming back up towards her face.
It connected with a solid crack and sent the girl flying back at Amao as an improvised projectile attack. Kisame wasn't sure who the second crack came from, but he was damn sure one of them had broken something with that.
Gods, it felt amazing to get his blood pumping again. He had spent far too long mucking about back in Nami, though he had certainly enjoyed himself with that too.
Just nowhere near as much as he was now.
"I hope that other one gets back soon, I don't think you lot are going to last much longer." Amao grit her teeth but she was of the exact same opinion. Seiyo and Hato needed to get back with Taki reinforcements and fast. She hoped he hadn't been held up by something like additional Iwa forces or, a much worse prospect, whoever was supposed to be partnered with Kisame.
Jiraiya had been very clear that Akatsuki on missions always operated in pairs though if Kisame's claims of not being assigned the Nanabi held any truth to them perhaps he was out here without a partner. They could only hope.
It would seem the universe smiled on them both as their hopes were answered- just not in a way either of them was expecting.
From the direction Meiru had been sent flying emerged over a dozen masked Wolves, the Taki Kunoichi in question carried with her arm slung over one of them for support.
"That hawk wasn't heading towards Yu no Kuni," the Wolf standing before their siblings commented causally. "But we saw the red ribbon."
Amao never thought she would be so relieved to see so many Wolves in Taki no Kuni's sparse forests.
Kisame, however, had a much different reaction.
"Wolves? Oh, shit."
He hadn't known what that red ribbon they were talking about earlier was for but his initial suspicions that it was some way to call backup had been confirmed- he just hadn't expected that backup to arrive in the form of Wolves. With Mikoto being very fond of Tsukuyomi and Tsukuyomi being both fond of the Wolves and having already proven himself more than capable of tossing Kisame around a battlefield like a child's doll Kisame was absolutely certain he couldn't tangle with these wild dogs even to just keep up appearances.
He couldn't risk accidentally overdoing it and harming any of them or a future of Sashimi was very much a possibility for him-
And not in the sense of defending his title as the Tanzaku Gai Sashimi eating champion.
While Kisame hesitated slightly, Akunaki and her Ravenous Wolves didn't- probably because they could rest assured that he could handle what they initially threw at him without too much worry. The Wolves around her surged forward much like Kisame's earlier Jutsu and the Sharkman took the only avenue he had left.
He ran like hell.
To his credit he did try to snatch the Nanabi Jinchuriki on his way out of the clearing but a volley of Kunai and a desire to keep his hand attached to his body put a quick end to that attempt.
Damnit, it looks like he would be returning both very late and very much empty handed.
Hopefully Konan wouldn't be too displeased.
Oh, and Pein too, he guessed.
"It's….It's…." Kankuro couldn't find the right word for it but Sasori stepped in to help him.
"It's absolutely gorgeous." if the man- puppet- could cry he would be wiping those tears from his eyes at the moment from the sheer beauty of the vision before him. Clicky could only bring herself to nod in agreement, silenced by her own overwhelming awe.
Tsunade started cackling and Shizune- not for the first time- had quite a few rising doubts about the appropriateness of this project. Technically it wasn't even authorized by Tsukuyomi and was just supposed to be a prototype and proof of concept to pitch the idea to him but the project had sort of taken a life of its own- mostly because it was all the three puppeteers and Tsunade wanted to obsess over.
The primary project- the thing Naruto had specifically assigned to them to ensure the safety of his beloved Wolves- lay discarded in the corner, screws not even fully set from when the work on it was abandoned without a second thought to pursue the team's newest muse.
Shizune probably wouldn't mind too much if she wasn't ultimately the one responsible for all of this.
"...Shizune-Shishou?" She could hear the doubt in Rusty's voice and knew he was having the exact same concerns she was.
"...Well…" She proposed. "As long as they're busy and keeping out of trouble?" That was, after all, the primary reason for giving her team these projects- it was something to fill her team's downtime and give them purpose.
"Normally, I would agree." Rusty's frown had made it into his words too. "But in this case we were given something specific to work on. I doubt he would mind us keeping them occupied if we didn't have anything else to do but I can't say how much he'll appreciate us ignoring his orders."
They had already fucked up last time by ignoring his instructions and dismissing the solution he had- quite literally- handed the team. Rusty was not keen on repeating that mistake.
Neither was Shizune.
At the same time, Shizune couldn't bring herself to tear this away from them.
