Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter128-A "Highlights"
Patron Release 2020.11.27
She could still hear Clicky and Rusty discussing their project in soft tones from her office as she went over the last reports on her desk. She'd have preferred to look over the Wolves who had been in Kiri- pretty much all of them, really- herself but as a majority of them had remained in Nami that wasn't exactly possible so she had resigned herself to looking over reports sent to her by a team of civilian doctors and a few Wolves with slight medical experience.
Well, civilian doctor, the Wolves had picked one they liked and dragged them into a team solely for seeing to the Wolves. Fortunately the expanding Hanahime had attracted several medical professionals looking to set up practices and the Wolves stealing one wouldn't deprive the people of Hanahime of the healthcare they'd been lacking for years.
From what she could tell the only injuries the Wolves seemed to have suffered were minor with the exception of the original team whose injuries first drew the Wolves' full attention back to Kirigakure. Three of that particular group had ended up losing their lives but of the survivors High-Captain Keigo by far had taken the most damage and he was apparently more than capable of ignoring the orders of the Nami medical personnel and took great enjoyment in assigning himself patrols to complete when he was supposed to be healing.
She wasn't sure if Naruto had picked it up from Wolves like him or if the Wolves were emul;ating the high-ranking young man but regardless it was easy to see Naruto and the Wolves were a good fit for each other. Now, whether that was healthy for either party was most definitely on the table for debate and already it wasn't looking to be in favor of a positive conclusion.
Were she to be asked, however, she would blame it on Naruto in a heartbeat. Gods knew the young man had caused enough work for her already, it wasn't that hard to come to the conclusion that he was the origin of such bad habits when he had ended up being the only one under her care thus far into her employment with the Imperial House of Wolves.
Really, considering how little work she actually performed personally- most of it, like now, was going through files and records for the Wolves that were supposed to be under her care- she had one hell of a cushy job at the moment. She was sure that would change as soon as she was located with the majority of the Wolves- if Naruto was their example to follow it was inevitable she'd be undoing the damage of needlessly reckless decisions soon enough- but for now she supposed she should probably take full advantage of it.
Considering a lot of her free time went to furthering the training of Rusty and Hanabi she supposed she was. Tsunade might not have ever managed to implement regular squads containing medics as a Konoha standard but maybe Shizune would be able to achieve something of a similar nature if she trained enough of the Wolves.
Or, rather, if those she trained trained enough Wolves. She did not want to be teaching any more than six students max over her career. If she was really lucky- and played her cards right- it would only be the two students she had now. Rusty was going to need a more official position within the Wolves anyway, might as well make him the head medical instructor or other such teacher so she didn't have to do it herself.
On that note, maybe Rusty should be teaching Hanabi- teaching was one of the best ways to learn, after all- and she would just continue to focus on Rusty to get him up to at least Konoha Standards. Then, with Hanabi posessing a basic- if crude- medical knowledge she could work on refining her too.
Her thought brought a frown to her lips and she found herself trying to physically shake the idea from her head. Refining Rusty's technique was going to- and had already proven to- be a lot of work and a massive pain in her ass. Why would she willingly create a second instance of that particular hell and force herself to do it all over again?
She'd said that teaching was the best way to learn but there came a point that it really wasn't going to be worth it. Sure, her second attempt at refining Suna technique she'd no doubt already be much better at it but there was no way in hell she had the patience- or sanity- to get through it again.
Sometimes she honestly doubted whether or not she had enough of either to get through Rusty's training.
The sounds of Rusty and Clisky working were interrupted by a knock at the workshop door, probably a Wolf stopping by to check on them, deliver orders from on high, or pester them because they were bored. With that last one in mind it could be Tayuya or Anko, too, and possibly even just Hanabi needing a break from the massive pile of responsibilities she had greedily amassed after many weeks of mind-numbing boredom.
She'd already taught the young Hyuuga about avoiding extremes but that lesson came far too late to spare the girl the consequences of jumping up to the assistant of Tsukuyomi's hand- he still didn't know if Mai was the right or the left and wasn't sure if it might be rude to ask that sort of question- from not even being a Wolf. Hell of a steep increase in work and responsibility, that. Shizune didn't envy her.
Well, not a lot, anyway. It was still an incredible position to hold and carried with it a not insignificant amount of influence in the Imperial House but with the sort of Workload she had told Shizune about? No, thank you, she was just fine going between being Naruto's personal medic and acting as a glorified medical secretary. Then again, one had to consider the fact that her pay wasn't necessarily for what she was doing- strictly speaking- and was instead mostly intended to keep her available should she be needed.
When you thought about it like that everything else she was doing was just her own attempts to stave off boredom.
Erm, no, not quite. Part of her contract had been to train Wolves, hadn't it? Maybe she should bring that up the next time she saw Naruto or Mai just to see what was supposed to happen on that front. They hadn't exactly plopped a class down in front of her yet and it would be remiss of her not to ensure all of her contractual obligations were met so she could accept her salary in good faith.
Not that she wouldn't accept it anyway, it was just a good idea to make sure her employers wouldn't become dissatisfied at her failure to fulfil her agreed obligations and either fire her or cut her pay accordingly.
She rather liked her current salary, thank you.
Shizune tried to listen to whatever words were being exchanged in the main room of the workshop but she couldn't quite make them out and only familiarity with how Rusty and Clicky sounded through her office door allowed her to recognize when they were speaking. The other voice though, it was certainly familiar. Very familiar, despite her inability to actually place it. Probably not a Wolf, then, she didn't interact with them that much. Hanabi or Tayuya, then, most likely.
She wasn't all that confident about it being one of them, though, the voice seemed to hold some of the brash confidence she had come to associate with Tayuya but it sounded older, more experienced. It was an earned sort of confidence that Tayuya never really managed to portray despite being a competent Kunoichi.
