And another chapter finally finished. It may have been finished a bit earlier, but when someone mentioned that there needed to be some sort of flowchart to keep track or relationships I decided I would give it a try.
They were not wrong and I will not hesitate to admit I spent WAY too long trying to figure out how to properly make it. Speaking of which, it's available on Sealkeeper-dot-Eyazahrid-dot-net if you want to check it out. I've thrown a copy of the map I've been using up there too in case you need it.
Technically it's a blog- because it was free and I'm cheap- so I'll try to post updates about the story or additional material for it there more often than I get these chapters out.
I'll also take a second to confirm that yes, my name was changed. I've been using Eyazahrid for over a year now and have been meaning to change it here for months. Finally got around to it.
I'm working on getting all my organization back on track, but once I do I'll endeavor to start on all the backlogged reviews. To be perfectly honest I probably won't answer many of the questions in them because there have been so many updates since I last went through them all, but I will try to respond normally to the more recent ones. Again, that's recent for when I've managed to catch up not necessarily with this chapter.
Nothing else comes to mind for this AN, so we'll get back into our normal routine.
Thanks, as always, goes to ncp for looking over my work.
Let's begin!
The Natural defenses of Sunagakure no Sato had aided its Shinobi in repelling invaders for generations.
But without those Suna Shinobi they were trivial obstacles in the path of a determined assault. Little provoked such determination as a desire for revenge.
Like a wave of locust they descended, well over a hundred Konoha Shinobi that had been quietly pulled from the ranks to prevent notice from the spies that were undoubtedly watching for signs of weakness from the greatest of the Hidden Villages.
No one had suspected a thing.
The majority of Suna's forces had been killed or captured in their failed invasion of Konoha and those who were still loyal to Rasa had left with a large contingent of civilians many days ago leaving only a few stubborn veterans long past their prime.
They were quickly cut down.
Suna had relied upon Gaara and his Biju to wreak havoc upon Konoha, but with his defection had to make due with what explosives their teams carried in their standard equipment. Konoha's Hotaru Company- often calling themselves the Fireflies, a specialized demolitions team that technically didn't exist- faced no such issue with their own explosives.
The Kazekage tower was reduced to shards of glass, followed soon after by any government building they could locate.
They set their sights on the eastern wall next.
Civilians, those who had called Rasa a fool and a coward, staying behind in the village they had loved their whole lives in, were captured or slaughtered depending on the Konoha Shinobi they had the misfortune of running into.
A brave few stood and fought, their pathetic attempts mocked by the superior soldiers of Hi no Kuni, and a few more turned tail and ran into the desert scrambling over walls or daring to dash through the flaming wreckage created by the Fireflies.
The smell of charred flesh permeated the air just as distinctly as the screams and smoke.
Standing on a sandy hill between Sunagakure and the Hanguri Gulf to its southeast, a grim faced Sarutobi Asuma observed the flickering light like a candle in the distance. If they truly thought they were going to get away with their attempted invasion with a slap on the wrist then they were fools, especially if he was going to have to take up the mantle of Hokage.
With a nod to his ANBU guard he turned to look at the forces behind him. Chūnin, mostly, and administrative staff, they would make up the bulk of Konoha's occupation. Honestly, that was probably overkill too. By the time they got there Sunagakure no Sato wouldn't have a single Shinobi to its name. Gennin could have been used to hold its populace- whatever remained after tonight- in check.
But using Gennin to occupy an enemy village alone was just rubbing salt in the wounds and Sarutobi Asuma liked to consider himself a fair man. He would spare them that, at least.
"You know what to do," He addressed them, not one for flowery speeches of victory. They knew their job and he expected it to be carried out to the best of their abilities. Nothing more, nothing less. "I want Kaze no Kuni's sunrise to be greeted by Konohagakure flags on Suna's walls. Make it happen."
With salutes and cheers they were off but Asuma didn't watch. Calmly he moved through the parting ranks back towards the Hanguri Gulf where the Hokage's personal ship- A gift from the Uzumaki long ago and well maintained over the years- waited with a servant of Hi no Kuni's Daimyo.
