Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 141-A: "Amusing Little Creatures"
Patron Release: 2021.07.23
"Remember, we need everybody on this so I can have those numbers as quickly as possible." Hyuran reminded him. The older man stood upon the platform of the first railstation ever constructed and looked down at Juugo who had changed into his coveralls but had tied the upper portion around his waist. Normally this would mean an undershirt but much to Hyuran's surprise Juugo wasn't wearing one.
Say what you like about Yuki no Kuni's weather, it wasn't warm. Not even close. Juugo didn't seem bothered by that in the slightest.
In fact, Hyuran could almost swear the moisture in the air was evaporating around the young man. It was faint, very faint, but it seemed to hang about him like the cloak he was so obviously missing.
"Don't worry, we'll figure out exactly where we are and what we have left. Expect me back sometime tonight, though it will probably be late. That gives you a day to incorporate those numbers into everything else."
Yes, yes it did. The troubling thought was that if a day wasn't enough to take care of the active project how long was it going to take him to go through everything else they'd already done? He was going to need to get to work immediately.
And no small amount of coffee, too.
"We're all counting on you, Juugo." And it was starting to seem like that was an all too frequent occurrence. He should probably be much more suspicious that the young man had so critically integrated himself into the project- especially knowing what he was- but Hyuran found he tended to have more pressing things to busy himself with if he wanted to avoid Doto's ire and a visit to the dungeons at the very least.
"Don't worry," Juugo glanced over his shoulder to meet Hyuran's eyes. "I have no intention of failing." His piece said he took off in a sprint, the railway actually groaning under the strain of his steps, but even as Hyuran witnessed the physical differences between a regular person and a Shinobi he couldn't help but suspect Juugo's talk of failure had to do with something completely different than their current project.
He probably didn't want to know.
Her bath abandoned- for now- Naruko returned to her room to address the sudden addition of a voice in her head. While "why" was certainly a prominent question it was completely dwarfed by the "how". The last she checked Karura- the Ichibi- was very much sealed within her brother and not at all within herself.
But...she had visited Karura by going through Mito's seal, hadn't she? Why shouldn't Karura be capable of doing the same? You know, beyond the fact that the seal was specifically created with the intention of keeping Biju contained within. It was a Biju barrier, essentially, so how could she pass through?
There were times Naruko really regretted not paying more attention to her mother's lessons on Fuinjutsu theory- as every Uzumaki was expected to be at least familiar with- but in her defence Kushina hadn't been big on sealing at her age either. Swords were just so much cooler and much easier to wrap your head around.
Slipping into a pair of pants and a t-shirt she climbed into her bed and sat down to visit the seal. As every other time it was easy to do as soon as she could grab ahold of the trace amounts of Mito's Chakra that naturally seeped into her own network through the seal and she was quickly dragged into the flooded basement that served as the primary portion of Mito's seal.
It was, for the most part, how she remembered it. Dim light, cold concrete walls, and chunks of rubble partially submerged in murky water. New was the pathway that stretched towards Naruto's tie to the seal and the small patio that she found herself arriving on.
Convenient but she had no idea how it got there. A quick glance showed it to be made of the same material as the rubble scattered around and while it had been put together pretty well she could pick out the various pieces that had been brought together to create this little island above the water.
That it was still slightly damp started to give her a good idea of what had happened.
"I don't know why you think he wouldn't, I'm sure we could ask Naruto-Kun for a table and some chairs to place here. Maybe some potted flowers to brighten things up. There's no reason not to turn this into a pleasant little meeting place for you and Naruko-Chan." That was Karura's voice and Naruko could see her on the new pathway fitting bits of rubble together to create more. Apparently Naruko had taken a bit too long for the Ichibi's liking. "Oooh, we could get a pavilion and string some lights down from the edges. Clean up the water a bit and it would be fantastic."
"Can't you just make that in your little world?" Mito didn't seem as keen on Karura's ideas. Or maybe she just didn't want to admit otherwise.
"My world doesn't need it, Mito, yours most obviously needs as many improvements as it can get." Mito wisely chose to not comment on that.