A quick knock at her door was immediately followed by Rusty sticking his head in- no doubt to inform her of their visitor- but before he could offer more than a "Shizune-Sen-" he was physically pulled out of the way so that their unexpected guest could make her way into Shizune's office.
She...had not expected it to be her. Maybe she should have.
"You get your first job and suddenly you can't write or visit me huh, Shizune?" In contrast to her accusing words Tsunade's brown eyes were warm and a smile pulled at her lips. There also seemed to be a bag slung over her shoulder but Shizune was more than a little hesitant to ask about.
"Tsunade-Shishou!" Shizune rose from her desk immediately, paying no mind to the reports she dropped onto the polished wood. "What are you doing here?"
Her first thoughts, honestly, had nothing to do with the fact that she had, as Tsunade already mentioned, not been in contact with the woman as of late but were instead focused on whether or not Tsunade should be here in the first place. There were very few people the Wolves permitted here in the workshop and while security had become more lax recently following the completion of her team's initial project she was still fairly certain that people weren't supposed to be coming and going as they pleased.
Naturally her second thought went to the visit Naruto had paid recently to see if Clicky and Rusted intended to remain with the Wolves. Sher hadn't forgotten that he'd asked her opinion in reaching out to Tsunade about employment under the Wolves just like they'd offered her. Had she accepted? Was she going to be working with Tsiunade again?
Part of her quite liked the idea, though she couldn't help but think she was going to end up overshadowed by her much more skilled master. Shizune had been greatly enjoying the opportunity to be the head physician here and the leader of her own personal team. That probably wasn't going to last long in the presence of Tsunade.
Not that it was her fault, that was simply a combination of Tsunade's personality and the way people tended to treat the Senju Princess of Konoha.
Her third thought was that it was good to see her pseudo-mother again. She really should have been taking the time to visit recently but she'd been keeping herself busy- or, trying to- in her new role among the Wolves. She wasn't sure if it was because she was trying to prove herself or because she was worried she'd lose her drive but something about the thought of returning to the Senju compound just felt wrong.
"What am I doing here? What do you think?" Tsunade's bag was set into one of the two chairs before Shizune's desk and the older woman gave her a brief, cheeky salute. "I'm reporting to my boss, Shizune-Sensei."
Shizune couldn't tell you what was more unbelievable- the fact that Naruto had actually attempted to recruit Senju Tsunade of the Sannin or the fact that she had apparently said yes.
Either way, however, she found herself quite glad they both had.
"Oh, no." Shizune shook her head. "There will be none of that, it feels too weird." She pointed to the vacant seat, inviting her master to it as she returned to her own.
"Sucks to be you then," Tsunade shrugged, taking the chair. "Because you're the boss here and that makes you Shizune-Sensei." One blonde brow rose in a slow, threatening manner. "Unless, of course, you'd prefer...Kato-Sensei…?" She gave a grin as Shizune shuddered at the suggestion.
"We," She gave Tsunade the same stern expression she had learned in dealing with Naruto as her patient. "Are going to have to have a long chat about work expectations and how this working relationship is going to work."
When Tsunade's grin only grew wider she knew that this whole event might become a much larger headache than it could ever be worth.
Maybe she shouldn't have been glad her Master accepted the offer, it was looking like refining Rusty was soon to become the highlight of her work days.
Lovely.
"You crazy son of a bitch!" Bukra slapped Juugo on the shoulder as he was escorted back onto the carriage by Kari. "I can't believe you actually fucking did it."
"You'd better believe it, Bukra," Kari snapped at him immediately. "I won't have anyone doubting him after what he's done for us here."
"Hey, hey," Bukra's hands were large enough to fully enclose the head of a fully grown adult and could probably crush them without much difficulty but they raised with empty palms in a placating gesture. "Didn't mean nothin' bad about it, just an incredible feat is all."
"Don't worry about it Bukra, she's going to be stressed out and on edge until she's our saviour here is okay." Deiko flashed the larger man a grin that vanished as Kari narrowed a glare in his direction. His hands raised to match Bukra. "I, uh, think I'll go help Yaiji identify what work remains for us."
"Aaaaand I'll come with you." Bukra took the presented escape just as quickly as it had appeared, following the much smaller man out of the carriage and leaving Kari and Juugo alone.
"...I'm fine, you know." Juugo's soft voice spoke up, his eyes glancing over to the woman who insisted he rest. Not that it was a bad idea- he was a bit tired after all- but he really wasn't any worse off than anyone else who hadn't slept the night before.
"You're more than fine, you're a godsbedamned miracle!" She insisted, turning to poke his exposed chest. "And now that you've performed your miracles you're going to take a well-deserved break while we finish up."
"...Yeah, okay." He agreed. "I can take a break, it doesn't mean you have to get mad at Bukra or Deiko though."
"Sorry, I know they meant it in good fun. I was just worried. They were too, they just...handle it differently.
"It's fine." Juugo shrugged. "I'm fine. I'll just sit down for a bit and come help finish up."
Kari stopped as soon as the words left his mouth, using her arm to halt his movement too. Light blue eyes turned a glare to him and while he could admit it was formidable he remained unaffected by them. "You," Her finger returned to his chest much more forcefully this time. "Have done more than enough, Juugo. It's time for you to get the rest we were able to get last night thanks to you."
"We can rest when this project is complete." He countered. "In fact, I do believe we were promised some days off as they finish preparations for the next track they want done. I'll have plenty of time to rest then."
She frowned at that but could see his point. Instead of completely dropping the matter, however, she chose to simply adjust her position slightly. "You'll at least be getting something to eat and having a nap." Was her demand, leaving no room for argument. Still, he thought that could end up being just a little excessive if he didn't put boundaries on that now.
"Food and a quick break, then I'm back to work."
Kari could already see where his thoughts were going. "A full nap." She insisted.
He narrowed his own eyes at her, though there was no heat behind them. " An hour."
"At least four hours."
"An hour and a half."
Kari's arms crossed over her chest but after a moment of frowning she allowed herself to compromise slightly. "Three hours, no less."