The Fire Lord had been more than willing to sanction the assault upon Sunagakure after they had the gall to attack his village while not only he was in attendance, but while they had international guests. Minor nobles or not, that could have been disastrous.
And with Sunagakure under the control of Hi no Kuni the Daimyo of Kaze no Kuni would have little choice but to surrender. Being both the weakest of the Great Five and a former ally wouldn't spare him the repercussions of not keeping a better hold on his Shinobi.
Asuma was well aware that even now some of the Fire Lord's forces moved towards the capital to seize it in his name. By the end of the week there probably wouldn't be a Kaze no Kuni and Asuma didn't expect the other Daimyo would raise up too much of a fuss.
Not only was Hi no Kuni in a superior position when it came to resources and current manpower- with Kaminari no Kuni in a close second with their militarized Kumogakure alone- but the other lords were likely to see this course of action as justified.
And if they didn't? Well, it would have been worse to let them go without repercussions and the added resources from the Land of Wind would more than make up for any issues the Fire Lord might face among his peers.
Tsuchi no Kuni would probably get a bit nervous, understandably, but they were always looking for a reason to pick fights with anything Konoha related anyway. The two countries likely to start panicking were Kawa no Kuni and Cha no Kuni, two minor countries along the Hi no Kuni border which would provide immediate access to their new lands.
A port could be easily established in Cha no Kuni to connect it to Kaze no Kuni across the Hanguri Gulf- well, a bigger port. One already existed but there was no way it would be able to support the traffic between two major countries, especially for the first few months as everything stabilized.
It was also inconvenient to move things all the way south into Cha no Kuni just to ship them North West into Kaze no Kuni. For that reason, Kawa no Kuni was going to be sweating the most.
Directly between Kaze no Kuni and Hi no Kuni it had enjoyed the alliance between the two major villages tucked safely away. Unlike Ame no Kuni where many battles had taken place, Kawa had been mostly spared and the trade between the two major villages had helped fund it for many years.
Now, not only were they in the way, but Suna troops had moved through Kawa no Kuni unimpeded on their way to assault Konoha and Kawa- whether deliberately or having failed to notice them- had not sent word to Konoha about an impending attack.
There was nothing that might prove they had willingly allowed Suna troops through, allying themselves with traitors, but as there was nothing to absolve such the doubt was still there. With them being a minor country, it was also more unlikely that the Major Lords would object the annexing of Kawa no Kuni for any other reason than it gave Hi no Kuni such a large swath of uninterrupted land.
Their position nestled between two major powers had now turned against them and their options were rather limited. The Fire Lord would not have difficulty getting them to cave to any of his demands and if they did resist, well, Konoha forces had to get back home somehow. Cutting across Kawa no Kuni wouldn't be an issue.
Idly, a part of Asuma recognized that as the next Hokage he was about to be one of the primary military influences of Hi no Kuni and, considering how much they were about to expand, the world. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that when he hadn't even wanted the position in the first place.
Regardless of how he felt or if he wanted the job, he had it and he had work to do.
"And so it starts?" Inquired the Daimyo's servant, standing out brilliantly against the dark wood in his fine clothes of bright crimson and delicate gold embroidery.
Asuma didn't even bother with a full response, opting instead for an affirmative grunt and a shallow nod. He knew the man wouldn't mind either, they had interacted enough back when the Sarutobi was one of the Daimyo's guard.
The man- Nintai, if Asuma recalled correctly- simply hummed, his eyes almost completely closed and a polite smile on his lips. "I see. Well, then, I suppose there's no turning back now."
One of Asuma's brows rose and he turned back to look at the man standing peacefully on the deck as forces moved to conquer what was recently an allied nation. "Do you disagree?"
"No, no, not at all. I'm sure the Daimyo will be pleased with the results. I just can't help but wonder how everything will play out." He gave a light chuckle. "After all, the world turns in mysterious ways. The stage has been changed, we'll have to see which actors flock to the forefront and what they do."
"Sounds like you disagree to me." Asuma gave another grunt and continued on his was to the helm, lighting one of his cigarettes with practiced motions.
