Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 76 - Faithless
Alright, so my darling Muse was otherwise occupied on my days off and Menoly was more than happy to use the opportunity to steal away my time.
Mydia was pretty distracting, too, but it's completely my fault for giving in.
In translation- I couldn't focus on the story so decided to play videogames and browse the internet instead.
And now I'm behind, big surprise.
Good thing I've been building up a stockpile, huh?
It's been a bit since I wrote an Update on my site, too, but there hasn't been much progress to talk about. I should have chapter 80 done not long after posting this so I'll try to fit in an April 15th Update before my shift.
It will probably just be me adjusting the deadlines for chapters and posting another picture of my Bonsai but I guess that's better than nothing. Might think of something else I need to talk about by the time I start writing it, too, so we'll see how it goes.
I've wasted enough time now, so let's get into the chapter. These next few chapters should be fun, I can't wait to see how they're received.
Back and forth she paced around the office, a deep frown on her lips and thoughts running through her head. Just like her relationship with Tsume, Mai had never actually contemplated what her relationship with Naruto really was or what she wanted from it.
As far as she had been concerned he was her lord, the person she'd follow without questions unto the ends of the earth.
Now, however, his actions had her questioning him and everything she knew about him.
She had prided herself in the fact that she was his favorite for quite some time now, but he had chosen another over her. He had never so much as mentioned appreciating the female form- aside from a few polite compliments she had heard him offer as Tsukiyomi- and yet he was apparently perfectly prepared to jump in bed with someone.
Now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall him ever offering her a compliment on her appearance. Her work, sure, but never how she looked. Did he not care enough about her to give them or did he care enough not to share the fact that her looks did not please him?
Those concerns, as much as they bothered her, were minor compared to the one that currently had her attention.
Because if he had kept any of that secret, what else wasn't he telling her?
Their professional relationship would expect him to have some of his own secrets but she had been under the impression that he had been sharing everything with her to ensure the Wolves continued to run smoothly. It's certainly how it had felt over the years.
With this new doubt, though, she could no longer be sure. If he really was keeping things from her professionally- something she had never even considered- then he was absolutely keeping personal things secret.
She thought they were closer than that, evidently she had been wrong.
Biting her lip nervously, she briefly wondered what she may have done wrong to earn his displeasure but dismissed it almost immediately. She hadn't done anything wrong, had gone above and beyond what someone could expect from another, and had completely dedicated her life to serving him.
Such thoughts only served to increase the feeling of betrayal and a glance around the room only had her heart aching to rush back to him in hopes that he would put all her worries at ease.
She needed to get out of here.
The suddenness of the thought was only matched by the suddenness of her movements as she spun on her heal and threw open the door. Even as she stormed out of the room her current guard fell in line behind her.
He was quickly waved off.
"Return to the office. If Naruto asks after me-" She thought it was pretty unlikely after what she had just seen. "- Tell him something needed my attention and I should be back sometime today, tomorrow at the latest. It's nothing he should concern himself with."
The Wolf paused at that, stopping in the middle of the hallway with a frown hidden behind their mask. It almost sounded as if she expected them to lie to Tsukiyomi, because having been with her he was fairly certain nothing had been brought to her attention unless she had suddenly remembered something important she had yet to do.
Yes, that had to be it. They were still uneasy at the thought of not being able to tell Tsukiyomi exactly what had dragged his favorite Wolf away if he were to ask, but at least they knew they didn't have to worry about it being untrue. Mai would never lie to Tsukiyomi and she would never expect them to either.
Mai didn't seem to notice that her guard had fallen behind as she continued to walk, giving out one last instruction that she would probably regret when she was less confused and upset.
"If you see any of the others, send them to the Den for any paperwork still on my desk. Same with my office here. He's free to do as much of it as he likes."
That, more than anything else, had the Wolf terribly confused. Mai was the number one advocate for lessening Tsukiyomi's workload. Still, unless he later objected the order would be carried out for now.