"Or maybe we can just ask Naruko-Chan when she gets here. If Naruto-Kun can change the seal she probably can too, right?" Karura continued either unknowing or unheeding of Mito's non-response.
"Naruto is much better with seals. His capabilities surpass any she could ever hope to obtain."
The Ichibi rolled her eyes- not that either of the others could see it- and continued with her work. "Just because she might not be as capable doesn't mean she's incapable, Mito." She huffed. "Of course no one is going to match up to my beloved Naruto-Kun."
Naruko wasn't sure if she should be flattered the Ichibi was standing up for her or insulted by their belief that she could never match her brother in skill- though having experienced some of it first hand she could sort of understand where they might be coming from- and she chose to stop the conversation before she could decide either way.
"Karura, Mito, I'm here." She announced her presence, immediately catching the attention of two Biju. In other situations perhaps not the wisest course of action but Jinchuriki weren't exactly normal by any stretch of the imagination.
Mito glanced over her shoulder, one crimson eye briefly glancing over to meet Naruko's blue before returning to watch Karura work with as disinterested an expression she could manage.
She had been the one who needed to come speak with the girl but the idea of having to ask permission from her for something still rubbed her the wrong way. She'd leave it to the racoon to break the ice and give her time to set aside her pride. Fortunately said racoon came through for her. She tried not to think about how strange that actually was.
"Ah, Naruko-Chan!" Karura abandoned a chuck of Mito's old palace back to the murky waters it belonged to and rushed over to envelop the Uzumaki heiress in a hug. As far as Karura was concerned the human girl was as much- and quite possibly more- her sister as Mito was.
"Uh, hi, Karura." Naruko returned the embrace lightly and bore with the excitable Tanuki knowing that attempting to escape was probably just going to make the Biju more clingy. "What are you doing in Mito's seal?"
"I was bored so I stopped by to visit her."
"...Okay…." Naruko nodded into Karura's side. "And the two of you decided to come onto this half of it for some reason?"
Mito chose that time to speak up, hoping to save herself of whatever embarrassment was likely to come spilling from between her "sister's" lips.
"I needed to talk to you anyway so we figured we'd head your way."
"That was...thoughtful." Naruko was fairly certain Mito hadn't been trying to spare her a walk through the crumbling basement but she decided not to question it in favor of focusing on the bigger curiosity. "What did you need to talk to me about?"
Karura released her and stepped to the side, teal eyes curiously moving between her two sisters. She was also curious about why Mito needed to see Naruko when she never seemed to care for the girl before.
Maybe it had something to do with Naruto?
Actually, that was pretty much a given. Everything Mito focused on had something to do with Naruto- not that Karura could even blame her for that.
"Naruto has been….experimenting with some of the boundaries of seals." Started Mito. "As you are technically the one in possession of my seal he required me to get your permission before I could participate."
Karura's eyes widened with sudden understanding but a glance to Naruko told her that the girl was hardly satisfied by that answer.
"Uh-huh." Naruko folded her arms across her chest. "And what sort of experiments did you want to be a part of, Mito?"
"...That's Naruto's business." Mito looked away as she attempted to deflect. "You'd have to ask him. You aren't going to get in his way in the meantime though, are you? Well…" She turned just enough to catch Naruko's eyes again and raised her visible brow. "..Again, that is."
A low blow, certainly, but Mito wasn't really one to play fair anyway.
Both of Naruko's brows rose as she processed what had left Mito's lips and she seemed to bristle for a moment before managing to settle herself down. "That was a cheap shot, Mito, a real cheap shot but I think you're forgetting something pretty important."
"Oh?" She tried to put on a haughty, unbothered air but was furiously thinking as she attempted to determine what she could have overlooked. It was another moment before she realized what Naruko was talking about but unfortunately it was already far, far too late.
Of course it had been that damned racoon!
"Karura-Nee? You'll tell me what Naruto-Nii is up to, won't you? I wouldn't want him to get hurt messing around with the seal." Her blue eyes stared pleadingly into Karura's teal and the Ichibi couldn't have lasted a full ten seconds if she had tried.