"No, it's as good a response as any. I fully believe we've accounted for all known variables. It's the ones we've missed that have me uncomfortable."
An amused snort left Asuma's nose bringing with it a cloud of smoke. "You, uncomfortable? I'd never have guessed. You look as impeccable as ever."
"Perhaps."
Nothing more was exchanged between the two men, Asuma moving to the captain and Nintai resuming his gaze into the desert that would soon be under the banner of Hi no Kuni.
Even as ship began making its way from the shore, rocking with sprays of saltwater, he continued to watch the sand.
It was the last time they would ever see Kaze no Kuni, after all.
"So it would seem we are now required to keep a registration of Wolves at the capital and that the Daimyo is willing to provide us with identification for our Wolves as a thank you for our help during the invasion." Mai's face tried its best to remain in its business-blank state but her lips curled down in distaste by the time she had finished talking. She tossed the Daimyo's letter onto his desk and crossed her arms with an irritated huff.
"Which pretty much means he doesn't really trust us as much as he used to and it's going to be harder to move around because we have to go though official channels now." She continued, glaring at the piece of parchment that had so insulted her.
"So it would seem. We knew this was a possibility when we decided not to tell him directly. Sarutobi should have told him, but that doesn't make us seem any more trustworthy." He let his own lips frown slightly. "We were given a lot more initial trust than we perhaps deserved and we've wasted it, so there's nothing to do but earn it back."
One of Naruto's hands gestured towards the paper. "The best way to start would be to comply. Hanabi shouldn't need guards anymore, but leave one of them. The others are to deliver the records of our Wolves to the Daimyo and stay at the palace to ensure their security."
"Even with the guards, you want to rely upon the Daimyo to protect such sensitive information? Most of the Wolves have managed to maintain their civilian identities, can we really risk all of them getting out?"
"If we want to retain the Daimyo's favor we don't have much of a choice. Besides, it's common practice for the genealogy of the Noble Houses to be kept on record within the Daimyo's palace, why should we be any different?"
"I still don't like this." She declared and Naruto could only dip his head in agreement.
"I know, Mai. I know."
A deep sigh left her mouth. "But we really don't have much of a choice, do we?"
"Our status as Noble House far outweighs the benefits of secrecy, at this point. Even if those identities get out, it's the identities of members to a noble house. They have slightly more protection that way." He picked up the letter, skimming over it briefly himself before putting it away.
"A lot is about to change for Hi no Kuni," He continued. "We need to retain our status if we are to be in the best position to take advantage of any opportunities that arise."
"Like Kirigakure no Sato?"
"Like Kirigakure no Sato. The chance to participate and influence the bloodline civil war while remaining within the boundary of the law is far too great an opportunity to pass up. As much as I'd like to support the rebels, the Wolves gain more from helping Yagura."
"And the Wolves come first." She continued his thought with a slight sigh and a fond smile. He always did put his children first.
"Remind me," He continued. "To have a base set up in Udon no Kuni, or to check to see if Orochimaru has one. If the rebels are driven from Mizu no Kuni they may go in that direction. We may not be able to benefit from helping them in the Land of Water, but we can still help them closer to Hi no Kuni."
"I'll make a note." Mai confirmed. "But we are running low on Wolves."
"I know. I've figured out the seal issue, we just have to get more people trained at this point." He gave a deep sigh, massaging his temples. "As it is, we're expanding far too fast and it's stretching us dangerously thin. We'll have to slow down and I may be forced to compromise on quality just to ensure we remain stable."
Mai winced slightly, knowing how much it would sting her lord's pride to settle for sub-par forces. It also wouldn't speak well of the Wolves as a whole if the overall quality lowered. The problem was that the original Wolves had been trained over decades as Shimura Danzo perfected his method, consistently producing ANBU-quality Shinobi.
A regular force would have those weaker elements and the originals would simply be the elite, but Naruto preferred a smaller more skilled group despite that not being what he needed. And they both knew it.
They both also knew that he would swallow that pride without complaint if he felt it would benefit his Wolves.
