And here we have act XXIX for your reading pleasure. Unfortunately, I also have a bit of bad news.

While working on this chapter earlier I received a call and, better yet, a new- and more importantly full-time- job. While this is good for me, it also means my free time will be cut down dramatically and chapters will become difficult for me to write. I'll be starting earlyMmonday morning and continuing through Friday.

In any other case, and as likely to happen within the next few weeks, I would have simply moved my writing day. Unfortunately, I won't be giving my two weeks notice to my part time job until I go in tomorrow, which means for the next two weeks I should be working every day.

On a brighter note, after those two weeks I'll have a week long break before I'm needed again at my new job. So, while I may not have a chapter for you next week- and if I do it won't be the 10k word chapter it should be- I will do my best to make it up to you all during that week off.

That is assuming this new job works out and I don't find myself quitting my current job for nothing, of course.

Should that be the case, we'll just have to hope for the best and we'll see what becomes of my writing schedule afterwards.

Thanks, as always, goes to ncpfan for his help.

Let's get started, shall we?

Wave had changed and she almost couldn't believe how quickly. It was less than two weeks ago that Tsunami had taken her as an escort through the market place and she had been appalled by the way the people of the country were living. Now, mere days after the Wolves had turned on their employer everything seemed to be turning around for the citizens of Nami no Kuni.

No longer did people huddle in gutted buildings but rather used the resources within Gato's vast warehouses to restore them to what they once were. The docks, once filled with nothing but the quiet murmurs of workers and the occasional drunk laughter of Gato's forces were now filled with energy as wares were loaded of and on repossessed vessels. Children happily watched the new sailors scurry about as they waited for a fish to bite their line so they could bring fresh food back to their families.

There was hope in the air once again for the first time in years and yet she couldn't help think there was something off about the whole thing. Peering from crouched positions on the very buildings workers were restoring were snarling masks, their gaze capturing everything that happened within their new domain.

Small patrols moved through the streets further insuring order within the busy town and yet feeling isolated from the world in which these people lived. There was an unmistakable distance between the people of Wave and their saviors.

The distance between man and beast.

Naruko didn't know what to make of it.

The people were happy, but for how long? Where the Wolves like this only because foreigners- her team- were present and wished to avoid drawing more attention from one of the five greater villages? Would everything change once again upon their departure or was this to stay as the new Wave, a place of hope and joy?

Perhaps that was what bothered her. While people were still celebrating as they worked, filling the air with sounds of laughter and cheer, they were watched by the cold-hearted visage of wolves. The Wolves did not utter a sound if they could help it, keeping a daunting vigil over the village. It was, perhaps, this clash that set her ill at ease.

Her blue eyes moved from the town and its self-proclaimed protectors and back to the bandages that covered her body.

She knew it was a horrible idea, but what choice did she really have? Once there was a time that she'd have felt nothing but a comforting warmth when attempting such, now there was nothing to greet her but the merciless fire that sought only to devour her flesh in its maddening power.

But the pain it brought, the utter agony that ripped through her body and burned at her mind, held nothing compared to the last time she had gazed into the eyes of its true mistress.

Those furious eyes had burned an unholy red, filled with such anger that she could hardly think straight looking into them, and each word she had uttered that day was a cracking hiss spewed from between painted lips. The Kyuubi no Kitsune had not been pleased.

And she knew why.

Long standing had been their simple agreement, one desire for another. It had seemed so easy back then, to provide the ancient being of chakra with what she wanted. After all, she too was looking forward to seeing her brother again.

Things had not been so simple.

Her brother had changed while they were away, molded by a world without them, and his new world had no place for them within it. He was no longer the boy who would do whatever he could to ensure she was happy and taken care of, but a cold young man who would lift not a finger to aid her. She was a stranger to him, a nobody, and despite the pain she felt at thinking that she could only imagine the suffering he must have endured in order to be turned into that.

But he was still her brother and she still loved him.

And then she had done the unthinkable. Angered that her clothing had been removed by his blade and hating how helpless she had felt she lashed out at him, the very one who had been ensuring not a scratch had befallen her throughout what was supposed to be a friendly spar.