"Two."
"Three."
"Tw-"
"Three."
"Fine, food and three hours." He eventually relented with a slight roll of his eyes. He didn't need it but he also knew he would spend more time than that arguing with her about it to achieve absolutely no results so he was better off letting her worry about him and doing his best to assuage those fears by complying with now wholly unreasonable requests.
In the end, what was an hour really going to do? The only work that remained was far more refined than punching through a mountain, the difference he could make in an hour doing such work was miniscule when you considered how close they were to being done anyway.
As soon as he had surrendered the argument Kari's face brightened considerably and she flashed him a lovely smile. "There we go, that's a good Juugo." She reached up and patted one of his cheeks gently. "Now, get onto the cot Yaiji prepared for you, bundle yourself up in the blankets Bukra brought, and get ready to enjoy Deiko's cooking. I don't think you've had a chance to try his stew before but I'm sure you'll love it."
"...Yes, mother." He moved past her to follow her instructions, knowing the sooner he did so the sooner he could go back to work.
"Hey!" She spun to better face his new position, hands finding their way to her hips. "None of that sass from you."
"You just don't like it because it makes you sound old." He sat down on the cot and reached for the blankets. Definitely some of Bukra's own, the things were massive.
"Exactly." She agreed with a nod. "Just because I'm making sure you're taken care of doesn't have to mean I'm old, you could at least call me 'Nee-sama' or something."
One of his orange eyebrows rose at that but he wisely remained silent and used one of the thermoses of stew to give him an excuse for it.
Probably for the best that he didn't mention she was likely old enough to be his mother.
"Thank you," Naruto gave the Hyuuga a nod as he came to a stop before the door that separated the offices from the rest of the KIT facility. "I would advise making yourself scarce. I'm not sure how Ibiki is going to react seeing me here but he probably won't be pleased with anyone who let me in."
"Of course," She gave a soft incline of her head. "Everything should be fine. I'm in room 3 with a would-be bandit lord who thought he'd be able to set himself up in Hi no Kuni at the moment."
"Ah, naturally." He gave an understanding nod and reached for the door as she retreated back down the hallway. There were only a few actual offices behind the door because most of the KIT team didn't have their own. Ibiki, Inoichi, and Anko had positions that granted them offices and the rest of the facility made use of workstations closer to the holding cells and interrogation rooms.
He thought the idea might have been to keep any escaped prisoners from being able to get to the locked files within the other offices or to force anyone breaking in to either go for a prisoner or the files so they wouldn't be able to grab both before they were found out but he didn't exactly work for KIT and he really didn't care enough to ask Anko.
He wasn't sure if she would care enough to know but that was a whole other matter.
Checking over his shoulder he made sure she was far enough away to be mostly out of view from anyone beyond the door before slipping through it and heading straight down to the end. He already knew the first door on his right was Anko's- and a quick glance at the disheveled mess of a desk confirmed that, her door having been left wide open and her half-destroyed blinds doing very little to obstruct vision.- and she had mentioned that the next office was Inoichi's - though it hadn't been used in quite some time considering he'd been on medical leave and now continued on personal leave for clan matters- which left the office at the end of the hall to be Ibiki's.
Made sense, it was the only one without windows.
Paranoid bastard.
Making his way down the hall he gave a quick nock on Ibiki's door before letting himself in-
"Naruto-kun!"
-and he quickly found an excited Anko jumping up from a seat in the corner of the room to wrap her arms around him.
"Good morning Anko." He gave a surprised Ibiki a nod. "Ibiki."
"Did you come to visit me at work, Naruto-kun? You're so sweet."
"While seeing you is definitely enjoyable, I'm here because I needed to speak with Ibiki." He ignored the way her smile became a pout. "Would you mind returning to your office for a few minutes, Anko? I'll stop by on my way out."
"Aw, I can't believe you're sending me away already."
"Anko, this is work." His tone left no room for argument and Ibiki found himself beyond surprised when she straightened up and gave the young man a serious nod.
"Of course, Naruto-kun. I'll be in my office."
"Thank you, Anko."
She turned back to her other boss and gave Ibiki a small wave as she left his office and the two men within could hear her making her way down the hall. After a few moments of silence one of Naruto's chains reached out for her vacated chair and brought it to the front of Ibiki's desk and he invited himself to take a seat, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back comfortably.
Ibiki's look had focused completely on him now- though he couldn't be certain it hadn't been there since he first stepped into the office- and it was impossible not to notice the mixture of confusion, suspicion, and concern that played over his face.
"So, Ibiki, I-" Naruto's breaking of the silence was summarily interrupted by Ibiki.
"How did you get in here?"
"I trust you were able to see me walking through your office door, Ibiki, otherwise I'm going to be very concerned about KIT and the wellbeing of Konoha as a whole."
KIT's head interrogator didn't look amused but then again when did he?
"You know what I mean, Genin Naruto."
The Genin in question offered a light shrug. "We're in Konoha, Ibiki." He said it as if the answer should have been obvious but after a few moments of thought Ibiki supposed it probably was.
The number of connections the Wolves had here, in the village of their origin, was nothing to scoff at and Naruto as a member- and high ranking at that- would be able to take advantage of those connections. Assuming this was a matter of Genin Naruto and not Wolf business that had brought him to Ibiki. It was always hard to tell and Ibiki had a feeling he wouldn't have found himself as a part of the Wolves if he wasn't already ambitious on his own.
He had, after all, started a conflict with an entire clan without any support. It was probably that sort of ambition that had brought him to the attention of the Wolves in the first place.
"Yes," Ibiki eventually agreed with a slow nod. "We are. But everything inside the walls of this facility is my domain, not Konoha's."
Naruto could only offer another shrug, an amused smile twitching at the corners of his lips. "If you say so, Ibiki."