"Maybe it won't come to that." She tried to reassure him but she knew it was quite unlikely. Sooner or later he'd have to accept the future of the Wolves being something other than what he'd like.
"Maybe." Still, he appreciated the attempt and gave her a small, tired smile. "Perhaps it's time for a break?" Naruto suggested, glancing at his clock. "We could go get something to eat..." It had, after all, been quite some time since they spent time together that wasn't related to work.
Mai frowned in thought for a moment, trying to determine if she had made any plans with anyone else- which, of course, just meant Tsume- but none came to mind. Naruto was about to take time away from his work and wanted to spend it with her? A bright smile slowly crossed her face.
"I think that's a lovely idea, Naruto-sama."
"So, this is Nami no Kuni, huh?" Asked Kankurō as he stared at the growing city in the distance. It was a lot bigger than he had expected. Gato's wealth had been used to create jobs throughout the city repairing and expanding. Those jobs attracted workers from small villages nearby and even some from farther away looking to start a new life for themselves. With that many workers it was inevitable that there would be those who came to provide services to the workers to get their own share of Gato's fortunes.
Such a boom would usually die out after a few years when whatever resource- Gato's wealth in this case- ran out. The benefit with being Nami no Kuni was that the busier it became the more it reestablished itself as a viable trade port. With every day more ships were choosing to make use of Nami no Kuni which brought with it continual business.
Things would definitely slow down when Gato's fortune ran out, but it wouldn't result in Nami no Kuni becoming a ghost town.
But Kankurō really wasn't all that concerned about Nami's future at the moment as his eyes roved over towering scaffolds and flashing lights of finished buildings all nestled between a thick fog from the sea. It was like its own private world.
He was more worried about his own future, the future of his siblings, and the future of Sunagakure. Still, despite all the people he could see rushing about there was a sort of tranquility to the chaos, as if the rest of the world had been subdued. He could actually see himself settling down amidst this chaos in some small apartment free to pursue his passion in private while certain that he could find the materials he would need at the ports.
Maybe when everything else was sorted out he could more properly consider it. As things were going, however, that didn't seem like it would be any time soon.
Kankurō turned to look at his siblings. Temari seemed to be enjoying the ocean breeze and Gaara was staring out at what ocean he could see between the fog. He'd probably have better luck in the afternoon, when the sun had some time to dissipate it, but that was really just an assumption. Kankurō was a desert dweller ,after all.
"Pretty, I guess. Let's go find those Wolves of yours. Maybe they have some news on Suna."
Gaara gave a nod, his eyes not leaving the shimmering blue in the distance and his right hand still firmly grasping onto his sister's left. Temari gave a satisfied hum of agreement, pausing only to make sure Gaara was ready to go.
She really had taken to mothering the boy. Whether that was why he ha d taken to calling her Kaa-san- or Other Kaa-san, as it were- or his calling her Kaa-san was what was making her so doting he didn't know. Either way, it seemed pretty fitting.
Kankurō briefly wondered if his mother might have been the same way with them but he couldn't quite recall. He supposed it didn't really matter much anyway, it wasn't as if she was coming back.
But he'd be damned if he let her down by not looking out for his siblings, especially as he seemed to be the only one still sane among them.
It was a good forty minute walk until they reached the bridge, their sedate pace that of a civilians because they weren't in that much of a hurry and rushing towards a town ran by Shinobi was just a bad idea in general.
The first structure they came across was a tollbooth of some sort, one that instinctively had Kankurō reaching into his performance outfit to check the funds in his wallet. It didn't look too good.
One Wolf lounged against one of the walls and two plainly dressed civilians- or that's what they looked like- milled about waiting for travelers.
The Wolf saw them first, giving a sharp whistle to catch his companion's attention, and the two civilians moved into a more proper position. One went into the tollbooth itself, grabbing the ledger, while the other moved into the middle of the road to impede their progress.
Not that it would do much to stop a determined Gaara, but he did seem to have settled down lately. Maybe they wouldn't find themselves turned into human paste.
"Halt! State your name and reason for visiting Nami no Kuni." He demanded as they came to a stop some twenty feet away. There's no way he would be able to stop a bandit, let alone a Shinobi, but that was probably why the Wolf was present.
