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Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 84 – Morons

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Izumo and Kotetsu shared a look before returning their attention to team seven and its...guest. Anko was bouncing in place- which they would have appreciated much more in her old outfit- even more excitedly than she had before she left. For the life of them, they couldn't figure out why.

Sure, they understood she would be excited to go out killing and that she liked spending time with her favorite Genin but it had already happened. What was she so eager for?

"Er, thank you, team seven and Tokubetsu-Jonin Mitarashi. Your verbal report has been noted, please have your team leader submit a written report within one week for the official records. Payment for the mission will be released upon reception of the report."

"Hai, hai." Kakashi waved them off, mentioning nothing about the fact that Naruto had technically been the leader during the mission. He'd just make sure to pick it up from him to submit so they didn't look into it. He was sure someone would be scratching their head in the future when they found a report from a Genin squad leader of a joint team including two Jounin-level Shinobi.

"We're done now right? Right?" Anko was still bouncing but had moved to stand as closely pressed to Naruto as she could physically manage. Without even waiting for a response she turned down to Naruto and gave him a pleading look. "I was a good girl, yeah? Do I get my reward now?"

The eternal Chūnin nearly had a heart attack when Naruto gently pulled down the woman's mask and gave her a quick peck on the lips. They were more surprised when she didn't react negatively.

"Sure, Anko. Head on home, I'll join you soon." Kakashi's perverse giggle was punctuated by Anko's victorious fist-pump. In a swirl of leaves she was off and the two Chūnin shared another look.

"Naruto," Started Izumo only for Kotetsu to finish. "I think you've just become our hero."

Naruto just gave them a flat look. "Do you have any idea how worn out she's going to make me? Tomorrow is not going to be fun."

"Wait, so it's more than just that k-" Realization dawned upon them both as the remaining Kunoichi turned bright red.

The young Daimyo gave an amused snort. "What? You think she'd be satisfied by a little kiss like that? I've got my work cut out for me."

"W-why, h-how are you so casual about this? That's Anko!" Kotetsu exclaimed. He received a raised brow in response.

"Yeah, that's Anko."

Izumo shook his head in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are? I'd kill just to see her in her underwear!"

Two brows rose. "I saw that years ago, I've helped her wash off the blood before we head to bed. It's Anko."

Izumo and Kotetsu looked at eachother again. "H-he doesn't even know." As one they turned to Kakashi and bowed as much as they could from their position behind the desk.

"Please, teach us your ways of the Hip, Kakashi-sama!"

The man in question just shook his head, wiping away a single manly tear.

"I'm afraid his Hipness might exceed my own, and he's not here anymore."

Indeed, Naruto had already left. With Anko waiting for him, however, they really couldn't blame him.

Naruko, while still slightly red, had managed to mostly force her way through her embarrassment. They realized that was her brother, right? She did not want to hear that kind of stuff about him.

"Hey, why are you guys still here anyway? We got a mission from you forever ago, shouldn't someone have relieved you yet?" They shared yet another look, debating how they should respond, before they turned to her simultaneously.

"We're the Eternal Chūnin," They answered as one. "We're always present somewhere."

Naruko was less than impressed. "That's called existing, everyone is present somewhere."

They shared a glance between themselves and another with Kakashi.

"You'll learn one day, Genin Uzumaki. One day."

She stared at them for a moment and even Sakura seemed to have gotten over her embarrassment enough to pay attention.

"You know, that would sound so much more cool and mysterious if it wasn't you two saying it."

They returned to bowing towards Kakashi. "Please, Kakashi-sama, you must teach us!"

The cyclops gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh, look at the time. I'm late."

He vanished in a swirl of leaves just as Anko had, leaving an irritated Naruko to glare at the space he had vacated. "What kind of excuse is that? He's always late!"

"Izumo, take notes. To be one with the Hipness we must always be late!"

"You two are morons."

They looked toward Sakura in hopes of support but were denied when she gave a nod of agreement.

"Morons."