That...that was actually a bit distressing, Ibiki realized. This was his world of blood, steel, and pain, how the hell had someone managed to subvert it? That wasn't really a question, he knew how Naruto would have gotten through security he just didn't like the idea that one of the individuals Ibiki had personally approved of working under him here in KIT held loyalties to outside groups above their department.
"...Why are you here?"
"As I was trying to start before being so rudely interrupted, I'd assume you're aware that the House of Wolves will be moving their base of operations from Konoha's walls, no?"
"I've heard...rumors, yes."
"Receiving notice from the office of the Hokage could hardly be considered 'rumors'."
Ibiki blinked slowly as he tried to process that. There was no way in hell- no, no there could be, couldn't there? Forget the connections of the Wolves, this was Genin Naruto sitting before him. The Sandaime Hokage himself had favored the boy and it was no secret among the higher-ranking Shinobi that there had been sympathisers in the ANBU who had looked the other way when he had been looting the Uchiha compound.
There was absolutely no reason to believe there wouldn't still be ANBU willing to help him out these days, too.
"So you have contacts that far up, do you?"
"Perhaps, but that was just a guess. Thank you for confirming."
It wasn't quite a glare but the way Ibiki's eyes narrowed brought him damn close.
Perhaps it would be wise to move on before he put the man into an even more sour mood.
"So, as I was saying, the Wolves will be leaving Konoha soon. You can see where this could become an issue for Anko."
He could practically see Ibiki's attention move from matters of the intelligence he possessed to his second in command here at KIT.
"...Anko.." The man frowned- well, more than usual at any rate- as he ran the situation over in his mind. "I don't see the issue." Was the conclusion he reached. If she was tied to the Wolves- and he was fairly confident about her association- then either she would be here when they left or she would..go...with them. His frown deepened slightly. He doubted she'd be resigning from Konoha so chances were she'd just end up going rogue.
He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that idea.
"No? Really?" Naruto raised a brow for a moment before letting it drop and standing up from his seat to pace slowly before Ibiki's desk. "Interesting. I would have believed that you of all people would be aware that she's involved with them."
"I'm more aware than I'd like to be about her involvement with you, Genin Naruto." Was his flat response. "But in the end she's a Konoha Kunoichi. Either she'll be here for the Wolves to call on or she'll end up going with them."
"Oh, told you, did she? No matter," Naruto dismissed the topic of himself and Anko in favor of focusing on what he had actually come here to discuss. "You have a basic understanding, which is good, but I think you may be oversimplifying things."
"How so?"
"Say she stays, for instance, do you know what that means for you here in Konoha?" He didn't give the man time to respond. "It means I have an agent high up within KIT ready to provide me with whatever I happen to need at the time from your facilities. Information, access, ...Prisoners... ? I don't need anything at the moment, of course, but should I it's practically already mine. Considering all those things you happen to be responsible for, well, that's not going to look too good for you."
"I can send her back into the regular Shinobi forces, then." Was Ibiki's solution. "It will be a pity to lose her skills but the security will be well worth it in the end."
"Will it?" There was something about Naruto's question and the malicious amusement behind those vibrant purple eyes that gave Ibiki pause. He wasn't missing something, was he? "Let's continue and pretend you did so. You now have someone you trained going around Konoha with little to no supervision. That's to say nothing about the sort of mood she'll be in when she's been left behind. She'll understand it's necessary, of course, but she'll definitely be frustrated and will seek out targets to take that frustration out on. I don't know about you, Ibiki, but I don't think Konoha would be able to cope with that very well personally."
Ibiki frowned but remained quiet and contemplative. That was fine, Naruto wasn't finished yet.
"Of course, then we have to get into the matter of if the Wolves were to take her with us."
Ibiki didn't fail to notice it was the first time Naruto's words actually indicated he was a member of the Wolves.
"We'll lose an agent in an advantageous position, certainly, but we also have an interrogator with us who's been trained by the infamous Morino Ibiki himself and happens to know the ins and outs of Konoha intelligence. That is a rather lovely asset to have, really, especially because any work she does outside of Konoha's walls will be in your style and no doubt accredited to you and Konoha rather than us. You also won't have any choice about keeping her under your supervision because she'll be far from your influence. There's no telling what someone like Anko might be able to get up to when she has the backing of the Wolves."
"Tsyukuyomi, you may not know, can be a rather indulgent father-figure and is likely to allow her much more freedom than any of us should really be comfortable with."
"You say that as if you're concerned about the outcome." Ibiki noted.
"Can't I be?" Naruto raised a challenging brow. "We both know her, Ibiki, just because we also happen to both be rather fond of her doesn't mean we're ignorant of the sort of loose cannon she can be."
It was a fair point the man grudgingly admitted. All of it was, really, but with Naruto seeming to argue against both options he was at a loss for what the young man was trying to convince him of.
"What, exactly, are you hoping to accomplish through this discussion?"
Sometimes the best option was just to be blunt.
"Why, Ibiki, I was hoping we could come to an...arrangement."
Ibiki wasn't completely sure why Naruto's grin reminded him more of Orochimaru than the man's apprentice ever had but he was completely sure about something else-
He really didn't like it.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 128-B "Sideways"
Patron Release 2020.12.04
Akishi looked out the window to inspect the cart that had been arranged for her by Orochimaru. It was quite simple and very plain but that should suit her needs just fine.
"The driver is named Touji," A Wolf in the room mentioned. "He makes deliveries from the capital every few weeks so the guards are used to his comings and goings. It's also well known that he infrequently manages to find return jobs with cargo or passengers, so this is nothing out of the ordinary as far as they should be concerned."
Akishi hadn't even turned to face him but he didn't pay it any mind.
"It will take a few days to get there but considering your...appearance...it may be wise for you to be hidden in one of the crates we've provided him with. Alternatively you could sit in the back of the cart and cover your lower half with a blanket but then you run the risk of them asking you to step out should they want to inspect the cargo."
"Is it likely they will?" She asked without turning from the window.
