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Yeah, I really don't believe it either. Somehow I typed this chapter up in about a week. I wouldn't get my hopes up for this to continue, but I'll try to keep the momentum going.
Like usual, I can't exactly remember everything I was going to mention up here, but there is one thing I want to address.
A lot of people ask if this story is a harem and I always say it's not. What I'd like to do is share my understanding of 'harem' so you know why.
A harem, as I see it, is a collection of individuals who have a relationship with the same person. This relationship is publicly recognized and usually localized. By this I mean the harem will all live together and in close proximity to the head- for lack of a better word- of the harem. Those in the harem know the others who are part of it and interact regularly as an everyday part of the head's life.
When a fanfiction has multiple woman moving in with Naruto in his clan estate, when he has six young women he calls his girlfriends, or when someone uses the 'Clan Restoration Act' in an illogical way THAT is a harem.
What I intend is for Naruto to have relations with several women with varying sexual and romantic levels but who do not all live with him or even know who else he spends time with when he's out of Konoha. I do not consider that to be a harem, as it is simply a young man with several lovers across the world.
And having mentioned it, I should probably take a second to talk about the CRA. I eventually want to be able to write my own story using it, but for now I'll just type my thoughts here. By itself, the CRA is not necessarily a bad idea. This world has powerful bloodline mutations that are passed down to children and give them an edge in a dangerous world.
Bringing a clan back from the brink of extinction makes sense and so does having a male reproduce with several females as the male does not need to wait the nine months to begin the reproduction cycle again.
There are, however, two things wrong with how it's used.
First, using it on a last female member is an absolute waste. As mentioned above, it would take nine months to be ready to give birth again and forcing something like this on them is not a good way to endear the revived clan to a village. The best course of action would be keeping them in the village until they produce male offspring who can then begin the heavy work of bringing the clan back by rapidly starting the new generation. I've seen quite a few fics in which the Konoha council want's to use a woman- usually a Kunoichi who's interested in Naruto- to recreate the clan. It doesn't make much sense for them to push for it when they can wait for male offspring and watch them jump at the chance to shag willing women the council has had time to select.
The second, most important, thing was briefly mentioned above in that the person whom the CRA is enacted upon would not be leaving the village, let alone going on missions. If your bloodline is so important that laws are being completely broken to see your clan brought back, they aren't going to risk you on a mission and you'd be lucky to be allowed to train just because an accident may render everything pointless.
Oh, no, your ass is staying well within Konoha until you hit puberty and are introduced to a group of women willing to bring back the clan. Whether that's because the council has persuaded them- monetarily or otherwise-, they want the renown of being a mother of the clan, they hope to wield the clans growing influence for their own agenda, or they simply want children and have been looking for someone capable of providing both the children and a comfortable lifestyle for them.
Perhaps when your eldest few have had children of their own you'd be permitted to take to the fields, but by then what's the point? You're already getting up there in age- at least 24, and that's easily halfway through a Shinobi career- you have no actual experience besides whatever practice spars you may have had in the village, and you have spent your life acting as an administrative clanhead and father. Instead, you'll probably just teach your children and grandchildren what you've discovered about the bloodline over the years and watch bitterly as they all surpass you.
So, in short, the CRA will allow you to be with multiple women, but you sure as hell won't be a Shinobi.
That actually went on a lot longer than I expected, so I do apologize for that. You're all probably eager to get started.
As always, thanks goes to ncpfan for looking over the completed chapter.
Let's get those curtains raised.
The room was warm once, inviting and comfortable for all those who entered. It served as a sanctuary from the dreary landscape around it and a beacon of hope for all those whose lives were decided here.
That was before it became his office.
The walls had been repainted a dark gray, the floors stained from warm brown to very near black. What little furniture that was in the office was new, the older pieces that had held their places for decades brushed aside for simple, sturdy, functional replacements.
While equipped with ample electric lights, they were kept off for the most part and only the cold glow of an overcast world was allowed to slip through the window and spill over the desk.
He much preferred it this way, it was far more proper.
After all, what sort of Shinobi does his work in the light?
Even if he was a Kage, stuck behind a desk most of the time, he was a Shinobi before he was an administrator or politician.
He also had no desire to give his subordinates the wrong idea. His office wasn't welcoming because they were not welcome, there were no other chairs because if they had to bring something to him that required them to be standing for long periods of time they had damn well have writen it as a report.
He didn't need art or decoration, this wasn't a place for relaxation, and the last secretary who snuck in a potted plant he personally fed to the sharks off the coast.