It did come from Tsukiyomi's favored, after all.
All things considered, Sasuke mused, there were worse ways to die.
Laying in a large bed- most of his injuries having healed- and being pampered by the women Orochimaru had selected to bring back his clan was certainly one of the best.
He had really just expected her to use his genetic material to inseminate someone, or to do it themselves once they took his body, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
The last Uchiha had much prettier things to look at.
It was a good hour after his last partial waking that Naruto's purple eyes blinked open, taking in the view of pale flesh and inky black hair. For a moment he wondered when Mai had climbed into his bed but a moment of observing the curves of his current sleeping companion informed him it most certainly was not Mai.
Orochimaru, then, unless Mikoto had snuck in last night too.
Idly he wondered if pale women with black hair was his type or if he just happened to be theirs.
With a brief yawn he recalled the previous night, making no effort to keep a soft smile from creeping over his lips. That was not a night he'd be forgetting anytime soon.
There was probably something wrong with it, part of him reminded him, but he really couldn't bring himself to care. He'd just have to be careful about any comments about her being a pedophile. He wasn't sure if shed' laugh it off or become angry.
Better not to risk it.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun" Her voice was soft and low, nearly a whisper, but managed to carry with it all the affection and passion she had shown to him just hours before. He preferred the way it had sounded last night- and the things it had been used to say-but it was still music to his ears.
Gods above, it was like his eyes had been opened to the world around him for the first time.
It certainly helped him understand Jiraiya more.
More then he'd care to actually, now that he thought about it.
The Sannin wasn't one to be underestimated, but he wasn't exactly the kind of person you idolized and wanted to grow up to be. Not after you had actually met the man, anyway. Maybe after one's first academy class when he was mentioned, back when Konoha's Shinobi were still naive and innocent.
Well, most of them didn't seem to outgrow that state too much, but he didn't need to dwell on that at the moment. As long as the Wolves were prowling around the great tree they didn't need to worry about loosing that innocence.
The Wolves protected their territory, after all.
"Good morning, Orochimaru-chan." He returned the greeting. Part of him wanted to just curl back into her and return to sleep but the greater part of him reminded him that there was probably work to be done and he had already slept in quite a bit.
Completely worth it.
"Mmm, I love the way you say my name, Naruto-kun. Did you enjoy yourself last night?"
He couldn't help it.
"I enjoyed you more."
Judging by the brilliant smile that spread over her face she was definitely pleased by his words, even if he thought it was pretty cheesy. In the end, however, he felt the trade-off was more than worth it.
Naruto's eyes looked past her for a moment, noting the amount of light coming from the window. "I'm surprised Mai hasn't come looking for me," He commented. "She must think I've gone missing by now."
"Oh, she's already stopped by." Orochimaru practically purred. "She saw that you were...occupied...and asked me to let you know she'd be in your office if you needed her." Orochimaru had to admit that she had enjoyed taunting the girl earlier but she did hope her taunting might prompt her to make a move. She had known Naruto for some time now and even Orochimaru could see they cared quite a bit about one another, so the fact that they weren't really together in a personal sense was absurd.
Then again, Orochimaru only really cared about Naruto's happiness- though she was grateful to the girl for caring after her crimson prince in her absence- so it was more of Mai being willing to take the step should Naruto ever desire it.
Orochimaru had a feeling he'd be much more aware of such desires now that she had helped him experience the benefits.
And speaking of benefits...
"I mentioned that you might continue to be occupied for some time after you woke, care to prove me right?" She asked, her fingers already trailing lightly over his chest.
Pressed against him as she was- and half draped over him- she was immediately aware of his body's answer.
Much to her disappointment, his actual answer was to the contrary.
"It's a tempting offer, Orochimaru-chan, but I've already slept in much longer than I should have. There's work to be done."
She frowned but was only able to hold it for a few seconds before it morphed into a pout and then into a soft smile.