Her chains, the chains of the Uzumaki clan, had drawn the blood of kin-

It was not enough.

She had tried to go farther, to completely crush him with her abilities, but he had not allowed it. With ease that spoke of mastery far greater than she could ever hope to achieve he, the one who had not even received the training for those chains from their mother, had summoned his own and completely crushed her attack.

And then she had made her final mistake, one that outshone the others like a million suns to a dying ember at noon-

She had attempted to use the chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune against her brother.

The deal with Mito, the Kyuubi herself, was that in exchange for that very power she would reconnect the ancient Biju with her brother. That alone should have told her that trying to use that power against him would never work.

In her anger, she tried anyway

The pain then was nothing compared to the guilt she felt later.

But that guilt hadn't stopped her from confronting the Biju about it.

That, too, was a mistake.

When she first met Mito she was begging to be reconnected to her brother with a desperation that was more suited to a heartbroken widow than a being of untold destruction. Somehow the Biju had known her brother, had at one time been connected to hi, and was now separated. She had never asked, never questioned, and perhaps that was yet another mistake on her part.

It was evident that her brother meant a lot to the ancient being and by trying to use their power against him she had not only angered them but made it even harder for her to uphold her own end of the bargain.

She would never forget the pure rage and sheer malice that was reflected on the elegant face of her ancestor as it sneered down at her in contempt.

It were her first words that struck the hardest.

'You will not harm him!'

But those that came afterward hurt no less.

'Even if you were to grow stronger than him he will always be greater than you. You and your mother have already destroyed him once, you will not bring him down again.'

There was guilt in those words, she thought, as if she too had harmed Naruto, but it was buried deep under her anger at her prison.

Naruko couldn't fault her for that, she had been angry at herself as well.

And while she was upset that the Kyuubi had withdrawn her help controlling her power she couldn't fault her for that either. After all, she had attempted to use it on the Mito's precious person and that was unforgivable. At least she had not been completely barred from using it, which meant their deal was still alive. Should she manage to return Mito to her brother they could all be happy.

Or that's what she hoped, at least.

"Naruko-Chan!" The soft voice of Haku was unmistakable to her and she turned to her friend with a smile, her thoughts temporarily pushed to the back of her mind.

She was also aware of nearby Wolves turning to look. Whether it was out of curiosity, because they had a connection to her brother, or because Haku was the apprentice of a missing ninja as infamous as Zabuza she could only guess.

"Haku, you're still here? I thought you and Zabuza would be long gone by now."

Haku shook his head in the negative.

"I was actually just about to head out. Zabuza's started already but his injuries are still taking a toll on his body so I should be able to catch up to him long before he reaches the border."

"Oh, well I hope he gets better, I know he means a lot to you."

"He does, but you're very important to me too. I wanted to be able to say goodbye."

Naruko gave him another smile.

"You're important to me too, Haku. I don't have many friends."

The ice user seemed a little bit disappointed at her words for some reason but Naruko couldn't tell why.

"I also wanted to thank you again for saving him, I hope your Sensei wasn't too hard on you about that."

"No worries," Naruko waved off the concern. "Kakashi-Sensei's pretty laid back. He just shrugged, told me not to do it again, and then proceeded to tell me my brother would have found a better way."

"You have a brother?"

"Ah, yeah." Seeing she was uncomfortable with the subject, Haku apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine." She assured him. "We're having some family trouble at the moment but I'm hoping we can fix it soon."

"I see." It was evident Haku wanted to ask about it but they moved on regardless. "In any case, I really should be going. Zabuza shouldn't really be traveling right now, especially not alone."

"Oh, well, maybe we'll see each other again someday, Haku."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Before Naruko realized it a pair of lips were pressed against her own. Just as quickly they were gone, leaving her to stare dumbfounded at the softly smiling Haku before her. "Sorry, I just wanted one last taste."

Her mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened but she did admit that there were far worse looking boys who could have kissed her. She hadn't meant very many young men that she could honestly describe as 'pretty'.

As Haku went to leave they paused for a moment and turned back to the still shocked Naruko.