Work was done here, nothing more nothing less.
That was the office of the Mizukage.
Yagura sat behind his desk, chair half turned to the window behind it, as he pondered the newest development in the war between himself and Terumi Mei. He had known for a while now that he would be best off seeking allies if he wished to end the war quickly, but there was a part of him that didn't like the idea fo relying upon outsiders to resolve a problem that was Kiri's alone.
That part of him had waned in volume as the war continued. Now, when he had been about ready to cave in and seek outside help a group had approached him with an offer.
He didn't like it.
Not the offer, the offer was fine, he didn't like the way they had approached him just before he went to anyone else. It was suspicious, but had they planned something like this, been waiting for an opportunity, or had they simply been fortunate with their timing?
He couldn't tell for sure, and that made him uneasy.
Still, they didn't ask for much- a location in his village to serve as headquarters for Mizu no Kuni operations and official sanction from him as the Mizukage to operate within the country- and they seemed competent enough. But was it worth it?
He supposed a better question would have been 'was ending this war worth it?'.
Yes.
Yes.
A million times yes.
If there was anything he despised more than the bloodline faction it was the war with the bloodline faction. Good Shinobi of untainted blood were dying to protect their village and his reign over it.
There were no words to describe his disgust of the situation.
He could, however, go on forever on his utter contempt for Bloodline Mutations. Shinobi had many qualities, but each of the major villages tended to favor a specific one.
Konoha with its eccentric unpredictability.
Kumo with its rigorous discipline.
Iwa's legendary stubbornness to the point of stupidity.
Suna Shinobi were known for their remarkable adaptability when cut off from their land of sand.
And Kiri itself was known, above all else, for its insatiable bloodlust.
You didn't here anything about the 'Bloody Rock' or 'Bloody Cloud' after all. He sometimes had to wonder if the constant infighting within Kiri's borders was a curse on them or a blessing for the rest of the world to keep them too busy killing themselves to lay waste to the rest of it.
He was getting distracted.
The same traits shown by the villages seemed to mean nothing to bloodline users. They became dependent on their special abilities, creating predictability that was easily countered. Their reliance on those same skills made it difficult for them to adapt to those skills being countered. They lacked the stubbornness that came from working themselves to the bone again and again, their resolve completely dependent on the success they have using their bloodline.
Discipline was in short supply, too. Treated like they were something special, they always expected things to go their way and had an annoying tendency to whine and complain when it didn't.
Unacceptable.
The only quality he had seen from them has been bloodlust and the fact that it was being aimed at his Shinobi and his citizens as they fought to take that which was not theirs like the greedy little shits they were was not endearing in the slightest.
There were exceptions, of course, there always will be, but subtle bloodlines tended to be in short supply and Shinobi who didn't rely completely upon them even more so.
He knew for a fact Zabuza- and that was a man he could damn well respect, despite aiding Mei- had an apprentice who took after him in the ways of silent killing. Unfortunately, they possessed a bloodline but it did please him to know they only reverted to it as a last resort.
That was exactly what bloodlines should be. Not a crutch but a last desperate attempt to get out of a mess when your other skills weren't sufficient.
In a way, he viewed bloodlines similarly to a Biju within a Jinchuriki. He held Jinchuriki who relied completely upon their Biju in the same regard as dependent bloodline users.
And while he hated bloodlines and Biju on principle individuals who proved themselves better- such as Zabuza's apprentice- had his respect.
But he was getting distracted again.
Mei's damn bloodline supremacists, a group who believed that bloodlines were a Shinobi's most important resource and that the village should go to extra lengths to accommodate them and promote growth for clans that would ultimately be given special privileges as if they were Konoha-Fuckin'-Gakure, were losing him good Shinobi who worked their pure, human bodies to the bone day after day to get where they were now and it had to stop.
It was a cause he was willing to crush his pride for.
He would allow the wolves to hunt.
"Say, were we supposed to head back to Suna?" Temari and Gaara, both sharing a log by the campfire, turned to look at the puppeteer.
"I think that's pretty obvious, Kankurō." Temari gave him a look that mixed pity with disbelief, something reserved for when she thought he had said something stupid. He raised his hands in surrender.
"Hey, just checking." He went back to tending the fire, but something about the question nagged at the back of Temari's thoughts. After a few minutes of silence she voiced a question of her own.
"So, Kankurō," His hooded face rose to meet her gaze. "Why wouldn't we be heading back to Suna?"