"I should be mad at you, but your dedication to your children is just one of the reasons I love you." She stole a quick peck on his lips before rolling off of him and pulling the blankets back around her. Just because he had to get up didn't mean she did. She would continue to enjoy the warmth of their bed and his scent in it until she absolutely had to vacate it.
A large part of Naruto instantly regretted his choice as her warmth pulled away from his body but the needs of his Wolves would always come before his own needs. His desires were the absolute lowest priority, as far as he was concerned.
Rising from the bed- step one complete, now he just needed to get far enough from it that he couldn't just fall back onto it and return to sleep- he started towards his closet for the day's clothes.
"Will you be staying for long this time, Orochimaru-chan?" Really, saying her name so often was getting a bit tiresome but he was aware of how much she enjoyed hearing him say it. Almost as much as she enjoyed saying his, he suspected.
"I wish I could, Naruto-kun," She sighed. "But I need to get back to Otogakure soon to make sure everything's on track with the Uchiha." Naruto nodded in understanding as he finished buttoning up his shirt. He had actually kind of liked the clothing Mai had picked out the night before, he might start wearing things like it more often.
He was pretty sure that Orochimaru- who he knew would be propped up on her arms to watch him from the bed- would agree.
"Has there been any trouble with him?" He asked as he slipped on his belt
"No, he's been quite understanding of his position." He wasn't able to see the smile that grew over her face. "In fact, he's been amazingly cooperative. I did promise to bring back his clan, so perhaps that was good enough for him."
Yeah, sounded about right to Naruto. If you're going to die anyway might as well make a last ditch effort to achieve your goals. Seemed to be working for the last Uchiha.
They'd have to see if he felt the same when it was actually time for Orochimaru to take control of his body.
"Then you've done it, haven't you?" His shoes were tied and immediately Naruto was feeling much better. It was amazing how wearing clothing you knew looked good could make you feel. Then again, he had just slept with Orochimaru not long ago, so maybe it wasn't just the clothes.
"Mmm, not quite yet." He could hear her pleased grin in her voice and a quick glance at her confirmed it. "But I appreciate your confidence in me Naruto-kun."
"Of course, Orochimaru-chan. If anyone can do it it's you." Well, someone else could have figured out a way to steal bodies in order to obtain the Sharingan but at the moment Orochimaru was the only one he knew who had managed it. She was also very close to actually getting the infamous Doujutsu. Another step closer to her ultimate goal of learning every Jutsu in the world.
She gave a giggle- yet another thing to tempt him back into bed- and shooed him off.
"Get out of here, Naruto-kun, because if you keep saying such sweet things I'm not going to let you get to work." He gave her a smile but took her advice, heading for his door.
"So you won't be here tonight?" He asked for confirmation.
"I'll be gone in a few hours," Was her answer. "But if you're feeling lonely tonight feel free to call on Tayuya. She's here to ensure all your needs are met, after all."
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Naruto paused at the door. "I look forward to seeing you again, Orochimaru-chan."
She gave another giggle. "I miss you already, Naruto-kun."
Shooting her another smile he left the room.
Late as it may have been, it was a great start to his day.
She had been leaning against the bars when it happened- where else was there for her to go?- but she still wasn't completely sure what it had been. The feeling of her Chakra being taken was one she had become familiar with since meeting Naruko and she had temporarily resisted to figure out what was going on, but as soon as she realized the tugging feeling was coming from the other side of the gate she had surrendered as much as it wanted to take.
Crimson Chakra had been pulled from her and into the black marble Naruto had created so long ago, joined instantly by a golden Chakra from the Ichibi's palace. Despite the addition of their Chakra the stone seemed to grow darker, absorbing all other light, but within a minute the tugging feeling had ceased and the black marble returned to normal.
Initially her Chakra had tried returning to her- as the Ichibi's had- but she had managed- somehow- to keep it on the other side of the seal in hopes of increasing her connection to Naruto.
