"Talking"
'Thinking'
Jutsu/ Bijuu/ Summons
Flashbacks, Letters, and Setting
I don't own Naruto
Chapter 37: The Bloodline Rebellion Part 8
With Naruto
Before he could even see her signature red hair, he was greeted by her signature loud voice.
"Nii-chan!"
That one word was enough to catch the blonde's attention.
"Narumi-chan!" Naruto greeted his younger sister with a wide smile that only she ever got to see.
The redhead ran towards her brother and jumped with her arms spread wide, flying towards his open arms, as she had done ever since she could run.
Naruto had missed his sister terribly, so when he finally saw her again, his heart felt whole again.
Everything was going great, until Naruto felt his body move on its own. A blue ball of rapidly swirling chakra formed on his right hand.
"No! Narumi! Watch out!" Naruto tried to warn, but it was too late. The redhead was already in the air, heading straight towards him, not expecting for even a second that her beloved brother would ever hurt her.
As hard as he tried to stop his body, he found that he couldn't, and the Rasengan was driven straight into Narumi's chest.
The spinning ball of chakra did exactly what it was designed to do. It tore a hole through her chest, exploding out the back, leaving a messy, gaping hole in the back that was several times bigger than the entry wound.
"NOOOO!" Naruto screamed in shock and pain, when he saw his adorable sister basically torn apart, held together by strips of skin and muscle.
She collapsed on the floor, face down. Blood began to pool all around her.
Naruto, being able to move his body again, ran towards her, to see if there was anything he could do to save her life.
"N-Narumi! No! Please!" He was a wreck as he looked over her helplessly, not knowing how to help her.
He was surprised when Narumi suddenly jerked her head up to face him, her neck bending unnaturally at a 90-degree angle to face him while her body was still laying flat on the ground.
Blood was pouring out of her eyes, nose, and mouth, and her eyes were wide open, as if she didn't have any eyelids.
"Why did you kill me Nii-chan? Why?" She asked in an echoing voice.
Naruto tore at his hair. What was going on? Why was this happening? "No! Narumi! I swear I didn't mean to! My body! It moved on its own!"
"WHY DID YOU KILL ME NII-CHAN?" Narumi asked again in a louder voice, as she was raised to her feet inexplicably, as if she were picked up by an invisible hand. The hole in her torso was dripping with blood, and reminded Naruto of what he had done.
"Was it because I'm a demon?" Narumi asked, though her voice seemed to enter his ear directly like a whisper, instead of coming from her mouth.
"NO! I never saw you as a demon, and I never will!" Naruto screamed back.
"Then why were you secretly training to fight demons? Why were you training to kill me?" Narumi asked.
Naruto was left speechless, his eyes looking at his feet in shame.
"WHY DID YOU TRY TO KILL ME!" Narumi shouted as she appeared in front of Naruto's face, their faces almost touching.
Naruto fell to the ground in shock and fear, as Narumi was replaced by the dark-red, chakra cloak form of the Sanbi, who still had the hole in its chest.
She started to form a black Rasengan in her clawed hands, as she looked down at him.
Naruto remained silent as the Rasengan came at him. Time seemed to slow down, as he faced his death.
Suddenly his perspective changed to a 3rd person view of the scene. Only that it was Narumi who was in his place, and the one covered in Bijuu chakra was him.
He could see the fear in her violet eyes as she looked at the loving brother she trusted, betraying her trust in him and coming in to kill her.
"NOO! NARUMI!" Naruto screamed helplessly, as he ran towards the two to try to prevent her death.
No matter how much he ran, the distance between them never seemed to get any closer.
The Rasengan was about to tear through her small frame again, when Naruto woke up from his nightmare.
"NOO! NARUMI!"
He jerked up into a sitting position, with sweat pouring down his face.
His eyes quickly scanned his surrounding to see if any of the things he had seen was still around him.
He was relieved to find out it was just a dream. A terrible dream, but still just a dream.
Slightly more relaxed now, he looked around and saw the concerned face of Haku sitting by his bed, and Suigetsu and Kimimaro sitting at a table close by.
"Naruto-sama! You're awake!" Haku shouted out in relief.
"I'll go tell Mei-sama!" Suigetsu informed the others before he ran out of his room.
Naruto looked around to see where he was. Judging by the white linoleum floors and the sterile looking room around him, he guessed he was in a hospital, though judging by the unfamiliar look, it wasn't in Konoha.
"What happened? Where am I? How long was I out for?" Naruto asked with a raspy voice, as his throat was parched from not drinking water for several days.
"You're in a hospital in Kiri, Naruto-sama." Haku responded with a small smile. "You were unconscious for several days from severe chakra exhaustion, and what seems to be chakra poisoning."
Naruto nodded as he took in the information.
"Water. I need some water." He croaked in his raspy voice.
Haku nodded and left the room to get water.
"So how are you feeling, Naruto-sama?" Kimimaro asked.
Naruto tried to move his body, which was stiff after being in bed for several days.
His shoulder where the coral had pierced was aching from the surgery he had gotten while he was unconscious, and his wrist still hurt to move, as the skin around his right wrist had been burned off from the Bijuu chakra.