Kankurō was willing to be cooperative, just not that cooperative. "Kankurō, I was outvoted."
His sister was next, taking it somewhat more seriously than he did. "Temari, here to get funding for our vacation." In hind sight, maybe he should have been more forthcoming initially. They did have a goal here, after all, and annoying those who your plan depended on wasn't a very good idea.
The guards seemed less than impressed until Gaara's declaration caught the attention of the Wolf.
"We're here to see Father's Wolves." The Wolf stared at them for a few moments from his position against the wall before pushing off and approaching them, coming to rest next to the civilian guard.
"Oh?" Kankurō knew the man's brow was rising behind his mask. "And who might this Father be, then?"
"Naruto-tou-sama." The expression on Gaara's face indicated that it was ridiculous he'd have to explain who Father was. Kankurō hoped that it was just because the man was a Wolf and would know Naruto and not because Gaara truly expected everyone to think of the Konoha Gennin as their father.
The Wolf studied them for a few moments, paying particular attention to Gaara, before nodding to himself. "Alright, kid, I'll take you to see Tou-sama's Wolves." Neither civilian protested as the Wolf motioned for the three Suna natives to follow him, turning to lead them across the bridge. Gaara didn't hesitate to follow, tugging on Temari's hand as he went, but the two older siblings paused long enough to share a look before Temari shrugged and alowed Gaara to lead her.
Kankurō took one last glance behind him, his last chance to back out, before giving a deep sigh and following along.
What could possibly go wrong following Gaara's lead?
Oh, he was regretting this already.
At least no one had died yet.
The floating coffin rocked back and fourth through the water, refusing to remain still beneath his feat. The sun he knew from his beloved sands glared down accusingly for his abandonment and the distant sounds of sea birds mocked him.
"Are we almost there?" Asked Rasa, turning to one of his loyal Shinobi. Said Shinobi glanced at his Kage before looking back to the port still easily viable from the ship. Looking back to Rasa he tried to remain as polite as possible.
"I do believe we have quite a way to go, Kazekage-sama."
Rasa groaned, leaning against the ship's railing and holding his head in his hands. Of all the hells he'd have to endure for his people- leaving his home, accepting help from Orochimaru and the man's mysterious godson, and possibly becoming the last Kazekage to ever exist- traveling by ship over the accursed sea had to be the worst.
He didn't know what had happened to his children, either. Hopefully they had gotten out of Konoha and were keeping their heads down until everything blew over. Kankurō and Temari had some good heads on their shoulders and should know better than to return to Suna so soon after the council's failed invasion.
Then again, Gaara was pretty persuasive- in a crazed, blood-thirsty sort of way- so who knows what they were actually doing at the moment.
He just had to hope they didn't get themselves into too much trouble.
His desk was being used for the first time since his father passed, covered in papers he had never bothered to look over. Finances had never been a concern, assets had been something in the back of his mind that he was aware of but never really thought of, and his accounts had always had enough for his groceries and Shinobi equipment.
But if he were to ever bring back the Uchiha he would have to know what resources he had at his disposal. And if he were to pass, he needed to figure out who would get all the things that had been left to him. Well, not left to him specifically, but when all other Uchiha had been slain by his brother that fateful night it had been decided that he would receive everything not specifically willed to those outside the clan.
Considering how much the Uchiha clan interacted with the rest of Konoha, that pretty much meant everything within the compound and any account with an Uchiha name on it.
He hadn't even needed to deal with it himself, as the Imperial Fire Bank had handled all the details, and in truth it wasn't until he became an adult- the formation of team seven- that he had gained access to all of it.
Really, he should have taken care of all this back then, but it was better late than never.
Sasuke sighed as he finished going over one of the manila folders, setting it to the side and reaching for the next only to give out a hiss of pain. His injuries had recovered pretty well, all things considered, but the one he had inflicted was still a ways off from healing.
That was fine, if it faded too fast it wouldn't serve its purpose. He wouldn't allow himself to forget what he had done during the invasion.