"If they see you? Potentially. The fact that you can't sit up front will help reduce them thinking you've taken Touji hostage but the fact that you're with the cargo will be suspicious."
"And if I'm in one of the crates?"
"Some of them are filled with random belongings and the ones to carry you and your….companions… have false compartments on the top. Touji has been informed that he's to deliver these belongings to a residence near the current outer ring, or at least that's what he'll be telling any guards who ask." The Wolf handed her a stack of papers that she couldn't quite understand. Recognizing her confusion he explained. "A shipping manifest listing what's supposedly in the boxes. There's also an invoice in there saying who's paying for the service and their location here in Konoha. We used Seigu for that, he's in Nami at the moment and probably won't mind. Ah, and that one-" He pointed to one of the addresses. "Is where the crates are being delivered."
"...Supposedly, right?" She thought she was starting to understand what they were trying to do or, rather, how they were trying to manipulate any guards that might impede her travels.
"No," Or maybe not. "That's where things are going to be delivered. It's nothing fancy but we had Kuyore run to the capital and rent the place for a month to get you started. After that Orochimaru says you're on your own for….whatever it is you're doing."
Akishi was aware of one of her brows raring- a curious feeling- and she gave the Wolf a questioning look. "You don't know what I'm going to be doing?" She didn't know why but it just seemed weird to her that he didn't know. She couldn't say why she would have expected Naruto or Orochimaru to inform others about it though.
"Well no, not exactly." He admitted. "But considering Orochimaru is aiding you with it I would have to assume it's some task either for him or for...Naruto-sama?" He gave her a look that expressed that he wasn't really asking her but that he was curious enough that he'd appreciate the answer should she be willing to provide it.
Fortunately for him she was.
"Naruto-sama has given me a task to be completed in the capital."
"Ah, of course." He nodded his head as if it was to have been expected. When they were in the den of Tsukuyomi perhaps it was to be expected.
Another Wolf knocked on the doorway, beaconing over the first Wolf and after a hushed exchange he returned to his place closer to the strange being that had been drawn to his father.
"They say Touji is about ready to go. You should really be in one of the crates when you pass through the capital but I suppose if you'd like you can remain in the cart regularly until you draw close." He paused for a second, unsure. "Unless you would prefer to keep the extent of your existence a secret from Touji? I'm not sure how he might react and our influence over him is….limited."
"Will he not be suspicious knowing I'm hiding in one of the crates?"
"Your ex-husband is a member of the guard and your divorce was rather rough. After spending a few months with your mother here in Konoha you're on your way back home. You would rather avoid your husband or any of his friends in the guard on your way back."
"...Orochimaru put more thought into this than I thought he would." She admitted after a few moments of silence. "I fully expected him to hire transportation and leave the rest to me."
"It's a task from Naruto-sama." The Wolf shrugged. "I can't imagine Orochimaru not doing the best for Tou-sama."
She hadn't thought of it that way but it certainly made sense. He had also managed to hide it well by setting a task for her to do in exchange to cover the fact that he intended to help see Naruto's will done anyway. She would have appreciated, perhaps, a more dignified task suited to her abilities but at least it had been quick and allowed her to resume work on her real mission.
That had probably been intentional too, an effort to keep from delaying Naruto's desires.
Orochimaru the Snake Sage might have been a better ally for her than she had previously believed. Fitting, that a snake could be so cunning and deceptive.
Whether he knew it or not- and regardless of if he actually wanted it- he had earned himself the favor of Akishi, fifth born of Au's seven elder children. If he knew what that was worth he would endeavour to keep it.
"So what exactly should I be doing, Shizune-Sensei?" Asked Tsunade from her seat before the woman's desk. "When my godson came recruiting he just mentioned that I'd be working under you as part of your team." There was a question there that she didn't quite voice in words nor tone but Shizune had spent most of her life with the woman and had no trouble understanding exactly where the woman's mind was really focused.
"Yes, Tsunade-" It felt really strange to speak to her former master as an employee but Shizune supposed it was just something she'd have to get used to. "I have a team, I'm sure you noticed the two individuals in the front room when you entered our little workshop."
"Yeah, I saw them. Workshop?"
With a roll of her eyes Shizune transitioned to the next topic of Tsunade's attention. "While I am the head physician of the House of Wolves and they are my team, it's not actually a medical team. Not exactly."
"How does that work?"
"Clicky and Rusty were Suna Shinobi captured during the invasion, they were given a task and I was assigned to oversee them in completing it as the only work I had was combing through the Wolves' medical records at the time."
Tsunade didn't even have a chance to open her mouth before Shizune knew what she was going to ask and proceeded to answer it.
"Clicky is a puppeteer and Rusty is a medic, their task was to work together to recreate the lost limbs of Yamanaka Inoichi."
"And he lost his limbs…...how?" Tsunade sure as hell hadn't heard anything about that, though she really didn't hear much of anything.
"I'm pretty sure the Wolves took them." Shizune shrugged. "I'd imagine if that's the case he probably did something to upset them pretty badly but I don't actually know the specifics."
"Let me make sure I have this straight- the Wolves chopped off Inoichi's limbs and then they assigned your team to make him new limbs?"
"Accurate, if simple." Agreed Shizune. "Again, you'll have to ask a Wolf or Naruto if you want a better picture of what happened." She paused briefly. "I suppose you could probably go to the Yamanaka, too, and there's a good chance one or both of the Hyuuga and Inuzuka clans know as well."
"How do all of those groups know and yet the team who was assigned to actually restore the limbs to the man know nothing about how he lost them in the first place?"
"My team was disposable, Tsunade." It was a cruel way to put it, perhaps, but it told the older woman exactly what she wanted to know about the situation. "We were told exactly what we needed to accomplish our assigned task." And perhaps even a bit more than that, though they had hardly headed the signs that may have spared them the embarrassment of ignoring Naruto's contribution to the project.
"...Was?" There was a hopeful lilt to Tsunade's question and Shizune briefly considered messing with her former master before discarding the idea completely.