"To put it politely… I feel like crap." Naruto responded to the bone-user's question.
Kimimaro gave him the slightest of smirks. "I see."
Mei, Suigetsu, and Haku came through the door together, a few moments later.
"Naruto-sama! Here's your water." Haku told Naruto as she handed him the glass of water.
Naruto nodded in thanks, as he took the water he so desperately craved.
When he finished drinking, Mei began speaking to him.
"So, how are you feeling, Naruto-kun?" She asked.
"I've felt better." He responded before he groaned from the pain of trying to move. "So, what happened? The last thing I can remember is… my fight with Yagura." His memories of how the fight ended were a bit fuzzy, as he was in extreme pain and almost unconscious when he collapsed. "How did it end?"
"Well, I did what you told me to do. I waited for you to make an opening, and then hit him when he didn't expect it." Mei said with a grin.
"I see…" Naruto responded as he nodded slowly. "So… the war is over then?" Naruto asked.
Mei giggled before she responded. He looked cute with that confused look on his face, and all of the bandages that were plastered here and there.
"Yes, Naruto-kun. The war is over. How else do you think us dirty Rebels were able to get into Kiri?"
"I see… so, everything is alright then?" Naruto asked.
Mei's smile turned a bit flat as she contemplated how to respond.
"Well… as alright as you would expect a village torn by war for 8 years to be I suppose."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at Mei's response. "So, what does that mean exactly?"
Within the 8 years the war had raged, bloodline clans were nearly brought to extinction, and Yagura's draconian policies left hundreds of people executed for sympathizing with the victims of his genocide. Thousands more were left in extreme poverty with the economy that was destroyed under his reign. Hundreds of people fled Kiri as refugees, and would never return, taking their knowledge, skills, and expertise with them. The Sanbi had been killed with Yagura, and even the Jinchuuriki of the Rokubi had abandoned Kiri. Only 4 of the 7 swordsmen were still present, two of them still being Genin who recently joined the order.
To put it simply, Kiri had a drastically reduced population, and an economy and military that was left in shambles. Even the huge infusion of cash that Naruto had donated to the Rebel cause via Zabuza would not be enough to cover everything.
Mei hated showing Kiri as being weak to an outsider, but there was little to gain right now by bluffing to Naruto. He'd seen enough already, and a quick look outside the hospital would reveal everything anyway.
Mei sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "We've got a lot of work to do before Kiri is stable enough to start rebuilding our village and economy. It will take a lot of time and money that we currently don't have right now. We need to meet with the Water Daimyo to get officially recognized as the legitimate governing regime of Kiri, and that won't happen until we get this place fixed up enough that he feels safe visiting. So not so great."
"I see…" Naruto replied as he began to think. Could his mission be considered complete? Could he just return home now?
He glanced out the window and saw a scene that reminded him of what Wave was like under Gato, though slightly better. Although he wasn't tasked with helping with the rebuilding effort, he had grown somewhat attached to the Rebels of Kiri, and leaving them in this state sort of felt… wrong.
"Is there something I can do to help before I go back to Konoha?" Naruto asked.
Haku, Kimimaro, and Suigetsu frowned when they were reminded that Naruto had to leave them eventually. They had grown quite attached to him, and wanted him to stay.
Mei too, had a strange expression on her face which reflected her complex emotions regarding the situation. She had grown fond of Naruto, but she also had considered some pretty terrible stuff regarding him previously, which made her feel a little guilty, especially with how much Naruto wanted to help.
Flashback
Mei was deep in thought with her eyes on Naruto's unconscious form, which was lying in the medical bay of Yagura's flagship, which the Rebels had captured after their victory on the Gates of Uzushio.
"Mei-sama. I know he's been of great use to us in the war, but he's really too dangerous. I've never seen anyone so powerful, and he's still so young! We don't know how strong he'll end up being. If we end up on opposing sides, we won't have any way to stop him." Ao whispered to Mei.
Mei knew what he was saying was true, but she was torn inside. She would be getting rid of a potential threat to Kiri if she killed him, but how could she kill him after he was put in this state by trying to help them in the first place?
Haku was sitting next to Naruto, as she had been for the past day. She had been watching over Naruto without sleep, making sure that he was ok. She had personally bandaged his injuries, and had even removed the coral in his shoulder and stitched it up as best as she could. She never left his side, even eating at the table next to his cot, and only left to go to the bathroom.
So Haku was present when Ao warned Mei, and heard enough of what Ao was whispering to be absolutely shocked.
"Ao-sama! How could you say that? You'd kill Naruto-sama when he's unconscious? After all he's done for us? How could you even think that!?" Haku gasped out.
"Do what now?" Suigetsu asked as he entered the room with Kimimaro, coming with Haku's food. "Kill who?"
"It's nothing for you three to be concerned with!" Ao said gruffly.
Haku ignored him and looked at Mei's face, who looked deeply torn.
"Mei-sama! You can't possibly be considering this! Think about all he's done for us!" Haku pleaded.
It wasn't like Mei was itching to kill Naruto. She was actually quite fond of him. Maybe in more ways than she would even like to admit. But Ao did have a point. A shinobi who could quite possibly take on a whole village by himself was too big of a threat to be ignored, especially since he wasn't from their village.