That said, she had no reason to want to keep this from her in the first place.
"Don't worry, Naruko-Chan," Karura assured her. "Naruto-Kun isn't actually touching the seal at all. He's been trying to help Isobu-Chan and I spend some time out in the real world using Kage-Bunshin." Her eyes brightened considerably as she was struck with a sudden, marvelous idea and she reacted upon it without hesitation.
"Here, I'll show you!" In the time it took Mito to realize what had been said Karura had already started. "Just going to borrow some of your Chakra, Mito, thanks!" The red Youkai was pulled from the stone walls and rusted pipes of the seal and Naruko, fully within it, was no longer shielded by her father's work.
Karura had absolutely no trouble shoving it through the Kyuubi's host and out into the real world where in a second she was able to make it take the form she had practiced for hours with her beloved Naruto-Kun.
It was all done in an instant and before Naruko knew it Karura had vanished completely. "..Mito, what just-" Following in the footsteps of the Ichibi Naruko was pulled from the seal leaving Mito to stare at the empty space both of her sisters had so recently occupied.
"...Fuck." Well, there was little chance of her being able to learn how to leave the seal now, damn that fuckign raccoon.
There were times Mito hated being the older sibling and this was certainly one of them.
Naruko was snapped back into awareness in the physical realm by a gentle shaking of her shoulder. Her mother was the logical answer though Kushina had never pulled her from communicating with the Kyuubi before.
To be fair, she didn't do it that often and, not knowing what Karura had actually done, there was no telling what her mother might have seen that could have prompted her to try to drag her daughter out of the seal.
That assumption was quickly corrected by a voice that was most assuredly not Kushina's. "Look, look! Come on, Naruko-Chan, wake up! Look what I can do!"
Blinking away her disorientation Naruko was greeted by the sight of a short- well, shorter, the woman had never been that tall in the first place- Karura beaming at her proudly.
In her bedroom.
In the Uzumaki compound
In Konoha.
"What the fuck?!"
"Tobi?" Deidara's confused question caught Sasori's attention and he looked up from his current puppetry project- if they were going to be developing armor for the Wolves it was a given that the armor had to be stuffed full of weapons. Senbon launchers were obvious but fitting them, hidden knives, and a rotating saw in the same spot was proving a bit tricky- to be met with the sight of, well, Tobi. He wasn't really sure why he would have expected anything else.
"What are you doing here?" Deidara hid a screwdriver behind his back as if obscuring the tool would somehow make it appear as if he hadn't been here attempting to help. Well, even attempting was a bit of a strong word to associate with helping in this case but it was the thought that counted or something. Sasori wasn't really sure, all he knew was that Deidara had been occupied by...whatever it was he had been doing and had remained both quiet- relatively, if you ignored the occasional curses he sputtered- and out of the way for the better part of an hour.
A miracle if you asked him.
The fact that he was trying to make something- again, Sasori had absolutely no idea what the hell that was supposed to be, even now as he was able to get a good look at it- rather than cause destruction was also a miracle in and of itself. He was slightly impressed, the blond seemed to be trying to broaden their horizons. At this rate he might finally come to understand the truth in art being eternal.
Or, at the very least, come to appreciate art that didn't immediately disappear. Art was meant to be seen and that was hard to pull off if it goes up in a ball of flame. Now, a picture of a fiery explosion or a marble sculpture...hmmm...that had some potential, actually. Maybe there was a middle ground for the two of them to agree with each other on.
"Tobi's a good girl, you know." Came the answer from behind her swirling orange mask. Interestingly enough she wasn't wearing her Akatsuki cloak and didn't even seem to have it on her person. Not that Sasori would complain about that, oh no, he was one to appreciate the human form and not having that cloak in the way made that much easier to do.
Maybe it was time he drew some more of those pictures. Hopefully this time he could avoid having them confiscated by Tobi.