"Yes, Tsunade, was. They're now my team permanently."
"Ah, that's good." Partially because it gave Shizune her own team and a chance for her to be in a position of authority which Tsunade thought would be good for her but mostly because Tsunade was now a part of that team and she had not signed up to be 'disposable'.
She'd have fought harder for a higher salary if that was the case.
"So what was it this 'not exactly a medical team' is supposed to be doing?"
"Clicky and Rusty have been given a project by Naruto, we don't currently have anything specific. Mainly we're passing the time until we actually leave Konoha. Clicky can't even start demoing anything because all the tools and supplies the Wolves collected for their last project have already been packed up so the two of them are just going over theory."
"What's their project and how, exactly, are we passing the time then?"
"Naruto tasked them with developing an armor that would offer suitable protection while impeding the wearer as little as possible. It doesn't take a genius to conclude at least some of the Wolves will be getting new uniforms. I've been going over medical reports from Nami no Kuni on the Wolves injured in the recent conclusion to the Kirigakure civil war and I suppose you could help me with that if you like."
"Kiri's civil war is over?" Brown eyes blinked in genuine surprise at the news and Shizune was again reminded that Tsunade had hardly left the compound in the past few years.
She had forgotten just how cut off the woman had been.
"Or, perhaps, we'll be keeping busy getting you up to date on all the important events you've missed over the years held up in the Senju compound."
"...Records sound fine."
That settled it, time for a history lesson. Shizune did her best not to allow a grin to give away her thoughts but it was a nice feeling to be the one in charge.
She had a suspicion Tsunade was about to disagree with her on that.
The blanketing silence had stretched for longer than Naruto had expected it to- more a testament to Ibiki's patience and self-control than anything else- but that was fine with him, he had a few more days yet before he had to be out of Konoha.
He could wait.
Eventually even Ibiki's patience had to cave- no small matter considering he regularly dealt with the likes of Anko on a professional level - and the man asked the question that had hung between them since the silence had first settled.
"...What sort of arrangement?"
Naruto's first response died in his mouth before he could speak life into it and he briefly closed it again before shaking his head slightly. "I take you for a man who would appreciate candor, Ibiki, so I'll spare you from suffering through the verbal games of politics and power."
Ibiki couldn't be completely sure, but he had a feeling he was being insulted more than Naruto was doing him a favor of any kind.
"After much consideration I have come to the conclusion that it's for the best that I bring Anko with us as the House of Wolves departs Konoha, considering the conversation we've already had I'm sure you already better understand some of the repercussions that might bring."
"I understand what you're saying," Ibiki nodded. "But I'm not seeing where an agreement of any sort between us might fit into that situation."
"Anko is going to be out gods-know where doing, most likely, whatever catches her fancy at a given moment. We know the damage that can cause, especially when she's utilizing techniques you're well known for. Considering the fact that you'll have no way to keep an eye on her, well, I figured you might appreciate receiving regular updates on what she's been up to while she's gone."
"That...would be somewhat reassuring." Even as he agreed a deep, concerned frown tugged at Ibiki's regular scowl. He knew for a fact this wasn't something that was going to be free though he could certainly see the value in it.
"Wouldn't it? But you see the biggest problem with that is, as I've mentioned, that I'll be losing someone very high up the chain of command here in KIT or, more accurately, I'll be losing someone with a lot of clearance to Konoha intel."
Konoha's top interrogator found himself blinking in surprise at the sheer audacity of the young man before him, instantly connecting where he was going with this little 'agreement' of his. He almost began to doubt his own conclusion and everything his ears were telling him Naruto was saying. After all there was no way in hell someone had invited themselves into the office of the Morino Ibiki and was now trying to convince him to turn informant for the Imperial House of Wolves against his own village.
No way in hell.
If Naruto could read Ibiki's thoughts through his expression he made no mention of them, continuing on without heed.
"I have other ways, of course." He gave the thinking Ibiki a smirk. "I'm here in your office, after all, and we both know you certainly haven't invited me here." The smirk faded away. "Even, supposing, you were to rework your entire team here in KIT and you manage to completely remove my influence- which, honestly, won't be nearly as easy as you might want to believe- I don't need people within your facility to obtain the things it stores."
"And you think informing me that all I'll be doing is cutting out a middle man should sway me to become one of the Wolves' agents?" Ibiki scoffed. "Just because you'll eventually get your paws on the intel we dig up doesn't mean I won't be doing everything in my power to make it as difficult for you as possible. My job is to keep interested foreign powers from obtaining this information, keeping it from the Wolves will be much the same."
"Same in spirit," Naruto gave him with a nod. "Though I think you'll find it to be a much more complicated game should you choose to explore that avenue. Still, no reason to be hasty, agreements have room for negotiation."
"I'm not negotiating on this, Genin Naruto. My stance is firm." Ibiki's arms crossed his chest as a bulwark as if it would guard him against the threat of Naruto;s words.
"You act as if I'm asking something horrible of you, Ibiki, it's nothing of the sort."
"How is asking me to betray Konoha anything else?"
Naruto shook his head. "I've asked no such thing, Ibiki. I don't even want information on Konoha- I have others for that. No, what I'm looking to do is borrow Konoha's KIT to have access to the same global network. In a more advantageous arrangement that would definitely include keeping me informed about what intelligence concerning the Wolves was out there so we can start damage control early but it's certainly a point I'm willing to negotiate on."
"...You just want information about the other villages?"
"Countries, villages, individuals out there, yes. I want, to be perfectly honest, everything that comes through this facility and much, much more but we're here to make a deal so I'll settle for anything you pick up on the outside world so the Wolves can remain aware without focusing too much of their attention on gathering information themselves."
He'd gone back to referring to the Wolves as separate from him, Ibiki noticed, and he had a sudden doubt that Genin Naruto was actually here on their behalf.