When Haku saw that Mei wasn't responding, and looked like she was actually contemplating it, she subconsciously moved to position herself between Naruto and the duo of Mei and Ao.
While Mei was stuck in an internal battle in trying to decide, Ao noticed Haku's positioning.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't forget you're a shinobi of Kiri. Remember where your loyalty lies. Don't make any foolish decisions you'll regret." He sternly told Haku.
"I know that! But he's a friend of Kiri! Look at all he's done for us! He personally risked his own safety to save us multiple times! I-I won't let you harm him!" She yelled out.
Ao was furious. How short sighted was this girl? "He was here BECAUSE HIS HOKAGE ORDERED HIM TO DO SO! Do you not see that this same Hokage could order him to attack Kiri, and he'd obey? Even if this Hokage decides to become allies with Kiri, who's to say if the next Hokage will be just as friendly? If he decides to attack Kiri with Konoha, do you really think we can hold them off? They're strong enough as it is, if Naruto joins, who's going to hold him back? You? Are you going to ask him to remember the good times we had together and betray Konoha? Or do you think Konoha will be our best friends forever?"
Haku was unable to respond, but remained firmly rooted to her position.
"You foolish girl. This is the world of shinobi. No alliances last forever. Your friend today can be your enemy tomorrow. Just look at our village. Your neighbor who lent you sugar one day is killing your family the next day. You should know this better than anyone. When we see a threat, we should get rid of it when we have the chance, because we may never get it again." Ao chastised. He had experienced more than his share of betrayals and misses opportunities. If he had killed Yagura when he had the chance in the past, he might have never become Mizukage, and destroy Kiri like he did.
"Well, I'd rather deal with an issue that might never arise when it actually happens, instead of becoming a backstabbing traitor, and becoming the danger we are looking out for. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be that neighbor who borrows sugar today, and kills your family tomorrow." Haku fired back, glaring at him uncharacteristically rudely.
"Why you, insolent pup!" Ao shouted furiously as he raised his hand to strike her.
His hand was caught mid-air by Suigetsu.
"Don't you even think about hitting my teammate." Suigetsu said with a stern look.
Ao yanked his hand out of the teen's grip.
"Why don't you calm down, old-timer?" Suigetsu said with a smirk, with his hand threateningly hovering over his sword.
Ao didn't miss this, and reached for his own kunai. His eyes flicked around in their sockets, watching Haku and Suigetsu. He was a capable shinobi, and knew how to handle those two. The one he was worried about the most was the one with his arms crossed in the back of the room, watching the scene with an unreadable expression. He didn't know how Kimimaro would react, and he wasn't sure if he could take him on with the others.
The tension was palpable, as Suigetsu and Ao had their standoff, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Alright you idiots. That's enough now. Everyone calm down before I get angry." Mei calmly ordered.
Everyone in the room knew she could easily beat everyone in the room at the same time, and her authority was unquestioned. They immediately stood down.
Ao hmphed as he walked to Mei's side. "These insolent pups! Back in my day, Genin minded their own business, and did as they were told!"
"Well, Ao, this isn't back in your day, and some of these Genin are Genin only in name." Mei responded.
"Mei-sama, please don't hurt Naruto-sama! You and I both know he's a good person! He's always gone above and beyond to help us, and I've seen him help the poor and the weak, even when there was no reward for it. He won't betray us! I just know it!" Haku pleaded again.
"Well, unfortunately, him being a good person doesn't mean anything. He is an excellent shinobi, and as such, will do what his Hokage requires of him." Mei responded.
Haku's mouth opened in shock. No! There was no way! What was she going to do if Mei wanted to kill Naruto?
Mei gave Haku a small smile as she ruffled her hair. "However, I'm going to go against logic and trust my gut this one time. While it isn't very shinobi-like, I'd rather not revert back to backstabbing already. The days of Kiri being a barbaric, back-water village are over. It's time we start something new."
Haku's face brightened considerably, and she gave Mei a huge smile. She knew she could count on Mei!
Ao knew this could come back to bite them in the rear in the future, but he decided to follow his leader's decision. She had led them on the right path this far, and he'd continue to trust her leadership.
Mei and Ao turned to leave, but not before Mei gave Naruto one last lingering look.
End Flashback
"Why don't you start by getting better, hmm? We'll look for things you can help with when you're able to leave the hospital." Mei said with a smile, as she gently caressed one of his cheeks with her hand.
She left a flustered Naruto in the hospital, sure to have left him thinking about her for while, with the way she was swaying her hips as she walked out of his room. At least, he better be thinking about her, Mei thought. Especially after he so rudely barged into her thoughts and stayed there uninvited for the past few days, ever since he first visited her dreams a few nights ago.
Back in Konoha
"Hehehe, Fuu, you always have the best ideas!" Narumi giggled to herself as she walked down the busy streets of Konoha to go shopping, both to buy gifts to send to Fuu with her monthly letters, but also to buy some stuff for a prank that Fuu suggested.
She entered a store to buy some stuff for Fuu's pet beetles.
"Hmmm let's see… she already has this… I don't think this will fit in her bag… hmm…" Narumi mumbled to herself as she browsed through the items for pet bugs.