"And as a good girl it should be expected that I would take some time to come to Nami no Kuni to visit my son on occasion, don't you think?"
If Sasori had actual eyelids he probably would have blinked in surprise. As it was he couldn't be bothered to manually move them. Deidera had no such issues. "Eh?! You have a son here in Nami?" He ran a critical eye over Tobi's body. "Are you sure?"
If you asked Sasori, the greatest part of joining up with Gaara and his family was the fact that Temari had, quite literally, beaten out the Mad Bomber's habit of adding 'yeah' to the end of the majority of his sentences. He still let it slip from time to time but even that was a massive improvement as far as he was concerned. He really did need to get something nice for the girl to show his appreciation.
"Are you calling Tobi a liar?" There was a dangerous edge to that question, one even Deidara was smart enough to recognize and avoid.
"Oh, no, not at all, really!" He quickly backpedaled. "I was just...surprised?" He offered the question like a sacrifice to a vengeful deity he was hoping would be pacified by his choice. He wasn't too far off the mark, Sasori noted, except for the fact that it was a question at all. That part was very much the wrong move.
"Oh, were you now? Tobi thinks Deidara-Senpai is lying to her~." There was something really wrong about the way she could simultaneously be cute, arousing, and downright terrifying.
It was times like these Sasori really missed having an actual body. His puppets might be eternal but they couldn't feel a damned thing.
Damn his short sightedness to hell and back, he should have gone the Orochimaru route and found immortality some other way.
"Has it already been almost a month?" Hana couldn't believe it, it felt like just yesterday that her mother was grilling her for information about why she wanted her to marry Tsukuyomi and the day before that she left to start the vacation.
"Mmhmm." Sai nodded in understanding. "Goes a lot quicker when you're not bogged down by paperwork and incompetence doesn't it?"
"You sure we can't just extend it for a few more days? I haven't heard anything about Nami being on fire or starting any wars, it will probably hold out until we get there."
"Ah, that's just it." Sai grinned as he brought up a very important point. "It's not on fire or starting any wars yet. We need to get there and resume our positions before Naruto has a chance to change that."
While that seemed a bit mean to say about their 'father', Hana had to agree. Trouble followed that young man everywhere and sooner or later it would catch up to him again. The fact that it hadn't done so during the month he'd been stationary in Nami no Kuni was already an absolute miracle.
Maybe trouble ended up taking a month long vacation too? It did, after all, have to constantly deal with Naruto. She quickly shook that particular thought from his head. Trouble followed him and he was also trouble in his own right but Naruto deserved more respect than her jokes of poor taste. The man had just provided a month of vacation for her and Sai and that meant someone had to be taking over their positions back in Nami.
She really didn't need to guess who that had ended up being but she did sincerely hope someone had been able to pry a good chunk of that work away from him so he hadn't burned himself out. She and Sai both worked pretty hard to keep things in Nami running smoothly but she knew with a little sleep deprivation, a few pots of coffee, and a burning self-loathing that didn't let you rest until all your work was done it was absolutely possible to do both jobs in a single day.
That week Sai had spent locked in his room suffering from a horrendous bout of food poisoning had taught her that lesson the hard way.
It also taught them both- and all the Wolves- not to order delivery from Shiki's Crabshack right before they closed. There was only so much abuse the human body could take.
Fortunately Mai was still in Nami- as far as Hana was aware, anyway- which meant there had been someone around to keep him from going overboard. Gods knew that boy needed someone to smack some sense into him every now and again.
You know, like a wife. A position that was open. And, wouldn't you know it, her mother was still single.
Hana still thought it was a good idea.
Somewhat.
Okay, maybe not but a girl could still dream.
"I guess you're right. Say, I've been wondering this for a while but do you know why Gaara is a prince but none of Naruto's other children are?"
One of Sai's brows rose slowly, almost as if mocking her for even asking. "Do you think I understand a damn thing Naruto does? That's the reason he's in charge. Whatever he does, it just works. My job is just to follow orders and make sure things don't fall apart before I receive them."
That was fair, Hana really couldn't argue against that. Still….