The young man turned back to the fire with a shrug, idly poking at the flames with a stick he had spent a good hour whittling earlier out of boredom. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
Now her interest was officially piqued. Gaara's too if the curious look he shot his elder siblings was anything to go by.
"Come on, tell us. Maybe we've missed something." That earned a resigned sigh but he nodded his head.
"It's just that I really have no idea what's going on these days, ya know?" He obviously wasn't looking for an answer as he continued on without pause. "First everything's normal, we're being nominated for the exams and are going to continue with our Shinobi careers. Then we learn about the invasion. Not too shocking, we've been having trouble for some time now and something was going to have to give sooner or later. A bit abrupt perhaps, but not so out of character for da- er, Kazekage-Sama to be suspicious."
"Next thing I know there's a guy in Konoha that has a Biju so terrified of him that Gaara's collapsed on the ground in hopes that his life will be spared!" He shook his head, still unable to believe what he had seen over a month ago. "Heh, that wasn't all that special in the end, though, was it? Suddenly Gaara, the homicidal Tanuki Kit-" He paused only briefly to send a slightly apologetic look to his younger brother. "No offense, Gaara."
The small redhead only shrugged. "It's true."
"Anyway, like I was saying, our little Tanuki-Otōto starts to pause and observe instead of just crushing everything around him. We're getting warning not that he'll kill us, but that we shouldn't attack certain participants in the exam!"
"I mean, come on, this is Gaara and he wanted to not spill blood of certain individuals?" When Temari frowned he continued. "Like, I get it if he didn't think they were worthy, that makes sense in a way, but they were people who he normally would have gone after but he managed to not just hold himself back, but actually sought them out later and helped them. I tired to purge my body of hallucinogenic toxins for a week after that!"
Reluctantly Temari nodded. That had been really out of character for the youngest sibling and she could see why Kankurō would be feeling more than a little lost. She also saw where he was going with his little rant. Not that she would stop him, he deserved at least the chance to let it all off his chest. After all, both she and Gaara had at least interacted with Naruto, who would no doubt come up soon. Poor Kankurō didn't have much choice but to follow the lead of his siblings without knowing what was going on at all.
She also wasn't going to stop the rant because it was a good chance for a fascinated Gaara- and he really did look adorable as he stared at his elder brother with rapt attention, devouring every word in wide-eyed amazement as if he was just starting to understand the universe itself- to get some insight to how other people thought and felt. It was one of the things his upbringing had him sorely lacking and she was determined to start fixing.
"I'd think things couldn't get more strange than that, but boy was I wrong! Temari- Touch Me And Die- herself is wrapped up in the arms of a man she's met once, the very man who terrifies Biju! And she seemed to like it!"
A blush crossed her cheeks and she was forced to look away from her siblings. "Very much so." She mumbled.
"Seemed to give you a hell of a confidence boost, too, because then I watch you invite Gaara into your bed and snuggle him like some sort of Teddy-Tanuki! Gods above, when he fell asleep I'm positive I suffered a heart attack. I'm not sure why it is Gaara can sleep now, but I can damn well assume he had something to do with it. We start taking orders from him next, which I can kind of understand considering he makes Biju tremble in fear, but I don't want to even consider why Gaara has started calling him father and you mother, Temari."
The blush she had just gotten under control came back with a vengeance.
"So, when I'm given an order as open as 'when the invasion begins, leave Konoha' I can't help but wonder if I'm missing something else. But if neither of you were given instructions to go anywhere else, we can just continue to Suna. They'll probably need our help dealing with the shitstorm to come because of the damned invasion anyway."
Actually, that had been a pretty vague order. Naturally the three of them had assumed they were to return home, but they hadn't actually been ordered to. Now that Kankurō had cast doubt on their orders, Temari pondered whether or not she actually wanted to go back to Suna. This entire mess was their fault, after all, and were they to vanish people would either assume them dead or captured by Konoha as political prisoners.
Not that she actually wanted people thinking she was dead, but it was an option. Now she just had to figure out what she did want to do with this opportunity.
Gaara was of like mind, but he already seemed to know what he wanted.
"Snow." The elder siblings turned to the young Tanuki with raised eyebrows, silently prompting him to continue.
"I was born in sand, we're in a forest- I want to see snow." And the ocean, too, but snow seemed better to him. He'd seen water and oasis before, after all. Snow was completely new.