"Oh, by the way, I really am a girl."

"Eh?!"

With nothing but soft, tinkering laughter, Haku was gone, leaving a blushing Naruko in her wake.

The small waves crashed gently against the shore of a land that shared their namesake. The ocean breeze was pleasant in the late morning as the sun warmed the land and banished the last remnants of that morning's fog.

Sitting on the wooden pier just outside the home of Tazuna the bridge builder with a knee pulled to his chest, Sasuke idly swung his leg mere centimeters over the water. Should the wind pick up any more he was certain his foot would be soaked.

This did not bother him, however, as his mind was far from the world around him. Actually, it was not as far away as he may have liked, for his teammate was somewhere in the nearby town. Ever since witnessing the power she held within her there was little else Sasuke was able to think about.

This was not in the normal sense of how he too might obtain such power, but rather how she acted with it. It did not look easy for her to call upon or control and every second she accessed it seemed to pain her greatly, but the second she recognized who it was behind the mask all that power and the feeling of unbridled fury that had filled the air vanished without a trace.

If she was really that desperate for the power, if she was really willing to suffer through it, why would she stop? Couldn't she see that it was all for naught after that? And for an enemy? But, at the same time, had she not entered into that incredible form to protect him, her teammate?

Sasuke was well enough aware that he was the biggest liability in that battle simply because his Sharingan were newly awoken and were draining him too quickly to be as useful as they should have, and while that hurt his pride he cared far more about the odd behavior of Naruko.

He had always believed that others made you weak and he could use the fact that just knowing who their opponent was made Naruko cast away her power, but at the same time it was for others that she ended up calling upon that power.

Did it really not matter as much as he had thought?

Was it, perhaps, completely unrelated?

Did power, true power, come from some other source that couldn't care less how few or how many people you surrounded yourself with?

Then there was the fact that she had stopped Kakashi from killing Zabuza. While she didn't completely stop the attack, was being able to decide who lived and who died not power in itself?

In the end, his thoughts got him nowhere and he was still no closer to understanding Uzumaki Naruko.

But that was okay, because he still had plenty of time.

He made no comment as he felt his apprentice take their place behind him, nor did he mention the satisfied smile on her face when he spared her a quick glance.

It was god that she was happy, however, as things were not going to look good for them in the foreseeable future. Recovered as he was, there was still a long time until he'd be back to where he was before this godforsaken mission.

It most certainly did not help that all of it meant nothing in the end.

His employer being dead and with the mansion having been blown up, he was fortunate that the Wolves hadn't tried to kill him. Taking only the minimum amount of time necessary to heal so he would be able to get the fuck out, he left as soon as he could.

He didn't know if Wave would stay like this or change back the second the Konoha team was gone but he really didn't want to find out.

They were out quite a bit from their journey here and there wasn't much left, but they should be able to make it back to Mizu no Kuni and find Mei. She'd need to know about the Wolves that had taken control of the port nation, especially if she later considering hiring their services.

Sure, Gato wasn't the best of people, being the little shit he was, but he was still their employer.

That was, at the very least, something to be cautious about in the future.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself, Haku." He eventually spoke, voice gruff. "Because this is going to be a bitch to explain to Mei."

A small giggle was the immediate response followed by her soft voice.

"Oh, yes, I'm quite glad I took the chance to steal another kiss from Naruko-Chan then, it may be the last."

He managed to resist the urge to bury his face in his hand.

"At least some good came from this for one of us, I suppose."

If only he had managed to get ahold of some of Gato's finances or could keep Mei from being upset by giving her a kiss.

Alas, Zabuza was not that lucky.

A group of villagers had come to see off the Konoha Shinobi that had protected their bridge builder and provided the opportunity for the Wolves to strike at Gato.

Sakura smiled lightly to all those that wished them well, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

Sasuke remained silent and unmoved, but his usual scowl had been replaced with a thoughtful frown. It was not a very noticeable change but his team could tell the difference.

A bright grin split Naruko's face despite the feeling of unease that still lingered at the thought of leaving these people- quite literally- to the Wolves.