As far as she could tell, it was working. Not much, honestly, it was nowhere close to what it had been all those years ago, but it was still a noticeable improvement.
She could feel him now, at least.
It was faint and she had to concentrate, but he was there and that gave her hope that one day the connection might be strong enough that he would be able to feel her. Even if it was just to confirm their wasn't an issue with his seal she was sure he'd visit to make sure everything was alright.
Once he was aware that she was still here and that she continued to care for him it would change everything. Not immediately, of course, but it was the next critical step to getting back into his good graces and to the position she rightfully deserved- by his side.
Oddly enough, she wasn't in his office when he got there. Then again, Orochimaru hadn't exactly specified how long it had been since she stopped by his bedroom. There was a Wolf in the corner- one of her favorites, though he suspected she didn't know he was aware- who seemed beyond bored when he walked in. Seeing his lord had him immediately perking up.
"Good morning," Naruto greeted. "Has she been gone long?" He had no reason to suspect Orochimaru may have lied to him about Mai being here- it's the kind of thing Mai would do- and he more than anyone understood that she was a busy young woman.
He really needed to arrange that vacation for her and Tsume one of these days.
"She left about an hour ago, Naruto-sama." Which had been plenty of time for him and a few others to raid her offices for paperwork. He was always doing it and often sent them to get Mai's, so he must enjoy it right? He was sure to be pleased by the large stack that had buried his desk.
It happened to be the next thing he noticed.
"Oh, I'm much further behind than I had realized." He frowned before shaking his head and moving to take his seat behind the desk. "I really should not have slept in this morning, there's just far too much to do for me to be lazing about in bed."
He reached for the first paper of the stack, accepting that he probably wouldn't be working on the Kage-Bunshin today, and made a simple request.
"If you would, please have someone bring me a coffee. I have a feeling this is going to take a while."
The Wolf, while loathe to surrender the privilege of being in their father's presence, was also eager to please them. Naturally, that meant flagging down another Wolf to grab a coffee so that Naruto got his drink and he didn't have to leave the room.
It also meant an excuse for another Wolf to spend time in the office with Tsukiyomi.
Everyone wins.
Tsume hadn't really expected guests, but when Mai crawled into her bed and held her tightly she really didn't mind. She enjoyed a good cuddle as much as anyone else, after all.
"I just," Clicky shook her head, still unable to wrap her mind around it. "I just cannot understand how the hell he did that- any of it!"
From the table that had just held Inoichi's body the day before, Shizune simply nodded in understanding while beside her Rusted slowly spun on his stool.
"I've seen the seals, I know all of them he used, but they don't match the effect at all!" This was not the first rant she had gone on, but it was the longest Shizune could remember. It also happened to be the most passionate she had ever seen the Suna puppeteer now that she thought about it. "It's like he just used them to throw us off, hiding the real seals under them!"
"Well," Asked Rusted. "Did he?"
"No!" Clicky threw her hands in the air in exasperation. Whether it was being reminded that she still had no idea how he had managed any of it or because she was talking to people whose knowledge of seals was essentially "If it's making hissing noises run" neither of them knew. "That's not even possible! The two matrices would conflict and the whole mess would turn into a steaming pile of shit!"
"Soooo...He's just that much better than you?" Proposed the Suna medic. He managed to dodge the wrench, if barely.
"There's no way in hell, he's like twelve! I've been studying seals for longer than he's been out of diapers!"
"Fourteen, I think." Corrected Shizune. "And while he's renounced his clan name he was born an Uzumaki."
That served to calm the woman down somewhat.
"An Uzumaki? Really?" The Uzumaki had been considered the foremost experts on Fuinjutsu as long as anyone could remember, many believing them to be the first to find that particular application for Chakra. If nothing else, knowing he was a member of a clan renown for its skill in the subject made the idea that he might be far more skilled than she could even comprehend just a little more bearable.
Not much, but slightly.