Temari frowned in thought at that, pondering the best way to help her youngest brother experience snow for the first time. Tetsu no Kuni usually had snow, but there was also Yuki no Kuni in which there was never anything but snow.
Both were north and, coincidentally, so was Yu no Kuni, the Land of Hot Water. She could really go for a nice long stay at one of their extraordinary resorts.
Of course, there would be the problem of affording just getting there, let alone enjoying a little vacation. Unless they could get help from Naruto's Wolves...
"Hey!" Kankurō's shout brought her out of her musings. "Suna's going to need us, we can daydream about vacations later." The fact that he knew exactly what she had been thinking of was only mildly unsettling. Despite the three of them being siblings they had never been very close and tended not to spend much time together when not on missions. Apparently Kankurō knew her better than she had realized.
Of course, if he knew her that well he was probably also aware that his protests were going to fall on deaf ears. She could practically smell the steam of the hotsprings, feel the hands on her back as she relaxed into a well-deserved massage, and taste the gourmet food she would like to spoil herself with.
And she supposed her brothers could be given a room at one of the least expensive resorts.
"Suna's fucked." Was her eloquent argument. "We're better off waiting for things to calm down a bit first."
While Kankurō did see some wisdom in that and knew that his siblings would probably be safer far away from the village that just tried to go against Konohagakure no Sato- which happened to still be undefeated- he couldn't just abandon his village in its time of need. "And that would have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you've been talking about a vacation for months now, right?"
He hadn't missed her quiet complaining before they were nominated for the Chuunin exam and this was, admittedly, a perfect opportunity. Still, they were Shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato, they had a duty to return to the village.
"If we have doubts, we should ask Tou-San." The soft voice broke into the conversation and the elder siblings shared a look. Neither had spoken aloud about it, but they had both noticed that Gaara's old, gravely voice seemed to be gone. They weren't about to say it had been from his lack of sleep, but perhaps Shukaku's possession had been closer to the surface than they had realized over all these years.
There was also a matter of which 'Tou-San' he was talking about, but it gave Temari an idea.
Wrapping her little Tanuki in a one-armed hug and pressing him into her breasts she gave him a smile he probably couldn't see. "Excellent idea, Gaara. We can head over to Wave to have to Wolves send a message to both Tou-San"
The fact that she would be able to both put off a return to Suna and possibly get the funds she needed for her vacation had absolutely nothing to do with that plan at all.
Unfortunately this was a cause of concern for the youngest sand sibling. Not because of the hug, which he was quite enjoying, but once again due to the nature of his fathers.
Temari couldn't see it from her position, but Kankurō was able to see as Gaara's brows furrowed in confusion.
"Tou-San is with Kaa-San and other Kaa-San, but other Kaa-San's father is also other Tou-San," He paused, craning his neck up to look at Temari. "Does that mean other Tou-San is really Jiji?"
His confused face was too much for Temari and Gaara quickly found himself pressed even more tightly to her bosom.
"Kawaii!"
"The hell are we still doing here, anyway?"
Dosu tried to focus on his tea instead of his teammate but he seemed to be failing miserably. He didn't really see why Zaku was complaining either. Sure, they weren't being paid for this, but they didn't exactly have any expenses lounging around Naruto's abnormally large apartment.
On top of that, Orochimaru had ordered them to stay- what better reason did they need? Dosu sure as hell wasn't going to argue with the woman.
"Like, we aren't even doing anything!" Dosu gave a snort of amusement.
"How is that a problem?"
Zaku had to stop and think about that, which was mildly concerning to Dosu. Both because it implied Zaku didn't even know why he was complaining and because, well, Zaku was trying to think.
The last time he had tried to come up with anything of value he had conducted a panty-raid on Guren.
Dosu still had no idea how the idiot had managed to not be trapped in pink crystal, but times like this made him really wish that whatever intervention had saved him had instead gone to something a bit more worthy.
You know, like orphaning blind children or something, because even that was better than any sort of good fortune for Zaku.
Solace could be found, however, in the thought of replacing him. After distracting his least favorite- least useful, most disobedient, and utterly worthless- minion and trying to make sure he stayed out of trouble for a good two hours, Kin had finally returned from Naruto's office flushed a very fetching red.
Naturally, Dosu was well aware that his favorite minion was attractive. He'd describe her as pretty most of the time, but there were times that he could only think of her as cute. Not that he would actually pursue anything there.
He would rather not make things weird on the team because he was trying to have a relationship with her and it was obvious over their time here that she was interested in Naruto, a man who might actually be more pretty than she was.