"You think he would let me be a princess?"
Sai was still giving her that look like she was a moron.
"Hana, he let me name his capital city after you. He'd probably make you Daimyo if you asked."
"But I don't want to be a Daimyo," She pouted. "I want to be a princess."
"What's the difference?"
"The amount of paperwork I have to do."
That...was a very good point, Sai realized. Maybe he could become a prince too?
"O-orochimaru-Sama!" Panicked yelps followed the hurried greeting as the Snake Sage's subordinates were made aware of the man's presence. They gathered together, a united front of his followers, but Orochimaru wasn't there for them. Scanning the coast his black eyes landed on a group of Wolves who seemed to be sketching out plans in the sand. Guren stood nearby, arms crossed, and Isaribi seemed perfectly content to use the time to build a sandcastle being assaulted by a some sort of pirate shark with sails and cannons.
He didn't question it, Orochimaru had more important things to focus on.
"Which one of you is Ganju?"
A man with broad shoulders and a suspicious amount of soot clinging to him- what, exactly, had the man been doing out here?- gave a single wave before turning back to his work, unbothered by Orochimaru's arrival. That wasn't exactly new for the man- he'd been spending an awful lot of time amongst the Wolves- but it was still a strange feeling for people to respond so casually to his presence.
His prince's Wolves were just as crazy as their father and he meant that with utmost fondness and affection.
Without breaking his stride Orochimaru angled himself towards the self-identified Ganju and - pausing only briefly to examine the plans being drawn- addressed the group.
"I understand you've decided one of my other bases would be better suited for Naruto-Kun than the one in the bay." He left it at that to give the Wolves a chance to explain but the response he was gifted with hardly met his expectations.
"Ayup, just go ahead and smack it down over there." Ganju gestured away from the shore. "I've marked it out with those sticks, make sure it doesn't cross the line closest to us otherwise it can extend as far back as you like." Ganju's attention moved on to Guren. "So like I was saying, if you do two thinner layers and alternate crevices i think we could probably transplant kelp and coral into them to disguise the parts of the bases out in the bay."
"Why are we still bothering with the bay anyway?" Asked one of Ganju's boys. "Tsukuyomi just needed a base in Yu no Kuni. The one in the bay was already here but if we need one easier to access and work on there's really not much of a point."
"We don't need one easier to access," Ganju corrected him. "We just needed one that could be ready for Tsukuyomi sooner so he has the option to relocate while we get the one in the bay repaired. No offence Guren, but I really don't feel like relying on your crystal indefinitely."
"I keep telling you it lasts forever. There's no reason to worry about it vanishing and flooding the base while Tsukuyomi's in it. You just don't like that it's pink."
"The color has nothing to do with it, in fact it's better that it's pink so it can blend in better with the coral. I just refuse to trust a material made from thin air."
"It's made from my Chakra," She huffed. "And I should know better than anyone how my Crystal Release works."
"You should," Ganju agreed with a nod before pointing an accusing finger at her face. "But why on earth would I believe you've taken the time to put it through testing to ensure it's suitable for the purpose of creating permanent structures?! If Orochimaru had someone who could have built him reliable crystal bases at absolutely zero cost all of his bases would have been made out of your stupid pink crystal!"
Orochimaru opened his mouth to interrupt only to pause and snap it closed as Ganju made his point. Why the hell hadn't he thought of that? That would have saved him so much headache in the past.
"You continue to bring up the fact that it's pink, I refuse to believe you aren't just objecting on the basis of color!"
"Knock it off, both of you." Katsuri smacked them both on the back of their head. "You can at least wait until Orochimaru is gone before bickering like children."
"Quite." Orochimaru took a moment to frown before refocusing back on the task at hand. "I'll have a base relocated here on the shore. Have you planned out how you're going to connect it with the rest of the base?" He'd purposefully chosen a smaller base knowing it was only supposed to serve temporarily and that Naruto had expected the majority of the base to be out in the bay where it was less likely to be discovered.