"It is nice to see you again, Narumi-san. What brings you to this store?" Shino asked when he saw Narumi at the store.
"Oh! Hey Shino! I was just looking for stuff I can send to my friend." Narumi replied with a wide smile.
"Sending it to a friend? I infer that they do not live in Konoha then?" Shino guessed.
"That's right! She lives in Taki. I've been writing letters and sending her some stuff, and she does the same for me." Narumi told Shino.
"…You would send a girl, gifts from the store for insect-care?" Shino asked with an eyebrow raised in confusion. From what he had observed, girls hated bugs and anything to do with bugs.
"Hmmm?" Narumi asked as she looked through some more items. "Oh yeah. She loves bugs. She has like 4 pet beetles. I was seeing if I could get something for them here." She told Shino, before she realized Shino was an expert on bugs, and would have a good idea of what to get. She decided to ask for his opinion.
Shino however, zoned out the moment he heard that Narumi's friend liked bugs, and even raised her own. A girl? Who likes bugs? What? Where? How could he meet her?
"Shino! SHINO! HEY! Did you hear me?" Narumi yelled, while waving a hand in front of Shino's distracted face.
"Did you say your friend, a female, was interested in bugs?" Shino asked.
"Yeah! That's why I asked you my question like 3 times!" Narumi said with a huff.
"I apologize. I was distracted. What was your question?" Shino asked.
"What do you think is a good gift for someone who raises beetles? She already has a nice log and branches for them, so I was thinking if there was something else she could put in the cage for them." Narumi wondered.
Shino felt his heart beating faster than it had ever beat before. Oh, if only this girl lived in Konoha.
"Might I suggest beetle jelly? It makes a great treat for them. It is better than just slices of fruit, as fruit causes fruit fly to appear in their cages. The beetle jelly, however, does not. It is easy to clean up as well, and it comes in a variety of flavors that can keep for quite a long time if kept in a refrigerated area. Some flavors include apple, mango, oranges, pineapple, watermelon, and-"
"Ok! That seems like a great gift! Thanks Shino!" Narumi interrupted when Shino's explanation started to get a little too long.
She grabbed several bags of different flavors of beetle jelly and put them in her basket.
"Thanks Shino! You were a ton of help! I owe ya big time! Let's hang out tomorrow! Gotta go! Bye!" Narumi thanked Shino as she headed to the cashier.
"-and honeydew melon…"
Shino sighed. He wished there was some cute girl that lived here that liked to talk about insects as much as he did.
"Hi!" Narumi greeted the cashier with a smile, as she unloaded her basket at the cash register.
The cashier gave Narumi a look, and went straight to scanning the items without replying back, or even giving her a smile, rather scowling when she saw Narumi.
"Umm… ok." Narumi said as her smile melted away. Why were so many people so rude to her? They had always been cold towards her, but they were straight up rude to her now.
"That'll be 6,000 Ryo." The cashier said as she rolled her eyes.
"6,000? Are you sure? The tag said each bag only cost 500 Ryo! I only have 6 bags! Look! Apple, mango, orange, pineapple, watermelon, and-"
Narumi was cut off by the cashier. "Look, you can either pay the 6,000 Ryo, or you can just shop elsewhere."
"But why? What did I even do?" Narumi asked, feeling upset at how she was treated. What did she ever do to her?
The cashier scoffed. "Hmph. As if you don't know. Besides, it's not like you can't afford to pay a little extra with all of the extra taxes we have to pay to your "Clan"."
Narumi was confused. What was this woman talking about?
6,000 Ryo was thrown on the cash register. "I believe that should cover the dishonest prices you have set for my friend here." Shino said to the register as he walked up to the scene.
"Shino!" Narumi said, feeling relieved to see someone who is on her side. "Do you have any idea what she is talking about?"
"I believe it might have something to do with the new taxes that were put in place not too long ago, but I am not certain. Let's go. I am no longer in the mood to buy anything from this store."
Shino and Narumi were leaving the store with Narumi's purchases, before Shino stopped at the door.
"If you keep raising prices unfairly for my friend here, I'll let my clan know that we should start looking for another store with more honest business practices to make our purchases."
The cashier paled. The Aburame made up the majority of their customer base. She nodded with a deep bow, apologizing to Shino, as she tried to give him back his money, which he ignored and left.
"Thanks Shino… I really owe ya." Narumi said as she walked down the street with Shino, now conscious of all of the negative looks that she was getting from people.
"It is fine. After all, you would have done the same for me." Shino replied.
Narumi smiled when she heard that. She was thankful for her friends, as few as they were.
"However…" Shino said in a quiet voice that caught Narumi's attention. "If you'd really like to pay me back, you could tell me more about this friend of yours…" He said with a blush, as he hid the bottom half of his face in the raised collar of his coat.
Narumi's smile widened. "Oh? Is our little Shino-kun all grown up now?" She asked mischievously.
At a Council Meeting in Konoha
Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose, as the volume kept rising in the council room as the council members argued. He couldn't wait to pass the position of Hokage on. He was tired of dealing with these grown-up children, and he was definitely tired of hearing them complain about the taxes that were raised to pay back their debt to Naruto.