Like, seriously, give him two drinks and he'd probably be trying to chat the young man up. Which would be funny and all until he tried for any physical contact. Orochimaru would have his ass, and not even in a kinky fun sort of way that you try once and never speak of again for the rest of your life.
But Naruto's attractiveness aside, he also wasn't going to do anything that would disrupt the Dosu/minion dynamic they had going. Well, that he had going. Kin usually just rolled her eyes when he brought it up.
Gods, he was going to miss his little minion when Naruto did steal her away.
Moving on from that sad thought, he went back to Kin's success. Or, he assumed it was a success. She had flashed him a great big thumbs-up, her face red and eyes sparkling happily. He still wasn't sure the happiness in her eyes was from being successful or because of whatever had brought the blush to her face.
He supposed they weren't exactly mutually exclusive.
Either way, she had managed to convince him- he tried not to imagine how his cute little minion had persuaded him, either. It was better that way.- to let them use one of his Wolves as their third teammate in place of Zaku.
Of course, that meant they still had to figure out what the hell to do with the idiot.
They could kill him, it was a simple enough solution. But it just seemed to be lacking.
Could they sell him to someone? No, he wasn't worth a damn thing.
What else could they- wait. Hadn't Mitarashi Anko been here the other week? Giving him to her would be as good as killing him, but it would be a slow, painful death at the hands of the snake mistress.
Zaku, the lazy, perverted little shit killed by the hands of an ambitions, beautiful woman? Oh, it was so perfect it almost brought a tear to his eye. He was sure his minion would agree.
"...Wolves crawling around the damn place, what the hell are we going to do? They don't trust us, neither, ya know? So it kind of ruins the point of leaving us here as protection for the dude when his own protection now wants to keep an eye on us. Even I can see that the overall effectiveness would be lessened, yeah, so are we really here for that?"
Was Zaku still talking? Gods above, he didn't know if it was more impressive that the shitstain hadn't stopped yet or that he had managed to tune out most of it. The latter, probably.
"I think we're just here to distract him or somethin', or maybe just to give her an excuses to be in the village for whatever plans she has." Zaku's eyes brightened and he shot up from a half-slump to a triumphant pose that could only mean he had come to yet another conclusion that would;l make Dosu question the quality of Oto's Shinobi Academy.
"Ah-ha! That's it, we're not even part of the equation, are we? She just has us here so we're out of the way!"
Dosu might have been more impressed that Zaku was correct if it hadn't been so blindingly obvious since the beginning. The only reason they were still here is because Orochimaru hadn't bothered to sneak out again and needed somewhere to stash them until she was ready to return to Oto.
It had only been a day, after all, it was to be expected that foreign teams would have some trouble as everything was sorted out. Keeping them here was best for everyone, really.
Of course, Zaku was also correct in saying they were an excuses for her to hang around a bit longer. He had distinctly heard her claim to Naruto that her "poor Gennin were all shaken up by the invasion and needed some time to calm down enough to leave the safety of his den.". From Naruto's amused snort, he had believed it as much as Dosu had but he had agreed to let them stay all the same. Dosu had to wonder if the excuses had been intended for Naruto or Orochimaru herself, because he was fairly certain Naruto would have granted the request to stay story or no.
The fact that he was so close to Orochimaru was honestly pretty unsettling, but he tried his damnedest not to think about it. Especially when the young man was his ticket to a better teammate and an actual chance for a Chuunin promotion.
"Well, maybe if she thinks she doesn't need us we should just leave 'er, we'll see what she thinks of that, yeah?"
Dosu's head spun to look at his teammate in complete disbelief. Was he really suggesting was Dosu thought he was suggesting? Oh, hell no. He didn't want Orochimaru to even suspect he might be entertaining the idea of leaving her service. Either you retired to work the labs in a semi-cushy office job filled with horrors and abominations or you lost your life in service to Oto.
There was no leaving Orochimaru.
"I think," Dosu kept his voice quiet but clear, being very careful to ensure none of his words could be misinterpreted. "That she'll rightfully call you a traitor and you'll get to enjoy the rest of your life in the Deep Cells."
The Deep Cells were probably the greatest nightmare known to Otogakure, a group of cells located just over 12 kilometers below the surface and holding creations so horrid and uncontrollable Orochimaru had sentenced them there himself to protect the rest of the world.