"Who's asking?" Was the question Ibiki eventually settled on, not entirely surprised when a large grin pulled at Naruto's lips.
"Ah, now we're asking the good questions Ibiki. I'm the one after this sort of arrangement. The Wolves, of course, will be benefiting from my possession of it but in the end information will be passing between you, me, and perhaps some of my...personal...agents."
"So you'll be the one reporting what Anko gets up to."
"Myself or someone loyal to me directly." He decided it was probably best to not let the man know that Anko was once such individual. The thought that Anko would be the one writing reports about what she was doing abroad and sending them to him would probably have Ibiki shutting down any chance of this deal instantly. Not that Naruto had any intention of actually assigning such a task to Anko in the first place.
Ibiki gave him a shrewd look, suddenly wondering how many organisations within organizations there actually were in the mess known as the Imperial House of Wolves. Part of him wondered if Naruto intended to pull a Wolves on the Wolves and take over from the inside. The thought, in a way, was quite poetically pleasing.
Almost pleasing enough that he was tempted to be a part of it, but not quite.
"I'll….consider your proposal, Genin Naruto. I'll use Anko to let you know what I decide before you leave."
"Very well," Naruto shrugged. "I had expected this might take you a bit more time. That's fine. You don't even need to decide while I'm still here in Konoha. Like I said, I'll still be able to obtain the information I need. When you decide you'd like to know what your apprentice is up to, however, feel free to send a letter to Nami addressed to me."
"That seems some rather lax security for a letter that will be coming to you from the head of KIT. I think your friends might get a little suspicious." Ibiki's words carried the slightest undertone of a threat, as if with that letter he had the power to completely halt any plans Naruto had with the Wolves, and Naruto could only smile condescendingly indulgent at the man.
"Feel free to send your courier directly to either Commander Sai or Governor Inuzuka Hana with a letter addressed however you please. I would, however, suggest against underestimating the influence I hold in any group, Ibiki. Even without Tsukuyomi's favor I'm untouchable."
"How so?"
Naruto wagged a finger at the man, his head shaking back and forth lightning. "Uh-uh-uh, Ibiki. That would be telling. You should know the value of a good secret."
"...Quite." It was obvious Ibiki wanted that information and it was taking all of the man's restraint not to follow his usual instincts of just taking it for himself but he managed to let the matter drop for the moment.
"Well, it was a good talk, Ibiki." Naruto paused, tilting his head slightly in contemplation. "And actually meeting you, I suppose, but I do believe I'll take my leave and allow you some time alone with your thoughts." His purple eyes glanced to the office door behind him. "It would also be a good time for anyone crouched with her ear to the door to scurry back to her office and pretend she'd been there the entire time…..."
The hurried footsteps they could hear from beyond the door came at no surprise to either of the men in the office.
A small, amused smile pulled at Naruto's lips and he turned back to Ibiki. "I think ten seconds should be plenty of time, no?" Without waiting for a response Naruto made his way to the door. "I look forward to your answer, Ibiki, remember to take your time and consider things thoroughly. Wouldn't want you to regret the decision you make now, would we?" He shot the man one last- almost smug- grin before letting himself out of the office and allowing a frowning Ibiki to consider what had been said today.
Between Anko and now her friend, well, he'd been doing this for a while now- maybe it was coming up time for him to honestly start contemplating retirement.
Kakashi looked down at his unexpected guest as Yugao slipped through his window. She was in off-duty clothes, which was probably a good sign, and spent a second looking around his living room before glancing up to him.
Well, not really "up", as it were. Kakashi was too tall and his apartment's ceiling was by no means tall enough to allow it. She could see him just fine staring forward at eye level, though to meet his gaze she would actually have to look slightly downwards. Fortunately her looking down, in his perspective, was her looking up.
One of the benefits of being upside down.
She paused for a second before surrendering and asking the first question that had hit her upon seeing him.
"Why are you standing on your ceiling?"
"It's my apartment," He shrugged. "If anyone should be taking such liberties it would be me, not the ANBU commander letting herself into it."
That was...fair, she supposed, be he of all people should have been aware that an open window was an invitation for Shinobi visitation.
"I'm not saying you aren't allowed to," She crossed her arms and cocked a hip to the side as a questioning brow rose. "I'm asking why you would want to."
The man shrugged again. "I felt like it, I don't think I need a better reason."
"...Your strangeness aside, Kakashi-taicho, I did want to discuss something serious with you."
"Let me guess," He flipped another page of his borrowed book. "It's about Naruto, isn't it?"
"Are there any other serious matters that would concern you?"
"Only among the Wolves. And even then there isn't too much going on at the moment."
"Not too- they're moving at the-" She shook her head. "No, nevermind." Her sanity wouldn't survive trying to understand how Kakashi determined what was important and what wasn't, there was no point in trying. "But yes, I'm here to talk about Naruto."
"What more could you have to say? He's busy looking after the Wolves you haven't killed yet." He glanced up from his book as he turned the page again, a brow rising- lowering, technically?- to challenge just what more business she could possibly have that would concern the young Daimyo.
She managed not to flinch at his jab- by some miracle- and maintained her composure. "I know we've talked about what I could do to help him already, but it's not just me any more."
"...Oh?" That caught Kakashi's attention well enough that he actually lowered- raised?- the book to his hip. This whole upside-down thing was getting unexpectedly on Yugao's nerves. If she didn't know better- and she did, thank you- she might suspect he had done so on purpose.
"Do tell, Yugao-chan, this sounds like it could be interesting."
"How about you get off the ceiling and I tell you what's happened? She proposed. He thought about it for a second- or at least acted like he was- before shrugging and holding out a hand to seal the deal.
Still suspicious- because this was Kakashi and she wasn't born yesterday- she nevertheless reached out her own hand to shake his. "Deal," he announced happily as he turned and walked towards the nearest wall.
Yugao only briefly wondered why he didn't just drop down before her question was answered by a halting Kakashi- on the wall.