They tried to hold back the tears, they really did, but in the end they escaped all the same. Why couldn't they get any respect around here?

"Home already, sunflower?" Asked Kushina as she entered the kitchen. They had left the day prior and she had figured she wouldn't be returning until at least later today.

"Yeah, it wasn't too far and the actual mission only took like an hour, most of which was fighting with Anko about what portion of the loot was mine."

Kushina blinked in surprise. "Anko, as in Mitarashi Anko?"

"Mmm, yeah. That's her."

"Oh. How was that?" The woman certainly had a...reputation.

Naruko gave a shrug, idly poking at her breakfast. "Okay, I guess. Don't really like that she's always around Naruto but she knows what she's doing."

"Are they friends, then?" Kushina didn't hear much about Naruto's friends or associates- beyond the occasional mention of the Wolves- so it would be good to know he did in fact have some. Even if they were Mitarashi Anko. His father had certainly gotten along well with the woman's former master, it was almost poetic in a way that his son was close to the student.

"Erm," A dusting of red spread over her cheeks. "You could say that, but I'm pretty sure they're closer than that."

"...Like siblings?" A feeling of dread had already started at the bottom of Kushina's stomach. She really didn't have any say in the matter, but there were some things she just didn't want to hear about her babies.

Which is why asking Jiraiya to look into her sons activities had been so uncomfortable for her.

"...No."

"...Oh."

"Yeah."

"Are you s-" Kushina was interrupted by her daughter who had given up on her food at this point.

"Can we please not talk about this? I don't want to think about what the two of them are up to right now."

"Now?"

Naruko shrugged. "She was certainly eager for her 'reward' last night when we got back, so I guess it's possible. Can we stop talking about this now, please?"

"Y-yeah, sorry." The two fell into an uncomfortable silence for a minute.

"D-did he seem happy with it?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Oh. That's good." As uncomfortable as speaking about the subject was, however, she couldn't help but be just the tiniest bit curious. "Is it bad that I kind of want to kn-"

"Kaaaa-saaan!"

"Fine, fine, I'll leave it alone." The silence returned, but it didn't last long. "Do you think Jiraiya would know?"

Naruko would very much like for the ground to swallow her. Unfortunately like herself it wasn't all that hungry.

At some point during the night his curtain had been completely ripped from the window and managed to find themselves strewn about the floor. The only reason he knew this was because of the horrid light that chose to spill through the window and strike him in the face.

Oh, how he hated mornings.

With a groan he surrendered himself to the fact that he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep- not that he had really managed any the night prior- and turned to the window just in time for one of the two Wolves just outside it to move between him and the sun. He may have appreciated it a bit more if the two of them weren't standing there peering into his window instead of doing their jobs.

He really didn't mind them staring at him, but his companion was a different story. Pulling the soft warmth closer to his body- and trying to ignore the effect her satisfied sigh had on him- he glared at the Wolves even as he reached for the first piece of cloth he could find to cover her with.

By some miracle, it happened to be one of his sheets and actually managed to cover her.

"Mine" He whispered to the Wolves. They probably couldn't hear him, but the glare alone was enough to let them know he was less than pleased with them ogling his friend with very good benefits.

They turned from the window, sufficiently cowed, and Naruto turned his attention back to Anko to be met by two chocolate eyes. "They can look if they want to, Naruto-kun." She gave him what was probably intended to be a short good-morning peck but instead ended up lasting a good few minutes. "Just so long as they remember only you can touch."

"I'll keep that in mind, but I still don't want them looking."

She went in for another peck- successfully this time- and shot him a smile. "Oh, you're so cute when you're possessive."

He squeezed her to him again. "Mine."

"Mmhmmm, all yours." She agreed. "I need to be a good girl more often if that's the reward."

"I'll keep that in mind, Anko."

She gave him a pout that was already hard to resist and she hadn't even asked for anything yet. "Just Anko? After last night? I think I deserve at least a pet name now."

"Are you a pet?"