"Hokage-sama, isn't there some other way we could pay him back? Perhaps give him a promotion? Or give him some land at the outskirts of town?" One councilor asked.
"He's already a Jonin, and was one of the highest-ranking members of ANBU. What promotion do you speak of?" Hiruzen asked. The councilor sat back down quietly.
"We were quick to borrow money from him, even without his permission. And this was when he needed the money as well. To sit here and listen to you all complain about paying him back?" Hiruzen gave everyone a glare. "That's enough. I wish to hear no more on this matter. The tax will remain until the debt is paid."
The discontent councilors settled down in their seats as they grumbled.
"Now, we've got other more important issues to deal with, don't we?" Hiruzen asked.
Shikaku stood up to give his report. "We've been getting more and more missions from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. This might prove to be problematic."
"What's wrong with more missions? Doesn't more missions mean more money for the village?" Mebuki asked.
"Well, it certainly is good for our economy, but it's putting a strain in our relations with Suna. The missions that were supposed to go to them are now coming to us, and I'm sure they won't be too happy about that." Shikaku responded.
"And what of it? That will only mean they are getting weaker, while we get stronger. They already stand no chance against us. IF they try anything foolish, it will only give us the casus belli that we need to put them in their place, and impose a new treaty that will be to our favor." Danzo commented.
"It made no sense to have an equal alliance with a much weaker village in the first place." Hiashi added. "If they attack first, we can break the treaty without having to do it ourselves and tarnishing our image."
Many of the councilors agreed, and talks of forcing Suna into vassalage were discussed.
Hiruzen glared at Danzo. Of course, he would be the one to start a discussion of fighting a war to gain power.
"And what of the disruption of the balance between the 5 villages? Do you think the other villages will stand idle as they watch a war break out between our villages? We've only just recovered from the destruction of the village, and now you'd have us plunged into another war?" Hiruzen inquired.
Some of the councilor agreed that Hiruzen had a point, and began to debate with the other councilors on the pros and cons of what was being discussed.
Hiruzen sighed as he watched the scene. Why were people so obsessed with fighting and gaining more power? Was he the weird one for desiring peace? Was he getting too old?
He knew the answer to that last question. Yes, he was way too old for this nonsense.
His thoughts went to Naruto, who he hoped would succeed him, if things went according to plan.
'How are you doing my boy? Are you well? How goes the war?' Hiruzen wondered to himself.
Due to the top-secret nature of the mission that he sent Naruto on, he had not received any messages from Naruto, and had no idea what was going on. He wasn't even sure if Naruto was dead or alive.
Like Amegakure, news from Kirigakure was scarce due to the civil war in the area. Rarely anyone went into Kiri territory, as they could die at any moment by being caught in the crossfire, and even less came back out. That meant no news came out of Kiri, and no one even knew that the civil war was over.
All he could do was believe in Naruto's ability to always complete his missions successfully.
In Kiri, Days after Mei's Visit to the Hospital
Mei sighed as she watched some of her people cataloging the goods that were in Yagura's storehouse. Goods that he had seized from the people he had massacred. There was a literal mountain of scrolls and other things he had stolen, attesting to just how brutal his reign had been.
'Just how many people did you kill to get all of these?' She wondered to herself sadly, as she looked for anything that might have been from her clan.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto clearing his throat to get her attention, standing at the doorway.
A smile formed on her face almost automatically when she saw Naruto. "Ah, look who it is. Hello, Naruto-kun."
"Hello Mei. What are you up to?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, you know. Just sorting some stuff." Mei replied as she gestured to the pile of stuff in the storehouse.
"Mind if I help?" Naruto offered as he stepped into the room.
Mei shrugged. "I guess so. Put the jutsu scrolls over here, the storage scrolls over there, weapons over there, and other valuables in that pile over there."
The two of them began to sort through the items with the others that were present. As Naruto looked through some of the items, he was impressed by some of the jutsu that were contained in the scrolls.
"Say, what do you intend on doing with all of these things here after they're sorted?" Naruto asked as he looked through a scroll on some Water Release jutsu.
"Return them to their original owners if we can, or at least to their clans." Mei replied, as she thought about what to do. "For the things that don't have any living owners anymore, I suppose we'll use them for Kiri, either adding them to our inventory or selling them off for money."
"You don't suppose you'll be willing to sell some of the jutsu scroll here, would you?" Naruto asked.
"Hmmm… I'll have to think about that." Mei replied. "Why? See something that interests you?"
"A few scrolls here and there. But with so many things in here, I'm bound to find more."
Ao scooted over closer to Mei, so he could whisper to her quietly. "Mei-sama, you wouldn't actually sell any of our jutsu to an outsider, would you? He could use these against us!"
Mei scoffed. "Ao, if Naruto wanted to fight against us, these little jutsu here aren't the things we need to look out for. I'm sure we've got bigger problems by that point. Besides we could use the money, unless you have a way of coming up with funds to pay our shinobi, rebuild infrastructure, fund the academy, and restart our trade and industries." She replied.
Naruto was able to overhear parts of their conversation, and smiled. Money was no object for him.
"How about I pay 500,000 Ryo for each jutsu? If they're particularly powerful or rare, I'll pay double or even more."