Kakashi had a distinctly pleased smirk easily seen through his mask. One hand held his opened copy of Icha-Icha and the other was lazily placed in his pocket where he idly fingered the pair of panties Tsunami had shoved into his pocket after a night of celebrating.

Or maybe it was for a job well done.

He couldn't quite remember what reason she had given him and he doubted she did either. After all, they both new it was just an excuse for a bit of fun.

Maybe when the team got some time off they'd come back to visit, you know, for nostalgia's sake.

Also because he really wanted to hit that again.

By the gods, that was almost worth going missing-nin for.

The wonders of women aside, the completed bridge spread behind them, unnamed, and ready for them to cross. Tazuna was at the head of the group there to see them off, having just declared the bridge complete. Team seven would be the first to cross it, or, that had been the plan.

As soon as Tazuna's eyes had widened Kakashi spun around, abandoning the panties in his pocket for a kunai from his leg. The first form at the edge of the bridge was hidden well enough by the scarf wrapped around their lower face and the hood of a traveling coat pulled over their head. As the cloak was left open it was easy to see the tight grey shirt and black cargo pants the person wore. A small bag sat across the small of their hip and just peaked out enough to be seen.

There was a blade, completely wrapped, atop that bag. It would not be easily drawn in battle but with the familiar sight of snarling wolf masks surrounding him that didn't seem like much of an issue.

They did not hesitate to cross the bridge with their escort trailing behind and did not pause when they reached the other side, moving instead to meet with a group of Wolves that approached from the direction of the village. The white fur mantle of the High-Captain was unmistakable as he stopped before the cloaked figure and snapped instantly into the Konoha salute.

Behind the cloaked figure a Wolf wore a similar mantle in bright red who waved off the High-Captain and gave orders that couldn't heard by those near. With but a nod the High-Captain began leading away the cloaked figure and the other Wolf who was no doubt a superior.

The three Gennin watched the newcomers intently and the villagers seemed wary. As if they hadn't just entered like they owned the place- though considering their company they just might- the cloaked figure followed after, sparing only a glance back at team seven.

Kakashi could have sworn two amethyst orbs had been hidden in the darkness of their hood.

"Sensei-"

"No." Kakashi stopped Naruko before she could finish asking. "This is no longer our business, it's time to return to Konoha."

While it may have been coincidence that they came from that direction, especially considering that was the only bridge in the area and there were Wolves here in Wave who could have informed them of such, that was also the direction of Konohagakure no Sato.

Considering their salute, Kakashi had little doubt that these were the same Wolves that the Yamanaka had claimed to exist.

The same Wolves that Naruto seemed to associate with.

"That may or not be him." Continued Kakashi. "And it's just as likely he's only a figure head. They could easily have the backing of some noble family who wanted Wave and be acting in their interests."

"So you don't think that's Tsukiyomi?" Asked Sakura, her eyes never leaving the figure.

"No, it probably is. I'm just saying that they might not actually be at the top. But, even if they are, our work here is done. What happens next is out of our hands."

Sakura nodded in understanding.

Maintaining his frown, Sasuke turned from the group and began walking down the bridge towards their village, Sakura scurrying to catch up. Naruko also frowned, uncomfortable leaving this town in the hands of unknowns but relented anyway, moving to join her companions.

Turning back to the people of Wave, Kakashi gave an eye-smile.

"We're glad we were able to help, expect us to visit when we can. We'd really like to see what Wave can become now that it's out of Gato's hand."

The silent promise that they'd be back to check up on the village was understood well by the villagers, and for that they were grateful.

None more so, however, than Tsunami, who rushed over to Kakashi and slammed her lips to his mask.

Oh yes, they'd definitely be back.

It was good to be Kakashi.

The sea breeze was the first thing he noticed about the small town, a pleasant change from the forests of Konoha. The second was of course the size. This country had the potential to be one of the wealthiest in the world and yet it was just so small. Once everyone was properly settled he'd have to see about expanding this small town into something more grand. Perhaps he could offer sanctuary to some clans that were having trouble. That would not only rapidly expand the town but would provide new trainees to be inducted into the Wolves.