"Yeah, he's the son of Uzumaki Kushina." Not the most legendary name but still one that was rather well known, especially to those who practiced sealing. She was the head of the Uzumaki clan, after all.
"Well I'll be damned," She muttered. "Suppose that explains the hair, at least. Still," Clicky shook her head again. "Still doesn't explain how he did any of it. And don't get me started on whatever the hell that display was. Did he use active seals while modifying another seal or was he just channeling so much Chakra doing whatever the hell it was that all the seals he's covered himself with started to glow?"
She didn't know how much Chakra he'd have to be pushing out for that to happen, so she was leaning heavily towards the first option. It was no less absurd, because no sane Fuinjutsu user would risk having two active matrices interact, let alone use one to modify the other. The potential for disaster was unreal.
"As fun as this is," Rusted spoke again, undaunted by the threat of further wrenches. Considering his face was painted in blood and the methods he employed for his craft were both crude and had been learned by performing them on himself- as was Suna tradition- it really wasn't that surprising. "Shouldn't we be focusing on what we do now?"
That caught Shizune's attention. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we did the job, yeah? Even if it wasn't executed as well as it could have been, we weren't for messing up big time." Shizune had to agree with that and even Clicky gave a grudging nod. "So now that it's done what should we be doing?"
That was a really good point, actually. They had been brought together specifically to create Inoichi's body so now that it had been done what was going to happen to them? Shizune found a sudden worry about the future of her teammates because while she had been offered employment by the House of Wolves it was obvious they were here by other means.
They also hadn't made the best of impressions on Naruto, she was sure, and thinking back on last night it became painfully obvious that he was actually of higher standing within the House of Wolves than Mai was. They really should not have doubted him, even if there's no way they could have known he was apparently able to do the impossible.
She really should have asked about the faint glow from his hand back when he first made her the seals. If she had voiced her questions they might not have made such fools of themselves or irritated their employer. She didn't like either of those, but for Clicky and Rusted those were critical matters. Even if they wouldn't tell her, it hadn't been that hard to deduce they had been spirited away from Konoha to instead serve the Wolves in this task.
If Naruto decided they weren't worth keeping out he could either give them back to Konoha- and no one wanted to be at the mercy of Ibiki for he had none- or otherwise disposed of. She had grown fond of them both and would hate for either of them to find themselves in a bad position, especially when it was her fault for dismissing aid she had been offered.
"I don't know," She finally admitted to her team. "And I don't think I really want to ask."
They understood perfectly because they felt exactly the same.
After a few moments of silence, though, Rusted spoke up again.
"Well, if our time might be limited I'm going to go find something to get sloshed on. You in?"
Sharing a look, Clicky and Shizune shrugged. Might as well.
When the Wolf peeked into his office to tell him he had a visitor Naruto was more relieved than annoyed. Both his eyes and wrist were in dire need of a break but it was hard for him to take one when he still had stacks of papers to go through.
Must have been what Mai wanted to talk about, because he couldn't believe this was all current. Either she had been hiding some of it to lessen his workload and it simply got to the point where it all needed to get done or he had been slacking and she needed to bring it to his attention by gathering it all together.
It had been a while since he used his office in the Den, he supposed, maybe some of the Wolves had been putting it there and she had discovered it recently.
"Send them in." He ordered, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his wrist. Tossing his pen to the desk he took a second to enjoy another sip of his cold coffee and then set about organizing the papers on his desk so it wasn't too much of a mess while he saw to his unexpected visitor.
Unexpected, but even without knowing who they were they were very much welcome.
By the time he had straightened out his desk- he would not admit to moving most of the paperwork under his desk so that his visitor couldn't see it. Image was important- another knock sounded at his door and the Wolf opened it to allow his visitor.
He wasn't completely surprised to see it was Chūnin Nara once again.