That caught Mei and Ao's attention. That changed things. That would be like an A-rank mission for each jutsu, or even an S-rank for a more powerful one, which could potentially amount to a lot of money that could be used in Kiri's rebuilding process.
"Would you settle for copies instead?" Mei asked.
Naruto nodded. "Of course. And I'll pay for any other interesting trinkets that I might find that you're willing to part with."
Mei decided to let him buy some of the jutsu that were more widely known amongst the population in Kiri. Secret jutsu from clans, however, she would keep for the clans, as a reward for following her through the civil war, and also because she felt it was the right thing to do.
They continued to sort through the piles of items for the next few hours, with Naruto selecting a few jutsu he was interested in. However, the jackpot for him came when he found a larger scroll.
"Hmm? What is this?" Naruto said to himself as he unrolled the scroll. It was a summoning scroll.
His thoughts immediately went to Narumi. A summoning contract as a gift to celebrate her promotion to Chunin would be perfect!
"Hey, Mei? How much would you want for this?" Naruto asked as he handed Mei the summoning scroll.
"Hmm? What is that?" Mei asked as she took the scroll.
She looked through the scroll and realized it was a summoning contract for a summons for a clan that had been wiped out.
Ao was worried Mei might agree to give such a powerful tool like a summoning contract all for a bit of money, and watched her worriedly.
More than any of the other jutsu he found, Naruto really wanted this scroll. He was willing to part with a huge chunk of Ryo to obtain this for Narumi. He was willing to give them jutsu or seals of his own if that's what it took.
His hope, however, began to slip away when he saw Mei's expression.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun." Mei began. That put the nail in the coffin for his hopes of getting this meaningful gift for Narumi.
"This is too valuable for us to part with, both from a military perspective, and a cultural one. We can't sell off this last vestige of a clan that was once prominent here."
"Ah I see. That makes sense." Naruto just waved it off like it wasn't a big deal, but he was sorely disappointed inside. He'd have to look for something else to give Narumi. Hopefully he'd be able to find something else here.
Back in Konoha, In ROOT HQ
Danzo dismissed his informant from Suna who brought him news on Suna's economic struggles. It seemed Rasa was forced to sell some of his gold dust to keep his village running, but that was clearly unsustainable. Unless he was able to solve the root of the problem, he was merely scooping water out of a sinking ship.
'Good. It seems like my connection in the Wind Daimyo's court has done exactly as I had hoped.' Danzo thought to himself as he considered what was to come next. The first phase of his scheme involving Suna had gone off perfectly, with his connection convincing the Wind Daimyo to employ the cheaper services of Konoha.
'They can't afford to reduce the cost of their shinobi to compete with Konoha, due to the costs of raising shinobi forces in the desert, and reducing their upkeep will prove disastrous. If they do so, they'll lose many of their promising shinobi, which I'll recruit into ROOT.' Danzo thought with a smirk.
If they didn't cut wages and costs, which could possibly reduce Suna into a minor village, they would only be left with only one option: dealing with the competition that was stealing their lifeblood.
Suna was on terrible terms with Iwa and Kumo from the last war, which was one of the main reasons Suna allied with Konoha in the first place, and Kiri was still known to be embroiled in an idiotic, self-destructive civil war. Suna would be foolish to attack Konoha alone, but desperation leads people to do foolish things.
However, it didn't really matter what choice Suna would make. Danzo planned to profit from whatever choice they made. If they didn't attack Konoha, they'd be pressured to seek aid from Konoha to keep their village afloat, which Danzo would use to slowly bring them under Konoha's rule. He also wasn't worried about Suna attacking. He knew Konoha was capable of easily defeating them.
If they ended up attacking and managed to kill Hiruzen, he'd use his ROOT forces to drive them off and win the gratitude of the village. Even if they failed to kill Hiruzen, he could still put the blame of the attack as Hiruzen's failure as a Hokage, making him lose support and possibly have him deposed.
Now all there was to do was to make sure there weren't any other contenders for the seat. The next phase would be to remove each potential Hokage candidates from running against him, one way or another.
'Soon…' Danzo mused. 'I'll lead this village to a golden era. I'll lead this village to stand above all others, as it was destined to be…'
In the Markets of Kiri
Naruto walked down the streets of Kiri, trying to get some fresh air, and to possibly buy some souvenirs or gifts for his Genin. Maybe if he was lucky, he could find something that Narumi would like as a gift for making it to Chunin. Sure, nothing here could compete with a summoning contract, but Kiri was still known for its quality swords and metal worked goods, so he hoped he could find something.
However, after nearly an hour of searching, he noticed that he wasn't having much luck finding any quality products, due to the destroyed economy and the flight of many skilled workers from the village.
What the village did have in excess instead were orphans. When Naruto saw the starving kids watching him buy the produce Kiri had, he couldn't help but see himself and Narumi in them.
One boy and his sister caught his attention in particular. The boy seemed to be much older than his sister, who looked like she was barely 5 years old. He held his sister's hand as he hungrily eyed the fruits that Naruto was buying, before the growling in his sister's stomach caught Naruto's trained ears.