"I can be your pet if you like, Na-ru-to-kun." She gave him a wink a snuck in another quick kiss. "How does that sound?"

He was silent for a few moments. "...Maybe if you're good." From her smile, he had a feeling she liked the sound of that. After a few seconds, however, the smile melted away.

"I'm late for work, aren't I?" She asked. Naruto didn't have any idea what time she was supposed to work but from the light spilling through his window it wasn't early.

"Probably."

"Ibiki's going to kill me." Anko sighed. "And I guess that means I need to get out of bed too." A sly smirk crossed her lovely lips. "Then again, if I'm going to die anyway I might as well enjoy myself first..."

"He's not going to kill you, I won't let him touch my Anko." She gave a pleased shiver and pressed herself closer to him.

"I'm not sure what I like more, you calling me yours or the idea of you threatening Ibiki." She gave another little shudder. "Oh, definitely you threatening Ibiki for me. Can I watch?"

"If you did you'd never get to work." She just shrugged, which nearly dislodged the sheet covering her in a most tantalizing way. Even when she wasn't trying everything she did seemed to be an attempt to tease him.

Perhaps 'entice' would be more appropriate word choice at this point, though.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Anko asked with another smile. "I thought you had fun."

"I did, but there's no way I can keep up with you if you're ready to go already." She frowned at first but then gave a sigh. "I suppose that's understandable, you're still young." Her grin became positively wicked. "When your older though, oh, the things we'll do..."

He tried very hard not to imagine what she was talking about. The mind was willing but the flesh was absolutely exhausted.

"So," her tune changed from suggestive to curious, for which he was grateful. "What are you going to get up to while I'm gone?"

"I'm sure Kato-sensei would appreciate it if I took a chance to rest and with Kakashi saying we don't have a meeting today it's the perfect opportunity," He shrugged. "But I think I'll visit Yugao to work on my Kenjutsu. I'm getting a bit rusty and I'm sure she'd be happy to knock the rust off me. Probably kick my ass for slacking while she's at it."

"Hmm, I'm sure she'd like to see you again, but she's been pretty busy with the whole 'Invading Kaze no Kuni' thing from what I hear."

He frowned slightly but gave another shrug. "I guess that's understandable. In that case I'll see if Hayate is free. Shes' always spoken highly of him and I know he's semi-retired so he's more likely to be available."

Anko frowned deeply. "Didn't anyone tell you?" She asked.

Naruto's brow rose. "Tell me what?"

"That Hayate was killed right before the invasion, less then twelve hours before the start of the third exam."

"He what?" He had never considered himself close to the man, in fact he had never actually met him, but he knew how important he was to Yugao and as far as Naruto was concerned Yugao was as much a part of his pack as anyone else he associated with. That he hadn't head anything was troubling, but that he hadn't been there for Yugao was unforgivable. "How is she taking it?"

Even as he asked he was already rolling out of bed and heading to his closet to get dressed. Anko shot him a fond smile, recognizing that his attention would now be firmly on making sure Yugao was okay until he was absolutely certain it was. Maybe a little one-tracked, but his dedication was certainly attractive.

She had benefited from it last night, after all.

"About as well as can be expected, I suppose." The closest Anko had ever come to losing someone was when she almost pushed Naruto away completely or back when Orochimaru- and it had actually been easier to think of that bastard without flying into a rage, which she couldn't tell was good or not- had abandoned her all those years ago. "She's been throwing herself into her work but I don't know how much of that is by choice and how much is just her position is being called on as we try to hold Kaze no Kuni."

That only caused his frown to deepen. He knew very well that he had done exactly the same back when he had lost Tatsuki and again after loosing Mito. One of his pack would not go through that without him there to support them, not if he could help it.

Throwing on formal attire of pure black, he was heading towards the door with a black tie loosely thrown around his neck and his shirt still completely unbuttoned. Poking his head out, he gestured to the first two Wolves he saw.

"You two, put on something nice. We're paying a visit to Yugao."