He still didn't know her name, either. He didn't know if he wanted to learn it.
Sasuke really didn't want to even consider the possibility that he might fail in bringing back the Uchiha, too, but with Orochimaru's mark on his neck he couldn't be sure what his future would entail. He'd rather the Uchiha fortunes- and it turns out it was quite the fortune when it was all pooled together- go to someone he had decided than leaving it to the bank or- gods forbid- the council.
Of course, he wasn't exactly close to anyone, so there weren't many people to consider when he wanted to determine who it would go to. He was tempted to just leave it all to "team seven" but figured that was a little too vague.
Especially with the council lurking in the background, eager to grab all they could from any source they came across. Truly, they were the Shinobi of the legal world. As much as he'd like to resent them for that he couldn't. Greedy they may be, they did their job and did it well. If their own gain motivated them to do things that were beneficial to Konoha in the long-run then he couldn't really think negatively about them.
Not after what he had done, anyway. They were practically saints by comparison.
He pulled the next folder to himself, briefly flipping through its contents. The compound had all been consolidated into a single estate to be managed but everything the Uchiha had owned outside of the compound- which he was rather surprised to learn about, actually- had been left separate for him to decide what to do with.
Most of the things they owned were small buildings rented out for next to nothing and bringing in just enough to cover property tax and regular maintenance- the Imperial Fire Bank had taken care of both on his behalf- so even if the council did manage to get their hands on them it wouldn't be a great loss.
He had decided, however, that he would simply write any renter that had been on the property for over a decade into his will. They'd been there for longer than it had belonged to him, they could remain there after he was gone.
He closed the file- Ichiraku Ramen- and set it in the read pile.
At least he knew there were people who would benefit if he died, it made the uncertainty of Orochimaru's curse seal a bit more bearable.
Now he just had to figure out if he was still fit for Shinobi duty. Or if he even wanted to remain a Shinobi when he had the Uchiha estate to run.
He winced again as he grabbed for the next file. He'd have time to decide, he supposed, as he waited for everything to finish healing.
Sasuke had to wonder if it was a bad sign that he was more hesitant to quit the Shinobi lifestyle because he knew Naruko would be irritated than because he had any desire to remain a Shinobi.
Not that anyone could blame him, he had seen exactly how strong she could be.
He was not ashamed to admit she could scare the shit out of him.
He kind of liked it.
The bustling town had given way to dense forest where the fog seemed to retreat, safe from the gaze of the sun. Kankurō was certain that he had seen the porcelain faces of the Wolves slinking about around them but tried not to think about how much they were at their mercy. Call it Shinobi instincts or Puppeteer habits, but he did not like a situation where he was obviously at a severe disadvantage.
He really needed to have a talk with Gaara about acceptable risk and the fact that not all of them had impenetrable defenses. For a while there Gaara seemed to be thinking things through more, so there was a pretty good chance he'd at least consider it. The fact that he had calmed drastically from bloodthirsty psycho also helped. Kankurō much preferred his odds now than those before the Chūnin exams.
Before them the trees parted into a large clearing, a mansion standing proudly in its center. This would be, the Puppeteer assumed, where the Wolves were based. Well, that or some sort of disguised prison they were about to spend the rest of their lives in.
Then again, he grimly mused, they didn't have to be mutually exclusive, either.
The Wolf leading them rapped his knuckles on the door and stood aside as it opened so they could enter. As Gaara and Temari made their way in without hesitation Kankurō gave a deep sigh, took what could possibly be his last look at the sky, and filled his lungs with the fresh ocean air.
With Gaara present they were probably fine but he was a Puppeteer and Puppeteers did their damnedest to prepare for everything- especially for the worst outcomes. As he had unfortunately learned over their stay in Konoha, however, it was very hard to prepare for insanity. Damn Hi no Kuni and all that green.
Knowing that it was bad form- and beyond suspicious- to keep them waiting too long he headed in after his siblings, giving a shallow nod and a quiet thanks to the guard he passed. He couldn't see the nod he got in return but he did hear the door shut behind him.
They were in the belly of the beast now.
Hopefully they'd be walking out of it too.