Ganju gave a careless shrug that belied the thoughtfulness he seemed to put towards the projects under his leadership. "Figured I would just have Guren make a large cylinder with her crystal connecting them and then hollow it out for us. Then we can build a metal connector within it to pair the two sections of the base together."
Not bad but it was now Orochimaru's turn to suggest something. "Perhaps, if you're worried about the lifetime of Guren's crystals, you might consider building the connector on the outside of this cylinder? You can be assured that the walkway is secure enough to be safe for Naruto-Kun but you can also observe the crystal within to see if it disappears."
"Nah." Ganju dismissed the suggestion immediately. "The point of building it within is that we don't have to rely on Isaribi to do all the work which will speed things up tremendously- no offence, Isaribi- and leaving the crystal within wouldn't let us know if there was a leak and doesn't show us how reliable it is in a saltwater environment so that sort of defeats the whole point."
Orochimaru blinked once, twice, and then turned to address Katsuri. "I want this one. What do you think Naruto-Kun would want in exchange?"
"To know that Ganju was happy and enjoying his position working for you." The High-Captain didn't even hesitate to provide that answer knowing without a doubt that Naruto's first priority was and always would be the well being of his Wolves.
Orochimaru blinked again. That was...yes...yes, he would want that, wouldn't he? There was a sudden realization that in all his attempts to find gifts that would suit the young Daimyo what he really should have been doing was finding things that would help or please the Wolves and Naruto would have been just as happy- or more so- than if he had received a gift personally.
Of course, what the Wolves wanted was for their father to be happy so that could become sort of a catch twenty-two but it wasn't a completely closed system and Orochimaru was certain he could have found things at least useful to the Wolves that would have served his purpose.
Damnit all, he needed better advisors.
"I don't suppose you might enjoy working for-"
"I'd enjoy getting back to Tsukuyomi-Sama." Was her response, cutting him off before he could finish. He'd expected as much, honestly.
"I was afraid of that."
Still, even if he couldn't have them he was going to make sure to visit wherever they were stationed often to pick their brains. Just because they weren't his didn't mean they couldn't fulfil the role of his advisors.
And, really, once he had a more suitable body it wouldn't be hard to convince Naruto to keep these two Wolves close by for that very reason. He didn't actually need a better body to accomplish that, just asking Naruto would probably provide the same results, in all honesty, but that simply wasn't nearly as fun.
Fortunately it turned out he did still have some of the Shodai's cells left over so with a bit of luck maybe that wasn't so far off after all.
He could hardly wait.
"Do I have to?" Her voice had taken on a slightly whiny quality that Akishi didn't appreciate and neither did her human ears. "If I start bringing them then they'll want your attention too."
Despite the irritation, Akishi was still a Daughter of Au and she hadn't been granted a title of The Manipulator for nothing. Her voice- through a combination of miracle and skill- remained soft and indulgent as she gently stroked the cheek of her- unfortunately- greatest prize as of late.
It turns out Ichika had, in fact, been the girl's name.
"But they won't be the one who brought others to me, will they?" Countered the serpent. "You will always be the one who found them for me, they can't do anything to change that. Everyone you bring in, everyone they bring in, it will all be because of you. Unless, of course, you cannot do this for me?"
"No!" The woman shook her head wildly, golden hair dancing in its wake. "No, of course I can do this for you. I will do this for you Akishi-Chan."
"Good, good." She smiled, that particular stretching of her new face still a feeling alien to her. "And you should not forget your family. If you repair your ties with them then you'll eventually be able to bring them to witness my glory.
"But-"
"And then they'll understand just how special you really are, dear Ichika-Chan. Doesn't that sound lovely?"
Emerald eyes sparkled with excitement telling Akishi that her prey had been hooked and the satisfaction it brought the ancient snake was something she'd not felt in a great many centuries.
This task of hers had its troubles and frustrations aplenty but it was moments like this that reminded her why she'd ever bothered to interact with humans in the first place. They really were such amusing little creatures sometimes.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 141-B "Pop Into Konoha"
Patron Release: 2021.07.31
Shinobi were picked out- not that she'd had many to choose between- orders had been given, and at this very moment teams should be moving to Kaze no Kuni to take over for the Konoha Shinobi who had been stationed there since shorty after Suna's failed attempt to invade Konohagakure.