Besides, how was she expected to pull Deidara out of the four meter tall suit of armor?
She'd just have to hide it when they took a break or went to bed.
The fact that Sasori didn't actually need sleep might make that a bit difficult, though.
Akunaki's Wolves had scattered to secure the perimeter, two of them moving to follow Kisame and ensure he left Taki no Kuni- preferably in the right direction, too. Meiru, the Taki Jounin they had recovered on the way, had been set down against a tree at the edge of the clearing and was currently being looked over by one Ravenous who had been given extra medical training in Hanahime's hospital.
Amao and Fu stood nearby, keeping one eye on their comrade and the other on the Wolves.
And that, of course, is when Seiyo and Hato arrived with a handful of Chuunin from Taki.
One of the outer Wolves guided them into the clearing where they quickly made their way to their fellow Taki Shinobi. "Amao!" One of them called out. "What happened to Hoshigaki?"
Amao moved her attention from Meiru to catch Hato's eye and then proceeded to rest it upon the Wolves. Specifically Akunaki herself. "He was scared away."
Seiyo blinked in surprise while Hato seemed to blanche. "Scared away?" Amao knew what he was thinking, obviously if this group of Wolves was able to send someone like him running then having them here was a greater threat than Kisame could hope to be. Obviously he didn't like the situation and it was plain to see that, should it be necessary, it would be much more difficult to escape the group of Wolves currently encircling their position than it would be to escape a single shark on the land.
She knew what he was thinking, of course, because she had been having those exact thoughts ever since Kisame had turned tail and made for calmer waters.
Seiyo, evidently, had similar thoughts but the way he interpreted the situation was far more practical. Placing one hand gently on Fu's shoulder he met Amao's gaze to ask his silent question. She gave her permission with a small nod.
"Come, Fu," He instructed the young Jinchuriki. "Shibuki will be worried. Let us return to Taki and assure him all is well."
For a moment it looked like she might ask a question, her eyes drawn to the bodies of Dami and Guyure, and then understanding blossomed.
"Yeah." She agreed with a nod. "I needed to pick up some things in Taki anyway." Pulling her from the group he started back towards Takigakure, he- and his fellow Taki Jounin- were more than a little surprised when none of the Wolves tried to stop him. They would later be more surprised that none of them tried to follow, either.
The Wolf next to Meiru stood up. "She's as good as she can get out in the field," He declared. "Could use with a bit of rest but she'll be fine. The nose should be fully healed but I'd probably give it a week to make sure, try to avoid hitting it."
The first part of that was more for Akunaki than anyone else, letting his boss know he was finished, but the rest of it was for the benefit of Meiru's comrades. His gaze didn't move from Amao the entire time he spoke and it was hard to tell if it was because he was supposedly speaking to her or if he was trying to perform an examination from a meter and a half away.
Or maybe he was just peckish. It could be hard to tell sometimes, even for Akunaki.
"Thanks." It was simple but it said enough both for tending to Meiru and for the Wolves coming to their aid in the first place.
"Mmhmm." The Wolf nodded. "You're next, then. Pick a tree or you could stand there, I suppose. Either works."
Amao waved him off, though her attention turned towards Akunaki as she spoke. "I'm fine. Kisame was holding back, probably in hopes of a better fight with reinforcements. He obviously wasn't expecting our reinforcements to be Wolves." There was an unsounded question in her words and it wasn't very hidden.
"We hadn't expected to run into a shark in the forests of Taki no Kuni either," Akunaki offered easily before allowing a hint of explanation. "The last time he faced Tsukuyomi it didn't go well for him or Momoichi."
"Ah." He hadn't necessarily been afraid of the Wolves so much as he was worried Tsukuyomi might have been nearby. That made a bit more sense to the Takigakure Jounin and she felt, perhaps, just a smidge better about the situation she now found herself in but that didn't really change the fact that she was currently surrounded by Wolves. Chuunin backup from Taki or not, it was rumored that every single Wolf was a Jounin-level Shinobi with formal ANBU-style training.
Konoha's boogeymen were bad enough but at least they were directly allied with Taki. The Wolve's ties were much, much more thin.
At the same time, if Kisame wasn't afraid of that sort of force but was more than happy to flee at just the thought that Tsukuyomi might be nearby- Amao had to fight back a shiver that wanted to wrack down her spine- that was the sort of person she hoped to never encounter.
What a monster.