Of course he would. Yugao closed her eyes and sighed internally. She didn't know what else she should have expected with Kakashi. Worse was that it appeared he- even if he hadn't known initially- had discovered how much it was irritating her and was doing this on purpose. Well, he could also just be showing off- there was a reason they typically crouched on walls, it took some incredible core strength to maintain your footing against a wall and with how casually he did so and continued to return his attention to his book he had to be showing off- but she honestly thought it was probably both.
"You've been talking with my team, haven't you?" Yugao figured she was probably better off just ignoring his antics and pressed on doing her best to ignore the infamous Hatake Kakashi standing on his living room wall. Sometimes even she couldn't understand how Konoha had become so feared over the last century.
"I've spoken with Souji a time or two, perhaps. Why?"
"So you know that there's been some...conflict between the ANBU's favor for Naruto and the orders of the Hokage, right?"
"There always has been." Kakashi gave a sideways shrug. "That's why Monkey resigned, isn't it? Pretty sure it was right after he and his team arrested Naruto and brought him to Inoichi following the Uchiha Massacre. You know, the one in which the interrogation found out that he didn't know about all the missing members? How did that investigation go, by the way? Wasn't it your first as the ANBU commander?"
"We found nothing," She shot him a displeased look but answered anyway. "We had a list of missing members of the Uchiha clan but aside from Naruto having helped one Uchiha Mikoto escaping none of the others were ever found."
"Ah, so it's just as possible they were already dead and you simply didn't find the bodies. Pity that had to result in Naruto being hauled off to KIT."
Was, was he trying to suggest that was her fault too? The investigation happened after Inoichi had gone through Naruto's memories and after Monkey had resigned. She'd had nothing to do with that.
"Don't even try to twist that, Kakashi." Her hands rested on her hips as she gave him a pointed look. "You know that had nothing to do with me or with what we're talking about."
All he did was offer another shrug and turn the page in his book. Despite that she knew he was still paying attention.
"We know who he is, Kakashi." She figured she was better off cutting as straight to the chase as she could lest Kakashi continue to divert the conversation down unrelated paths.
"Oh?" Even so, she would have expected a bigger response than his mild interest. "Curious. Who is he, then?"
"We know Namikaze Naruto is also Tsukuyomi."
"So you do. Should I be impressed? Souji already knew who his father was-"
"So did Hioki and Ikkan" She interrupted. Kakashi continued as if she hadn't.
"And it was only a matter of time before someone around the Hokage learned that he was Tsukuyomi too. Pretty surprised it wasn't announced, actually, though I suppose Asuma probably doesn't want the world to know he was losing to one of his own Genin."
"Taru was the one to find that out." She added, knowing Kakshi probably didn't care at all for specifics. "And I'd suspect you're right about Hokage-sama keeping it close to his chest."
"Of course I'm right, I'm Kakashi." She rolled her eyes at that. The man never changed. "But I don't see how any of this is 'important' business. Naruto is well aware of both his father and of the fact that he's Tsukuyomi."
"Between Yondaime-sama and Godaime-sama it's really not surprising who my team would choose."
Kakashi was silent for a moment but Yugao could see a frown tugging at his lips behind his mask. "While his relation to the Yondaime is what ties me to him, it's because the Yondaime was my second father and he's family. For you and your team to use that to justify choosing Naruto over Asuma, well, it seems a bit shallow Yugao."
"I've chosen him because he's my Kohai," Yugao defended her position. "As long as my team also supports him I don't care how they justify it to themselves to anyone else."
"And you had nothing to do with that decision." It was said as a statement but it was clear Kakashi was skeptical about the fact.
"No, they brought this up as a group. I made sure they all supported Naruto before I informed them of where I stood on the matter."
"So what did you need to come to me for?"
"Naruto and his Wolves are leaving Konoha but we want to know if there's anything he needs us to do here while he's away and make sure he's aware that we're here to be called upon should he need more agents in Konoha."
"He's got quite a few remaining here in Konoha, actually," Kakashi mused. "But I suppose more would hurt- if he thought he could trust you. I don't see why he'd ever inform you of his interests here in Konoha after the last time he informed you what the Wolves were up to."
"That's...understandable." It hurt but she could hardly blame Naruto for feeling that way or Kakashi for bringing up pertinent facts. "We'd still like to be able to help, though, so if he ever needs us or…" She paused, debating. "..Or if you notice something we can do that would benefit him, well, you know you can call on us and we'll do what we can."
"..I'll pass it on." It would almost be like having his own team, wouldn't it? And if that was the case only Kakashi needed to be informed of what interests Naruto had here in Konoha and he could use the ANBU to accomplish them without informing them of what they were actually working towards. Some of them could probably piece it together depending on how long things took but it was a lot safer than handing them the plans on a silver platter to take back to Asuma.
And if they managed to both figure it out and got it to Asuma Kakashi would know exactly who to silence, though he might as well grab Asuma at the same time if he was at it.
"That's all we can ask, Kakashi-taicho, thank you."
"It's fine, not like I really expect him to go for it anyway."
She really could never decide if he was more endearing or irritating, she was heavily leaning towards an opinion of the latter lately.
Because time is definitely something I keep track of, I totally did not completely miss the fact that last Friday- when I posted a patron chapter- was Sealkeeper's fifth anniversary. Nope, not at all. We're also getting close to surpassing ONE MILLION WORDS. Gods above, that's a hell of a lot longer than I had ever anticipated. That's about two months away, so I have a bit of time to figure out something to do to celebrate the occasion.
I am aware I'm still behind on Commentaries- and I hope to at least start one tonight- so I'll be trying to focus on those over the next few days. Should be easier than writing the next chapter which is good because my dumbass volunteered for twenty hours of overtime. At least it should cover Xmas gifts. Hopefully.
There was probably more I wanted to say but I really need to get some work done and get my ass to bed so I can suffer tomorrow.
Thanks, as always, goes to my Patrons.
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