Naruto couldn't just walk on by and ignore the sight in front of him. It would make him like one of those people in Konoha who ignored Narumi and his struggles.
"Hey there kid. It looks like you could use some food." Naruto said to the older brother as he bent over to talk to the kid at eye level.
The kid simply nodded, too shy and wary to speak to the stranger.
"How about you do something for me, and I'll give you and your sister all the food you can eat? How does that sound?" Naruto asked as he gave him a warm smile to disarm the boy.
"W-What should I do?" The boy asked with wide eyes.
"You got any parents, kid?" Naruto asked.
The boy shook his head.
"Live in an orphanage then?"
The boy nodded.
"Where's your orphanage? If you tell me where your orphanage is, and how many kids live there, I'll give you guys this bag of fruit I bought, and get you even more stuff." Naruto offered.
It sounded too good to be true, but the boy wasn't in the position to be picky, so he decided to answer his question.
"I live in that shack by the edge of town. Me, my sister Mitsuko, and around 18 other kids live with Hasegawa-san and his wife."
"I see. Thanks for telling me. Here's the bag of fruit, just like I promised." Naruto said, as he handed the boy his bag of fruit.
The boy received the bag with a huge smile, and immediately took out an apple and handed it to his sister, who was practically leaping with joy before she reached out eagerly to take the apple.
"Thank you, stranger-san!" The girl said with a smile that was missing a couple teeth. "You're the best!"
"You can call me Naruto. Hope you guys enjoy your fruit!" Naruto said warmly to the children, who ran off to share their gift with their friends.
Naruto smiled as he watched the kids share, and decided he would do more for those kids. He'd look into some local grocers and bakers, and see if they could regularly send their products to the orphanages around town. He'd have them send the bill to him every month.
Meanwhile, someone else was observing him from a distance too, with a smile on her face from watching the heart-warming scene.
"Mei-sama!" Ao called out as he came to her with a letter.
"Yes? What is it Ao?" Mei asked as she watched Naruto summoning clones to carry bags of food he was going to take to the orphanage where Mitsuko and her brother lived.
"A letter. From the Daimyo." Ao informed Mei, as he handed her the letter.
She quickly turned around to take the letter from Ao's hand and read it.
"Hmmm… I see… that would be a much better idea…" Mei commented as she read through the letter.
"What is it, Mei-sama? What does the Daimyo want?" Ao asked.
"It looks like he's understanding of our situation, and wants to formalize my coronation as the Mizukage as soon as possible to stabilize Kiri. He understands that it's not the best time to visit Kiri, so he invited me to come to his palace instead, with an escort or companion of my choice."
Her eyes went back to Naruto, who now had several bags of food that he was handing out to the orphans that surrounded him.
"I think I know exactly who I'm going to take as my escort." Mei said with a smile.
OMAKE
"Are you sure this is a mission?" Sasuke asked Narumi as he walked down the streets with his teammates.
"Duh! Why else would we be wearing mission gear? Why else would all three of us be doing stupid chores?" Narumi replied.
"It's just that, this mission seems quite strange. Kakashi-sensei isn't even here with us. Where is he anyway?" Sasuke wondered.
"Who knows? For all we know, he'll just magically appear there, and when we ask him where he was, he'll say he came in advance to scan the area for traps and enemies, or give us some stupid excuse like that." Narumi replied.
"That's such a terrible and ridiculous excuse, that I can imagine him actually saying that." Sasuke told Narumi. "I guess this is a mission then."
"Of course! Why would I lie to you, Sasuke-chan?" Narumi said with a mischievous smile she failed to hide.
Sasuke caught the smile and narrowed his eyes. He was suspicious of Narumi's behavior, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. "I told you not to call me that. Also, let me see the mission details again. I don't get why the client would specifically ask me to carry the flowers."
Narumi hid the scroll she was holding behind her back. "Hey! It's my turn to be the leader of the mission. I get to hold on to the scroll like you did last time! Isn't that the rules we agreed on, Hinata-chan?" Narumi asked Hinata.
Hinata was caught off guard by Narumi bringing her into the situation. "Y-yeah. That's what we said."
"See? So I get to be the captain, and you get to hold the bouquet!" Narumi said as she stuck her tongue out at Sasuke.
He just rolled his eyes. Dealing with her shenanigans was just a part of being her friend.
"L-looks like we're almost here." Hinata said as she pointed at the road sign.
Narumi suddenly grabbed Sasuke's shoulder, causing him to turn around.
"H-hey Sasuke-chan, I need to go to the bathroom real quick."
"And? Why don't you go? You don't need to tell me these things. Just be quick. I'll be here with Hinata." Sasuke replied.
"It might take a while, so why don't you just drop the flowers off without us?" Narumi asked.
"Us? Why does Hinata have to go to the bathroom too?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.
"Cuz. It's girl stuff. You wouldn't understand. You can handle a little D-rank by yourself, right?" Narumi asked as she began to hop, appearing to need to use the bathroom urgently.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll deliver the package, and come back. Hurry up and go.
"Thanks!" Narumi yelled before she grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her off to a nearby bathroom.
Sasuke sighed again. "Leave it to me to complete our missions. They should give me some of their pay since I'm doing all of the work." He grumbled as he headed towards the house they were delivering to.