For the first time in weeks Mei was able to lean back at her desk with a sense of completion and know that the initial steps to bringing Kirigakure- Shin-Kirigakure - back to being one of the five greater villages had been taken. Yagura was dead, the Wolves were gone, Kiri Shinobi were being employed by Konoha- or, more specifically, the Fire Daimyo- and buildings were starting to take shape close to the Kage tower.
Things were going well.
And then there was a knock at her door.
A moment to relax? Ha! The universe obviously thought that was some sort of joke and was here to deliver the punchline. Grumbling under her breath Mei moved from her reclaimed position to assume a more dignified posture and quickly shuffled the various papers on her desk into some semblance of order.
"Come in." Rather than one of her Shinobi or one of the clerks working to help organize the records- Yagura had been incredibly organized but it would seem some group better left unnamed had helped themselves to some of Kirigakure's files before they took their leave and the resulting mess was proving a nightmare to sift through.- she was greeted by the sight of a courier- escorted by one of her few Chunin, naturally- and not a regular one either.
Anyone, really, could be a courier, but usually the most successful couriers had some Shinobi training to utilize Chakra which sped up deliveries considerably and allowed them to defend their parcels. Then there were groups of couriers with specialized training specifically designed around delivery and these were, arguably, the most common to see going between villages.
What stood at the entryway to her office now was...extra. That was the first thing to come to mind. Wearing a formal kimono much more fine than anything she currently owned- not too surprising- and also easily superior to anything she had ever owned- which certainly stood out- and wearing a pair of geta that didn't seem to have a speck of mud on them despite the fact that everything in Kirigakure currently had mud on it spoke more of a visiting dignitary- and one visiting Daimyo rather than Kage at that- than any sort of courier.
The only reason she knew he was a courier was due to the wooden basket he held in one hand that proudly proclaimed it.
"Terumi Mei?" He inquired.
"That would be me."
With a nod he reached into his basket and removed a sealed letter. "This is for you." He moved to bring it to the desk only to be stopped by the Chunin at his side.
"You can hand it to Keyao-san, he'll bring it to me."
The courier frowned, thinking, before giving another nod. "Very well." He handed the letter over and gave a brief- and almost insultingly shallow- bow aimed somewhere between Mei and the Chunin before spinning on his Geta- mildly impressive- and seeing himself out of the tower.
Obviously he thought a delivery to a Kage was beneath him, but then again maybe that was because Kirigakure was still mostly a giant pile of rubble.
Or he was used to delivering to much more influential individuals which really did make Mei wonder what the hell he was doing delivering a letter to her. For that matter, who the hell was sending her letter in the first place? Asuma wouldn't bother spending what was obviously extra for such a delivery service- not that she thought much of the service but the presentation was still above and beyond what she'd have expected- when none of the other letters had received similar care. She doubted other Kage would either and the Daimyo were all notoriously stingy with their money.
Kage were military leaders as far as they were concerned- and they weren't wrong- and that meant letters between them were as minimalistic as they could get away with. They didn't waste fancy on Kage.
So who did that leave?
Mei took a break from her thoughts to inspect the letter as it was handed to her by the Chunin and almost couldn't believe the name or the return address neatly penned onto it.
Yakito Yua, Coral Palace, Nautilus Suite.
Yakito Yua was the name Haku used when on missions or sending letters to Mei but the Coral Palace was Namihime's luxury hotel, the sort of place dignitaries, ambassadors, and visiting Daimyo would stay. The sort of people who would use such an overdressed courier.
What in the world had that girl been up to these past few weeks that she could suddenly afford all of this? She hadn't married some noble boy, had she? Zabuza would raze the capital to the ground if he found out.
Opening the letter, she discovered the truth was far more distasteful.