That would have to wait, however, as Wave was not quite ready yet.

The High-Captain directed them through the village and into the surrounding woods before changing direction and heading towards Gato's mansion. Stepping around a large, scorched clearing, obviously man-made, they were soon before the two storied mansion Gato had been so proud of.

Various Wolves stood guard around the perimeter, snapping into salutes as soon as they saw who it was that approached.

Stepping into the grounds Naruto had to admit that the man had done well. The gardens were simple but low maintenance and immediately separated the mansion from the surrounding lands. The mansion itself was built quite solidly balancing appearance and function. No doubt this was to be just as much a fortress should things go wrong as it was to be a palace should they all go right.

Unfortunately for Gato, he had not been in his fortress when things went wrong.

Moving through the wooden doors, he noted with some admiration that there were actually two doors of fine wood with a large plate of metal between them making up each of the doors for the grand entryway.

Had the man only been dealing with civilians and bandits he'd have had success all but guaranteed. Of course, once Shinobi were added to the mix all bets were off. He would admit, however, that the building would have at least been difficult for an experienced Genin if only because it didn't seem as fortified as it actually was.

The mansion was a nice bit of deception but he was willing to bet that it was more to make the place pleasant to look at and live within than it was to make people underestimate the defenses. Either way, props to whoever designed the place.

And, he supposed, props to Gato for hiring them.

When the doors were shut behind them and Wolves had taken up defensive positions around them Naruto removed his hood and scarf, shooting a pleased grin to his High-Captain.

"High-Captain Keigo, well done, you've done the pack proud."

"Thank you, Tsukiyomi-Sama." Keigo had moved into the Konoha salute at the praise and one could practically feel the satisfaction rolling of the man at having pleased their leader.

"There is no need to thank me, High-Captain, the pack thanks you. I wanted Wave and you've delivered it to me. Now we finally have a place of our own."

The High-Captain stood just a little taller.

"Everything we need is in his study, yes?"

"Yes, Tsukiyomi-Sama."

"Then you are dismissed for the rest of the day, spend it how you wish."

With a final salute he excused himself and Naruto started up the grand staircase to the second floor. Gato had certainly poured a fortune into this place, probably enough to run a small country for a few years- oh, yes. That certainly would be something the business man would do, wasn't it?

No matter, it was his now and the people would be taken care of with money from Gato's coffers.

Or, they would for a while yet. As soon as they could support themselves he'd back out and let them do their own thing. He understood why Gato had been sucking the place dry, but it really wasn't the best option. With a reasonable tax and the proper protections in place to ensure no one interfered with his country he'd still make a killing off the people of Wave.

It would have been slower and people would have stayed but he could have just as easily started buying up peoples land until everyone was forced away. There wouldn't have been anything anyone could do against that.

Oh well, his loss.

The office was easily enough found, being the room directly at the top of the staircase, and opening it showed a room that had been torn apart. Just from a quick glance he could see three separate safes that had been hidden throughout the room. Two were in the walls and another was under floorboards.

There was a corner of the room untouched, or, rather, that had been put back together passably enough, and that's where Gato's desk had been moved. Stacks of papers covered it and boxes surrounding it contained more. Atop one of the boxes was a plain sealing scroll that no doubt contained the valuables hidden within the found safes. Pleased, Naruto carefully made his way across the torn up floor and over to the desk to see what they had for him.

He wouldn't even try getting through it all this trip, if ever, and he was rather relieved that he'd be pushing this all into Sai's lap. To take care of. A lot of it would make its way back to Mai and a good portion of that would undoubtedly be placed before him again, but it was better than going through all of it.

The Hokage really should have thought about hiring a few more secretaries to sort through his paperwork for him and perhaps even a full administrative team. Considering the amount Konoha seemed to generate (though no one could figure out why) it seemed rather called for.

Then again, if he wanted to go through every scrap of paper filled for the village he was welcome to. Maybe it was a hobby of his.

Leafing through the papers it was easy to see most of them were finance related and likely only kept as records. That also meant it was unlikely that anything contained was illegal which made it pretty useless for Naruto.