When Hinata was pulled into the bathroom by Narumi, she asked what was on her mind. "Ummm, Narumi-chan? W-Why are we doing this again?"
Narumi rummaged through her supplies to look for her binoculars. "Sasuke's been acting so cocky and arrogant ever since he beat me in that stupid spar during training. He's been rubbing it in my face non-stop, so it's time for me to put him down a few pegs."
She finally found her binoculars, and looked outside the window to observe Sasuke. "Use your Byakugan to watch! This is going to be epic!"
"Let's see now… this should be the house." Sasuke said to himself as he checked the address to make sure he was at the right place.
He knocked on the door. "Hello? Team 7 here with a delivery!"
He heard some rumbling and sounds of movement inside the house as he waited for the door to open.
"Sheesh. What's taking so long?" Sasuke wondered, before the door slammed open.
"What do ya want?" The occupant of the house asked as she opened the door.
Sasuke's face began to pale, and he almost dropped the bouquet he was holding.
Anko looked at Sasuke's reaction and smiled. She loved the effect she had on him.
"These for me?" She asked, as a snake shot out of her sleeve, and snatched the bouquet out of Sasuke's trembling hands and brought them to Anko.
She inhaled the aroma of the flowers and sighed a satisfied sigh. "Ahhh… that's the stuff."
Sasuke still hadn't been able to say a word. He hoped he could sneak away while she was distracted with the flowers, but he lost his timing.
"Are these from you?" Anko asked with a teasing smirk. She knew they weren't but she wasn't about to let a chance to scare this kid slide.
"N-n-no!" Sasuke replied, but Anko ignored him.
"Why thanks kid! I gotta show you my appreciation somehow!"
"I-it's fine! Hope you enjoy the flowers! Gotta go!" Sasuke stuttered as he tried to leave.
"I don't think so, pal. What kind of girl do you think I am? You think I won't repay such a sweet gesture?" She asked as she grabbed onto him using her snakes. "Get in here!"
Meanwhile, Narumi watched the scene from the bathroom with her pair of binoculars, before she fell on the ground laughing.
"Did you see his face! He looked like he saw a ghost! Oh my gosh! I'm dying! I can't breathe!"
Hinata watched the scene with her Byakugan with a concerned face. Unlike Narumi, she could see what was going on inside Anko's house as well.
Sasuke sat in a chair shivering, tied to chair by snakes. His cheeks were covered in Anko's kisses.
"You sure know how to treat a girl! I think I'll place these flowers right here. What do you think, Sasuke-chan?" Anko asked with an innocent sounding voice.
"Y-yes. That looks splendid. N-now could I go?" Sasuke stuttered.
"In a rush to leave so soon? You must stay for tea and snacks. I insist." Anko said with an ominous smile, as she flicked a stick of dango towards Sasuke, which impaled the wall behind him, right next to his neck.
Sasuke sat their trembling as Anko went about preparing her special "tea". 'Narumi… I'll get you back for this… You'll regret the day you ever thought about pranking me like this…'
Even as Narumi rolled on the floor in laughter as Hinata explained what was going on, Hinata couldn't help but be concerned that this could be the start of something dangerous. She just hoped she wouldn't get pulled into this.
*Author's Note*
And that's the latest chapter of the Jinchuuriki's Brother! Sorry for the long wait! I was super busy with work this week, and didn't have much time to write! I announced that I wouldn't be able to release this past week on discord, so if you want to hear stuff like that or participate in other conversations regarding this story or Naruto in general, please join the discord! (Code: YeWD6wqvYU)
So, I was hoping I could wrap up the arc in this chapter, but there's a lot of things to cover before I can wrap up the arc. So it will be at least one more chapter till Naruto is back in Konoha, but since all the fighting and stuff is done, more of Konoha will start to feature again.
I probably won't be able to release as often as I used to, since that was really an anomaly. Uploading a chapter every 3 or 4 days is really tough, and that was only possible since the content was mostly fighting. Writing schemes and perspectives from multiple characters takes time to think of and write. Also, concluding and connecting 2 arcs smoothly takes some time as well, so I hope you guys understand if I only update like once a week from now on.
Ok, so to explain some things now.
A lot of you were wondering why Naruto didn't use the Hiraishin in the battle again Yagura. Well, with so many spectators watching, he didn't want to reveal that his ace in the hole. It's really his strongest jutsu in a sense, and he'd rather keep it a secret for now.
Some of you might be wondering what the point of the nightmare was in the beginning of the chapter. It was just to show you the internal struggle Naruto was having. He recently fought and nearly killed a Jinchuuriki, and his sister being one, he obviously feels a little conflicted. Also, the moves he pulled out against Yagura weren't just things he learned on the spot. He obviously trained to use those jutsu. He had been preparing to fight Narumi in case she ever lost control. It had mostly been a hypothetical situation he had been preparing for, but after fighting Yagura, it became more real to him, and it's something he feels uncomfortable with.
Anyway, thanks for reading the chapter guys! Thanks for waiting, and I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! If you enjoyed, have any questions or suggestions, or have anything you want to say to me, please leave a review or comment!
Hope you guys all stay safe, and have a great day!
Until next time!