The two shared a look. They knew of Yugao and her connection to Naruto, but why did that need them and what did he want them wearing?

"Something nice, my lord?"

"Formal, black. I've just learned that Hayate was lost back in the invasion. The House of Wolves is offering their condolences."

That they understood. With twin salutes and a "Hai, Naruto-sama" they bolted towards their rooms to change as instructed. Within a minute- and right as he was starting on his tie- they returned.

Naruto took one look at the sharp suits they were sporting and cursed, turning back towards his closet only for the male Wolf to stride past him to retrieve it. Before he could tell him to stop or resume struggling with his tie the female Wolf began tying it for him.

Anko did nothing to stop her laughter at the defeated look on his face.

"You'd think they could at least trust me to dress myself." He mumbled, certain a dusting of red had spread over the top of his cheeks.

"Oh, let them take care of you, Naruto-kun. This is one of their only chances to spend time with you." Her words, while intended to help, just made his frown deepen. She was right, he wasn't dedicating enough time to his Wolves these days. He'd have to fix that.

Anko, as Anko as she was, could still tell exactly where his thoughts had gone and ended up rolling her eyes. "Stop that, you're going to make them worry more."

He gave a nod and a sigh. "Yes, yes. You're right." Taking a deep breath to center himself he managed a small smile in her direction. "Thank you Anko."

"Oh no," She smirked. "That's not how you thank me, not anymore, so don't even think about saying that unless you intend to rejoin me."

"I thought you had to be getting to work? You're late, aren't you?" Her eyes widened in alarm at his reminder and she scrambled from the bed.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Her new Wolf Uniform- or Fang, as he liked to think of her – wasn't conductive to quickly dressing so she instead reached into his closet for the first shirt she could find and a pair of loose pants she could get over her hips.

As she buttoned up his shirt- or at least half of it, anyway- he couldn't help the thought that she looked really good in his clothes. He was, however, surprised that she managed to get into any of his pants. His very good friend with even better benefits was not lacking in the hip department, after all.

Dressed- more or less- she stopped next to him to steal a quick kiss before she darted out of the room.

"I'll see you later, Naruto-kun!"

He shook his head at her antics and looked down at his completed tie.

"Thank you, dear." His Wolf seemed elated at his words- or as much as one could when wearing the face of a snarling wolf- and took a chance moving said mask just enough to expose her cheek. With an amused sigh he gave her a peck on the cheek before grabbing the suit jacket begin handed to him by the other Wolf.

Throwing it on he gave that Wolf a pat on the head and took a second to examine himself in a mirror.

Black on black on black on black on black.

Perfect.

The only thing that really stood out was his crimson hair, but he figured he was due for a splash of color anyway.

Briefly dipping into Karura's Chakra- and earning a pleased purr from the woman as he did so- he made a familiar handseal to summon his golden-eyed counterpart. The clone gave him a nod, knowing they were to assume the duties of Tsukiyomi for the day while the original saw to other matters.

Certain he was leaving his home in good hands- who's better than his own?- he started towards the door, beckoning his Wolves to follow.

"Come, children. We have a friend to look after."

The two Wolves eagerly obeyed.

While she still didn't like the idea of keeping anything from Naruto – even if he may have been keeping things from her- Mai had to trust in Sai and his ability to handle the situation. Even so, she couldn't help but worry about what could happen to their efforts in Mizu no Kuni.

She didn't exactly care what they were doing there, or who they were supporting, but she did care for her fellow Wolves and she most definitely cared for Naruto. If he wanted to support Yagura then by Tsukiyomi they would support Yagura.

Mai also knew, however, that simply mentioning that his choices had caused the death of three Wolves would see him either immediately pulling out or going to Mizu no Kuni himself to ensure his children's safety.

The first option was good for everything but their reputation, but it would come at a cost. She did not want Naruto blaming himself for their deaths or becoming too cautious in future choices. They were Wolves, they thrived in the wild, and as much as they enjoyed the attention of their devoted father she couldn't let him coddle them too much.