Actually, it made it useless for all of them. He'd need to find someone to run the business side of Wave because Sai was hopeless with money and Mai already had enough on her plate. He paused for a moment at that thought.

He had at least one clan back in Konoha he could use and a good portion of another. Establishing some Hyuuga here would be pretty good, as would giving them a position in which they had some control, but as long as Hinata was in Konoha it might be a bit difficult to arrange without people becoming suspicious.

Mainly without Hinata's followers getting suspicious.

That left the Inuzuka, and they were far more free to serve. Then again, they weren't regarded as the brightest bunch, far more impulsive and brash than what would be required of them here. The main family, however, claimed to be more knowledgeable as they would need to be in order to manage their clan.

If that was true, they might be just what he was looking for.

The youngest, Inuzuka Kiba wouldn't be any help. He didn't seem to possess the intelligence of the main family or chose not to demonstrate it if he did, preferring to be a brash as his cousins within the clan.

Tsume, the head, was an excellent choice but it would be difficult for her to get away from her clan for long periods of time to manage business in Wave and he was willing to bet a lot of her time was already taken up by her management of the clan.

She did, however, have a daughter, if he remembered correctly.

That could work, that could most definitely work. Dealing with business in Wave could be seen as good experience for heading the clan and giving her such a high position would help solidify the relationship between the Inuzuka and the Wolves.

It might be hard to convince them to send their heiress to Wave with them, but they wouldn't have any problems with an Inuzuka guard being stationed here to ensure this wasn't an elaborate kidnap attempt.

Of course, should she end up in a relationship with one of the Wolves during her stay or, better yet, Sai, then the ties between her clan and his Wolves would only be strengthened. Assuming they don't have a messy break up, of course, that could set things back between the clans tremendously.

Naruto idly noted that business relations seemed needlessly complex when they should be, in theory, incredibly simple.

Her guard might end up in relationships too, though, and that would create better bonds, even if the heiress's relationship became a nightmare. Considering Sai was the best choice, it seemed pretty likely.

Ah, no matter, if it happened he'd deal with it then, but for now he'd need to contact Tsume through Mai and propose the arrangement. Maybe some gifts from Wave first, a house, too, for the heiress while she stayed here. They'd also need a place for the Wolves so that Gato's mansion could be available for a Daimyo. Though whether that would permanently belong to that Daimyo or just be used for any visiting Daimyo he had yet to decide.

Shaking his head, he quickly scratched his idea down and shoved it into a pocket before writing a more proper- though certainly no longer- message.

"Come, Sai, we need to take care of one last thing before we get to work."

Without a word Sai fell behind Naruto and followed him out into the gardens.

Finding a place to stand directly in the scant sunlight of the usually cloudy sky of Wave he pulled his amulet from beneath his shirt and made sure the sun was caught on the golden coils. Cutting his thumb on the edge of a Kunai he rubbed a generous amount of blood around the Amulet of Aū until the gold glow of the sun it reflected became crimson.

In a small flash of the same red light a golden serpent not much longer than Naruto's arm was coiled on the ground before him.

"High priest." It greeted him.

"Child of Aū," He replied. "I would ask for your aid, will you grant it to me?"

"Of course, what is it you ask?"

"This message," He showed the rolled paper to the serpent. "I would that it be delivered to the holder of the snake contract."

The snake gave a nod.

"Give it to me." It instructed. "It shall be done."

As soon as the paper was held out to it the snake struck out and took it into its mouth, disappearing in a flash of red.

Giving a small grin, he lightly caressed his amulet with a clean finger, noting with some amusement that the blood that had covered it was gone. This was perhaps the most useful gift Orochimaru had sent him so far, he would certainly have to thank them when he eventually met them in person.

Speaking of thanks, he looked to the sun as it was hidden behind a softly floating cloud and whispered quietly;

"Thank you, child of Aū."

Despite the fact that the sun was hidden behind the clouds, he could have sworn the amulet briefly glowed at his words.

That will conclude tonight's performance. Hopefully luck will be on our side and Act XXX- even if only the first part of it- will show next week. For now, however, I bid you all a temporary farewell, I pray it will not be for long.