Isobu had already managed to tucker herself out back when it was just Naruto and Karrua in the seal with her. Now that there were a good dozen visitors in and out at all times it came at little surprise that the tiny turtle was constantly worn out. It never lasted long, of course, she was a being of great energy in the end, but she had started to take naps as might be expected of someone her apparent age.
Her favorite place for that tended to be on Naruto's stomach, which is why he found himself pinned to his bed.
He didn't mind, it was certainly more comfortable then when she had fallen asleep on him against Karura's rosebushes. It was also much more restful than the manner in which he normally found himself pinned to a bed. He may have been serving as a bed or pillow for her but she was acting as a shield for him.
His purple eyes moved from the sleeping Isobu to meet the indigo of Karura who stared up at him from his right side, a soft smile pulling at her lips growing larger as she received his attention. Pinned as he was he couldn't move but she solved that problem easily enough by propping herself just long enough for a kiss before settling back against his side and wrapping one of her arms over their daughter.
"I love you, Shujin-Sama." Karura whispered. And she really did. No matter how much one might question what a being of Chakra might know of love, she was absolutely certain she had discovered it with Naruto. He was the single greatest thing to ever happen to her.
"I love you too, Karura."
Her smile became even more brilliant at his reciprocation and she did her best to bury herself deeper into his side. Distracted as they were by one another, they didn't realize they had another guest until she spoke.
"So that's sweet and all but you made an entire palace out of marble and it's cold." Temari complained. "Make some room." There was really no room to be made considering Naruto was in the middle of the bed and he wouldn't have risked disturbing the sleeping Isobu anyway but that was hardly an issue. Temari slipped in on his left side and immediately pressed cold feet against his lower legs as she too burrowed into him.
"It wouldn't be cold if you were wearing shoes." Naruto pointed out, bemused.
She shot him a challenging look in return. "I'm not going to be crawling into your bed wearing shoes, Naruto."
As Karura loosed a soft giggle, Naruto supposed the young woman was right.
Atame had settled in rather well, Orochimaru thought. Or, as well as an ancient spirit could settle into a world that was no longer theirs in someone else's body while everyone around them spoke a different language.
It hadn't run away or killed anyone- that he knew of, anyway- and nothing had tried to kill them- again, that he knew of- so that was pretty much the best result he could have hoped for so far. As far as he was aware, at the moment the spirit- Atame- was in its room where Orochimaru had gathered as many picture books as he could find in the Hanahime markets. Granted, that wasn't a whole lot seeing as they weren't prioritized essentials or profitable luxuries but he had found enough for his purposes.
Assigning one of his underlings to write as many words as possible next to each picture in every book, he hoped Atame would prove intelligent enough to obtain even a basic vocabulary with which they would be better able to communicate.
Alternatively, Orochimaru mused, he probably could have had Atame write what he called each word and used that in hopes of finding proper translation materials but that sounded like too much hassle for something he was probably going to end up killing in the end anyway- even accidentally.
He really didn't feel like raiding the archives that would have that sort of information because that meant dealing with Daimyo and, quite possibly, interfering with whatever Naruto had going on in the background. He wasn't willing to risk it just to communicate more easily with Atame.
Orochimaru would, however, need to see if Atame would still be able to utilize Jutsu- the body he was in had been a Shinobi, so the potential should be there even if he needed to be taught to access it like an academy student- and, more importantly, if he could be taught the Snake Sage's modified Shiki Fujin. It probably wouldn't be easy to both teach him how to use Chakra and then get past the communication issue enough for something as complicated as the S-Rank Kinjutsu but it should still be doable given enough time.
If there was anything Orochimaru had, it was time.
His thoughts paused. He may have had time, but did the spirit? Rather, did the spirit's new body? Atame should, theoretically, last forever so long as they remained anchored in the physical world and, even then, it was likely they could still linger by force of will alone should they so choose.
But the body- that was technically dead, wasn't it?
…..Was it?
A frown tugged at his lips. He hadn't checked- he really hadn't had any need to- whether the body the spirit was currently occupying was actually still alive and he couldn't remember if he'd seen it breathing or not. Atame had spoken, so it could make use of the lungs at least but there was no telling if it was actually necessary.
For all Orochimaru knew Atame was breathing out of habit from when they'd last been alive, however long ago that was. He was going to need to check that out now.
…Or send someone else over to do it. Probably that second option as soon as he saw someone again. It wasn't terribly urgent, but it would let him know if he had a deadline. It didn't mean much for Orochimaru to have all the time in the world if the thing he was trying to study didn't.