So, for as long as she could, she would keep this from him. Were they to successfully regain control of the situation then the death of the Wolves would make their way back to him in the form of training accidents or unfortunate encounters during scouting missions. If she had her way, he would never be given the chance to shoulder the blame.

And just like she shielded him from the blame, she had to shield the Wolves from his need to protect them. Right now he was still willing to let them run free, directing them towards Mizu no Kuni to fulfill his purpose while they stretched their legs, but if he realized they were actually getting killed because of it they would be rounded up into the den and kept there, safe from the outside world.

That was not a proper life for a Wolf, so she would see to it that they did not lose what gave them their strength. More importantly, she would ensure they didn't lose what made them useful to Naruto. He would never toss them away, but she could think of few worse fates for his children then being in his presence but not being able to prove themselves worthy of it.

She would, if need be, become Amaterasu to his Tsukiyomi to ensure his- their- children were taken care of.

...Those were dangerous thoughts, actually, both making the Wolves their children and trying to elevate herself to an equal level of godhood. She should probably abandon them, letting them slowly fade away, but they were just so tempting. It would be easy, too, making herself into a goddess, but she would have to be strong.

Unless he brought it up, she would have to refrain from doing anything of that nature lest she risk fracturing the pack and earning his wrath.

But there was nothing to stop her from dropping a hint or two, she supposed.

A knock on her door- polite but urgent- drew Yugao's attention from her working breakfast – who knew there would be so many reports for her to look over when she returned? - and with a small frown she rose from her table.

Kurenai had visited twice to check up on her but had been easily satisfied by the fact she wasn't bawling her eyes out. The Genjutsu mistress should have known she was stronger than that. Anko had been a bit more understanding- or possibly just oblivious and less than sensitive- inviting her to join the Tokubetsu on some missions to blow off stress.

Or get their engines revved, you could never quite tell with Anko. A fond smile started at the thought of the purple-haired woman but it quickly melted away as another knock sounded at the door. Definitely something urgent- or so her mystery visitor would believe- but Yugao wasn't in any hurry. If it had been an emergency the other ANBU knew which window they could crash through.

Hana hadn't been around, but she hadn't been to Konoha in months as far as Yugao was aware. Maybe she'd track the Inuzuka heir down and pay her a visit the next time she left Konohagakure. Actually, had anyone told her about the invasion? She's assume Hana had heard, regardless of where she was or what she was doing, but hearing about it from fishermen off the coast of Kaminari no Kuni was different from receiving word from home about old allies turning on them.

Then again, she hadn't come running home so it was probably safe to assume her mother had sent word that everything was okay.

A third series of knocks- exactly the same as the first two, carefully measured but carrying urgency- broke her from her thoughts just as she reached the door. Taking a moment to ensure her robe was secure and setting her best 'Irritated Commander' face she cracked open the door to glare at her uninvited guests.

She was more than a little surprised to be greeted by the sight of a somber Naruto flanked by two bowing Wolves. Bent so far over their torsos were parallel to the ground, she idly wondered if they had held that position since he had first knocked.

The presence of the Wolves- and the fact that Naruto seemed upset- was enough to help her maintain her frown but the presence of her pseudo-student made it impossible for her to keep up the glare.

"Uzuki-san, I hope we are not disturbing you." Naruto folded into his own deep bow, holding it far longer than she thought was entirely appropriate.

As long as she had known Naruto however- and it had been years now- he had never called her 'Uzuki-san'.

"Naruto?" She questioned. "What's going on?"

"To my deepest regret it is quite late, but I have come both as your Kouhai and as a representative of the Wolves to provide our condolences for your great loss. News of Hayate's misfortune only reached me earlier today."

She had not expected that. Not at all. Yugao was sure the surprise was clear on her face but she couldn't even bring herself to care. She hadn't even considered the fact that Naruto had yet to check up on her but between his association with the Wolves and the fact that she wouldn't exactly consider the two of them especially close she hadn't expected that he would.