If that alone didn't tell you how wrong the existences in these cells were, you could take into consideration that the first occupant had been placed there before he had left Konohagakure. If the angry, bitter Orochimaru of the past would go through the trouble of keeping these things locked away then they needed to stay locked away for the rest of eternity.
There were rumors that the creatures had been brought about from experimenting with the summoning technique, that they had been created by Orochimaru himself in the search for the perfect body, or that they were failed experiments that caught the attention of malicious spirits who were so pleased with them they had decided to take them for themselves.
Some, he had heard, styled themselves gods and considered the world above them their domain while they waited patiently in the dark to be released from their prisons of metal and stone.
Orochimaru herself had never said anything about them and the mere mention of the "Deep Cells" in her presence had seen more than one unfortunate soul learning everything about them-
-First hand.
Those who would be gods, it would seem, were more than willing to keep some of the others in line in exchange for the occasional living sacrifice.
"Hey, you don't believe those fairy tales now, do you?" Zaku scoffed. "There's no such place."
"No such place as what?" Before Dosu could make any sort of response a feminine voice interjected itself into the conversation.
He immediately froze.
That wasn't the voice of his minion, either playful or annoyed, and it didn't sound anything like Mai. No, he knew that voice.
Orochimaru.
Cold sweat trickled down his neck as he realized just how close he currently was to a most horrible fate. Judging by Zaku's expression, he wasn't doing much better.
"N-nothing that would interest you, Boss Lady."
Dosu wasn't sure if he should cry over Zaku's stupidity or be relieved that it drew Orochimaru's attention squarely upon the fool.
In a manner much reminiscent of a serpent, Orochimaru's neck swiveled to give Zaku her full attention.
"Oh?" She asked dangerously. "Wouldn't it? I seem to find myself pretty interested."
"Erm, well, uh, it's just...guy stuff?"
Really? He was going to try something like that on Orochimaru? Dosu couldn't wait until he had a new teammate, even if they were just going to be temporary.
"Hmm, I distinctly remember being a man not too long ago. In fact, I've spent more time as a man than you have alive. I'm sure I can relate."
"Uh, yeah, you're totally righ- is that Kin stealing Naruto's first kiss?!" Zaku was off, bolting through the apartment for the safety of the outside world.
He didn't have a chance.
A set of fangs buried themselves in each of his limbs, pumping paralyzing toxins through his body and dragging him back before Orochimaru's' feet.
"Did he really expect me to fall for that?" She asked Dosu who hung his head in shame.
"Probably."
Orochimaru gave a scoff, a frown crossing her lips. Inside, however, she was slightly panicked. A trick like that would never work on a Sannin.
Only it almost had.
It was only through supreme force of will that she had refrained from turning and Zaku's sudden escape attempt had allowed her to dismiss his words as an attempt to distract her. She would not admit to having checked to see if he had been telling the truth as soon as her snakes had bitten into him.
Fortunately he had indeed been bluffing, but it was nonetheless concerning.
She wasn't completely sure if she was more concerned that it had almost worked or the thought that her beloved prince's first kiss wouldn't belong to her.
Actually, would it be his first kiss? He was surrounded by beautiful woman- as he should be- and not a one of them would deny him a kiss if that's what he wanted.
Come to think of it, Naruto himself probably wouldn't begrudge any of the women in his life swooping down to steal that kiss, either. It was something to be worried about, as he wouldn't stop them, and it was also something to keep in mind should all else fail.
Not that she expected to fail, she was Orochimaru for Aū's sake, but in never hurt to have a backup for important things and Naruto was the most important thing she could think of.
She would have to step it up a notch if she intended to be any of his firsts.
But that would have to wait.
Looking down at the unconscious Zaku she sneered. Even in his sleep he was inconsiderate, drooling all over Naruto's nice wooden floors- wait.
Wooden floors?
She blinked, panning her head around the room. Yep, wooden flooring.
It had been carpet before the invasion. Hell, it had been carpet when she had left the apartment halfway through the invasion.
When the hell had the Wolves redone the flooring?
She shook the thought from her head. She could marvel about the oddities of the Wolves- like, really, during an invasion? Hadn't they all been given orders? How on earth did they justify installing wood floors as superseding Naruto's orders?- later, she still had to figure out what to do with the useless bastard before her.
Meeting Dosu's gave she cocked an eyebrow.
"Any ideas?"
"Well, perhaps one or two." The fact that she hadn't even needed to tell him what she needed ideas for brought a smile to her face. Of the Oto-nin currently in Konoha, right now he was most definitely her favorite minion.