Unless he could transfer the summoned spirit into any of the other bodies he had. He didn't see why he shouldn't be able to manage that, he'd be doing something similar with his own soul- or whatever he had that passed for one- soon enough.
Of course, he could also just keep summoning spirits until he found one that he could better communicate with from the beginning. That would save a lot of time, though there was no way he knew of to guarantee- or even skew in his favor- the results of his newest Jutsu. He'd just have to keep trying until he found something promising.
Which meant his first order of business was to find a way to make sure the user of his Jutsu didn't keep dying. Replacing people was a pain in the ass already, having to replace and train someone to utilize the technique? That was much more irritating.
Sacrifices, after all, could be Shinobi trained or picked up off the streets- though he'd have to look into how using someone with Chakra might affect the jutsu, is that why it had gone for the other body or had the sacrifice simply not been able to handle the presence of Atame leaving only the user as a potential host? Was the other soul still in there?- but the one utilizing the jutsu absolutely had to be Shinobi trained.
Or, at least, trained in utilizing Chakra. He supposed technically a monk or a Samurai could probably be taught, given time. Hmm. Now he kind of wanted to snatch up a monk to do all his summoning, it just seemed oddly fitting.
Not that he was likely to be able to get their cooperation in the matter. What a shame.
Oh well, he still had plenty of sacrif- erm, followers- to keep going for a bit before he needed to worry too much about replacing them.
It was for that exact reason he was already making another attempt, this time with two potential sacrifices just in case.
…Maybe they should have been sacrifices with Chakra? Maybe one of each to determine if he needed to be…obtaining…shinobi from other countries? Bah, maybe for his next test. He was sure one of his own Shinobi would piss him off enough for him to utilize them soon enough.
Then again, he could always just send his Shinobi out for some later, too. He still needed to see what happened when one of his Kage Bunshin swapped into someone else's body, so he could keep busy with that while things were being collected for the next experiment.
…He could be doing that now, actually. Did he really need to be here? Well, yes, he probably did. The gods knew only his favorite subordinates- which was why they were his favorites- could write up a decent report so if he wasn't here there was no telling what sort of information would actually make its way to him and how correct it would be.
He probably also needed to be present in case something went wrong so he didn't accidentally cause damage to his prince's beloved Hanahime.
Damnit.
"So…uh…" Naruko trailed off awkwardly, standing in the doorway of Ino's office. Technically she was supposed to be starting off in a position of power and authority in this meeting and she was immediately throwing it away but Naruko really had no idea what the hell she was doing.
Sure, Kushina had gone over some of the basics with her recently but that didn't mean she had any idea how to negotiate anything between clans, regardless of whether they were currently tied together. Ino, however, had been doing this sort of thing for years now and would no doubt know exactly what the two of them needed to work out today.
At least, that's what Naruko was desperately hoping for. She would be relying on Ino's experience to move this meeting down whatever pathways it needed to travel in order to get this all sorted out so she could go back to the things she did know- training and missions.
From her seat behind her desk Ino gave Naruko a gentle smile. "Don't worry about it." It was clear Ino already knew exactly what was going through her head which helped slightly. "Make yourself comfortable, this might take a while."
Naruko's shoulders slumped slightly. "Really?" Her voice was nearly- but not quite- a whine and Ino shot her a sympathetic look.
"Yeah, I remember when I used to feel like that. I'll let you in on a secret, if you expect it to take forever then you'll feel great if it's done quickly. If you think it's going to be fast it's going to absolutely suck as you slog through everything beyond what you prepared for. Trust me, I figured that out well before week three."
"Thanks." Naruko gave Ino a bright grin that trembled into uncertainty. "So, what exactly do we even need to figure out? I didn't really understand when Kaa-San explained it."
"In short? How the Yamanaka will continue to repay the Uzumaki for the financial support that let us get some more businesses going. The truth? How the Uzumaki and Yamanaka are going to be separate while still technically being one clan headed by Kushina." Ino paused, her head tilting in thought for just a second, and she amended her statement. "...Or by you, I suppose. That would be why she wants you to be a part of this."
"And what we're doing isn't working?"
"What we have right now is the two tied completely via the Uzumaki coffers." Ino grinned wryly. "There's not much closer the two could be right now and Kushina-Sama very much wants to be done dealing with the Yamanaka for the foreseeable future."
"I can't blame her."