But here he was and the mixture of shame and apology in his eyes was unmistakable.

She knew he must care for her to some degree- and it was heartwarming that he had stopped by to check on her, late as he was- but were those emotions for being so late with his condolences or because he knew the Wolves had a hand in her lover's death? As much as she wanted to believe in him, the Wolves had allowed the Suna Shinobi to do as they pleased within Konoha's walls despite knowing of their treachery.

Yugao was unable to convince herself that it was anything less than deliberate on their part, though a nagging voice in the back of her head wondered what they had to gain from his death.

"...It's fine...I hadn't thought to share his passing with you." Even as she spoke those words there was a stabbing in her chest. What a way to tell him just how close she considered them to be. She steeled herself by forcing herself to remember that he was an enemy at the moment. Even if he did care- and she was certain he did, she had known him long enough- he had set that aside to go through with whatever scheme the Wolves were currently up to.

Even so, her words seemed to hit hard as his shoulders slumped just enough for her to notice, like some great weight had suddenly settled itself onto his back.

"...Yes, of course..." A heavy silence followed his soft words, carrying with it his regret and the sudden realization that they might not have been as close as he believed.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth that no amount of rationalization was washing away.

This was her Kouhai, her little student who had grown into a Shinobi even if he was more often than not dealing with something for those damnable Wolves. He played the side that got him what he needed, she knew, and that was the kind of thing that had convinced her that he would be worth whatever effort she poured into him.

She couldn't hold his decision to ally himself with someone powerful against him, but she could hate what he had done for them by association and the fact that it wasn't Konoha he had sided with - wasn't her.

Even if he did make poor decisions- like even entertaining the idea of quitting the Shinobi life- she did care for him.

Hurting him hurt her too.

"The ceremony has already been held, then?" He finally asked, his voice only barely audible. From his tone he already knew the answer but had asked nonetheless. She didn't like the answer, or that he knew it, but she was going to hate saying it even more.

"...Yes." She admitted. "Weeks ago."

He nodded in understanding "I see." Naruto gave a soft sigh, collecting himself, before shooting her the smallest of smiles she had ever seen from him. It also held more sadness in it than she though him capable of expressing. "My apologies for not attending, then."

Her chest twisted painfully at those words and his smile, purple eyes trying to be as truthful and sincere as they could without revealing their newfound realization. She knew he cared, she knew.

She had not realized how much.

That had been foolish, she thought with a growing dread, because she had reached out to him back when he had no one. She had taken him under her wing, even if only sparingly, and helped him hone the skills he would need to stay alive in the world of Shinobi.

She was obviously much more important to him then he was to her and the realization brought with it a crushing wave of guilt. It also brought with it a doubt far too powerful for her to banish as she had so many others. If he cared this much, was it possible that they wouldn't have had anything to do with Hayate's death? That maybe- just maybe- it had occurred beyond their sight despite their every effort?

The wave of guilt settled but left in its wake an ocean of horrifying realization.

"I know we may not...be close..." Those words had taken some effort to say, she noticed, and it made her chest tighten painfully. "And that you may have no association with the House of Wolves, but I want you to rest assured both that should you come to us we will do everything in our power to aid you and that our every available resource will be utilized to find the one who stole him from you."

He paused to swallow the words stuck in his throat. "It may not bring him back, but perhaps I can at least give you closure. It's the least I owe you."

Having their friendship reduced to a mere debt caused her stomach to twist and knot, but it was knowing he did it for her sake- so she wouldn't feel pressured into pretending their relationship had meant something- that caused a cold emptiness to spread through her body.

With a final bow he and the Wolves took their leave. She couldn't find the voice to stop them, or even to offer her gratitude for their offer.

Even inside her own head, there was only one thing she managed to say.

'What have I done?'

If you would like to see my responses to the feedback I received for the last chapter, Commentaries – Sealkeeper Chapter 83 is available at Eyazahrid-dot-net.

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Until I next have your attention,

– Eyazahrid