"Good-" He paused to look at the clock he had on the wall. "-Afternoon, Chūnin Nara. Are you here to speak with the House of Wolves of the Imperial Fire Court of Hi no Kuni or are you looking for Genin Naruto?"
He loved formalities, especially when the young man seemed to slouch more as the proper name for his organization went on. It was like the words carried a physical weight with them that settled heavily on the Nara's shoulders. It was a simple pleasure, but one he didn't get to enjoy very often.
The Chūnin took a moment to look about the room- there wasn't a whole lot for him to focus on- before resting his gaze on Naruto.
"Genin Naruto, thankfully." He turned his attention to one of the seats, no doubt contemplating sitting down, before dismissing the thought with a shake of his head. A quick glance was spared to what few papers Naruto had kept on his desk but moved back to the Genin before he could seem nosy. "I can see that you're busy, but this really should only take a few seconds."
Aware of the Wolf standing guard in the corner, he slowly reached into his pocket for a stack of folded papers before setting them on the desk.
"That's all the official stuff, but I'll save you the time." he took a breath, composing himself and straightening his back to present a professional image. "As of today you are officially reassigned to team seven under Hatake Kakashi. You are expected to report for duty tomorrow at training ground seven no later than 0700 hours."
Naruto blinked in surprise, staring at Shikamaru for a moment before reaching to grab the papers. Skimming over them, he confirmed what the young man had said. After all this time he had a team- and under someone he would consider himself to be on good terms with- but he knew for a fact he just didn't have the time.
Was it too late to retire?
"Is there a problem, Genin Naruto?" Asked the Nara as he returned to his slumped position.
His opinion of the sudden assignment must have been obvious enough in his expression, which just went to show exactly how unprepared for it he really was. He should have expected it, though, Orochimaru had just kidnapped Sasuke from that team which created an opening.
It's probably more surprising he wasn't already on team three under Maito Gai with Neji's kidnapping. Both missing people were in the possession of Orochimaru at the moment, but Naruto did acknowledge the fact that he was technically responsible for kidnapping the Hyuuga.
Not that anyone would ever know that.
"No, no." He waved the Chūnin- technically a superior officer- off. "It was just surprising to hear. I've gotten used to the occasional mission with Tokubetsu Jōnin Mitarashi, this will just take some time to adjust to."
The Nara nodded in understanding- though he couldn't hide the shiver that ran down his spine at the mention of Mitarashi Anko, that woman was troublesome – before giving a slight shrug. "I'm sure you'll do fine if you've got experience with Mitarashi." Shikamaru had never worked with the woman or seen any of the reports for her missions but it sounded good. Sometimes that's all you needed.
"Yes." Naruto agreed. "It shouldn't be any trouble. If that was all, Chūnin Nara?" He rose a hand towards his door, dismissing the Nara heir without actually saying it. The proper term would be 'inviting him to leave' if anyone accused him of being rude. It sounded better that way.
The Chūnin didn't seem to notice- or simply couldn't be bothered to care- and gave another nod. "Yeah, that's all. Best of luck with your new team." With a half-hearted wave the Nara turned from the desk and left out the door to be lead back to the entrance by one of the Wolves. As curious as he had been about both the Wolf he had seen using his family's' technique and by how large this apartment was- had they just busted down all the walls?- it was far too troublesome to actually ask.
Besides, questions like that might seem a bit accusatory- the first one, at least- so best not to do it when surrounded by Wolves. He could always ask some other time they ran into eachother. If nothing else, being part of team seven would at least force Naruto out of the house daily. That was a huge increase in likelihood of them encountering eachother now.
Then again, the thought of just leaving it to some other unfortunate clan-member was an attractive one. He discovered the issue, let someone else do their part and resolve it.
Yeah, that sounded good.
Almost as good as the thought of retirement.
It's really only Mai's scene that I expect to cause any distress as you spend the next week trying to figure out just how far I'm planning to take this development, but when it came to me I just couldn't resist.
Until I next have your attention, suffer well.
-Eyazahrid