"I can't either," Ino admitted. "We were a right mess before she took over, barely scraping by, and unfortunately it takes more than just finances to build up a clan that's lost most of the village's trust."
"True." Naruko could see how that could be an issue. "Well, what's the easiest way for us to sort this all out?"
"The easiest?" Ino pondered it for a moment. "Well, beyond just matching the financial investment or profiting, I think Kushina wanted something that would at least make use of the fact that our two clans were tied together like an alliance. The easiest way to do that and to make it so we don't have to deal with two clans, well…" Ino flushed, a band of pink crossing her nose and fading into her upper cheeks.
"Come on," Naruko prompted. "What do we need to do?"
"Honestly, the easiest thing would be a marriage between the two clans."
"...Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh'." Ino shook her head. "Unless Naruto rejoins the Uzumaki and marries me, that's not about to happen." She gave a small shrug. "The marriage itself is pretty easy, but getting him to come back…."
"...Yeah, that would be a problem." A shudder went down her spine. "And please don't mention this to Kaa-San. I don't want her thinking she can fix two problems this way."
"I hadn't planned on it, though I'm pretty sure she probably ran that through her head before deciding she would rather be done with us."
"Well, probably." Kushina had seemed oddly hung up on the idea that beautiful young woman would somehow repair the relationship between the last of the Uzumaki and their wayward Naruto. Naruko was just glad she seemed to be over that phase.
And then Naruko realized something.
"Hey, wait a minute," She pointed an accusing finger towards Ino, eyes narrowing. "You seem awfully alright with that solution and said marrying him would be easy."
"I said the marriage would be easy," Ino swiftly defended herself. "And this is a matter of helping my clan."
Naruko didn't seem all that convinced so Ino dragged out the last piece of her arsenal for this.
"Unless you think the two of us should get married to settle everything?" Ino offered, one delicate brow rising.
Naruko flushed red but, as the two continued though the rest of their meeting, Ino would later realize that the Uzumki heiress hadn't exactly said no.
So, yeah, just a bit late. There's a damn good reason I try to avoid fanfiction myself. I'll re-read an old favorite and then click on the author's profile. I go through their completed work, check their favorite stories, and the cycle continues. Before I know it I'm a week behind and then my next weekend I don't write so much as a word.
Fortunately I managed to get like a chapter and a half done during a single shift so we're caught up, more or less. Of course, that does mean I should have another chapter for you all by the end of my next days off so look forward to that.
Thanks, as always, goes to my lovely Patrons.
Lord Generals
Cephalon Keeper, Michael Huber, B4NH4MM3R, Jacklefrackle
Lord Marshals
Ronji, MythicFool, Pope Gregory Trivium III, Sedition, Luxano,
Lord Majors
The SHARP fox, Malte Krain, StayFrosty, Noah, Alex Robb, Jeremy Webb, Jamel, McKinzie, Tjk9399, Raymond Saragian, magicheart 0, Gamer91, Marcothephoenix, Ben Peek, Xerxes8796, Joe I, Solace Hollow
Lord Commissars
Tim Keizer, Akira, Daron Smith, gabriel reynoso, Romulan, Shi_no_Kage, Whatzzzzzzzup, Nick Payne, Christopher, Desertgem1, Daniel Witry, Liam Kearney, TormisD92
Lord High-Inquisitor
Janus
Lord Inquisitors
Angel Morales, Bob Ross, Brendon, Joe Schumacher, Michael Friede, Cameron Yourell, Nilzor, Chase, Maroner, Forseeti, Carlos Campbell, Thanyx, Chace Gannon, Slip123, Godfrey Kawi, Nicholas Hoover, Nicholas Liu, Supernowy, Milton Pereira, YGO, Louis Lennin, OldManCain, Sivellan, Brandon Romero, MB, Brandon, LoneSaiyan, Para, Nekrull DeUmbrus, Jennifer carpenter, HKaz, Pantheras, Marin Dimovski, MasterT941, J. G., Tyrell2000, Gobo, June Tai, james escobedo, Sebastiaan asselbergs, Perez, Hentai Prince, James, TheGreatBubbaJ, TheAbsoluteMonarch, Polo Pannini, JonCotterill, Zack Crum, SMatatabi, Theepicslime, Matthew Smith, Wrex, DamnedThrice, DualEquinox, THE META, Noah Swan, Carl Confoy
Until I next have your attention, I remain,
-Eyazahrid