Tsukuyomi of all people was covering her mission expenses. Tsukuyomi?! The Tsukuyomi that killed Yagura and set Kirigakure on fire before leaving with the contents of their treasury? That Tsukuyomi? And enough funding for Haku to be spending it like it was nothing?
What had the bastard done, give her Kirigakure's treasury back?
As soon as she considered that possibility she realized there was actually a fairly good chance that was the case and it only served to irritate Mei even further. He was funding their mission with the money he'd stolen from them.
He really was insane and just as much of a bastard Mei knew he was to be adding insult to their injury. Here they were struggling to get by and he's negligently throwing money towards one of her Kunoichi like it didn't matter which, to him, perhaps it didn't.
It was, after all, not his money.
It was only the fact that Mei knew Haku as well as she did that kept her from entertaining the thought that she might be bought out by the bastard but what if he did the same to other Kirigakure Shinobi? Would they be able to resist when the alternative was being sent away to Kaze no Kuni to work for very little pay out in the sun and heat?
Mei severely doubted it.
What she didn't doubt was how much she absolutely loathed that son of a bitch.
At least Haku wasn't going to need any financial support for her long term mission, though, and that was just about the only positive she could pull from this.
Still, might not be a bad idea to suggest the young woman be a bit more frugal and bring some of that funding back with her. Mei was not above using Tsukuyomi's 'generosity' to funnel Kirigakure's coffers back to where they belonged.
She, however, would be sticking to a standard courier service with her letter.
Naruko rubbed the bridge of her nose in a futile effort to ward off an oncoming headache and felt a sudden stabbing pity for her brother. Was this really the sort of thing he had to deal with on a regular basis? Biju who simply couldn't help but get into trouble?
More and more she found herself glad the Mito mostly kept to herself and was looked after by Naruto, though maybe forcing him to care for multiple Biju was a bit cruel on her part. She would need to find a way to help take some of that responsibility or, she supposed, maybe looking after his wayward Biju here in Konoha made up for it.
Was Karura supposed to be taking the position of her older sister because it certainly felt like it might be the other way around.
"Yes, Karura, it's very impressive that you've learned the Kage-Bunshin in a day," Admittedly, the fact that she was able to perform it with other people's Chakra was pretty damn impressive too. "But you do realize you're in Konoha, right? That's a long way from Naruto."
Teal eyes blinked, processing, but a wide grin still split the Ichibi's face a second later. "So I could help Naruto-Kun by delivering messages to people he still knows here?"
...Yeah, Naruko guessed that was one way to look at the situation.
"Or I could go after people he doesn't like and they won't be able to tie it to him because he's nowhere close!"
That was another way to look at it, though not one that made Naruko particularly comfortable.
"And it means I can visit you whenever I want!"
Probably the least damaging of the three, honestly, but certainly the biggest headache. The last thing Naruko needed was a Biju popping out of her while she was on a mission or standing before the Hokage. Explaining that would not be fun.
"Besides, it's not like I'm really gone. This is just a Kage-Bunshin. I dispel it and I'm right back in the seal." Karura's smile head for a second before giving way to a confused frown. "That's strange, I can't seem to reach the me in the seal."
"There was no you in the seal, when you performed the Jutsu you vanished from Mito's side."
"...Huh. I wonder if it was because I was in a different seal or because it wasn't my Chakra…."
Naruko proceeded to remind her of the more important question presented by the situation. "So if the real you isn't in the seal anymore, will you really return to Naruto when you dispel?"
"Ah….I have no idea." The Ichibi's sheepish grin might have been cute if Naruko wasn't stressing over the possibility of a permanent Biju resident in Konoha. Maybe Kakashi would be up to delivering a lost Tanuki back to her owner?
"Tou-Sama?" Naruto lowered his book and turned slightly to see Gaara standing in the doorway of his private library.
"Yes, Gaara?"
"Have...Have you seen Kaa-San?" That wasn't as clear a question as it probably should have been.
"Temari or Karura?" The young Daimyo sought clarification.
"Karura Kaa-San."
"I believe all her Kage-Bunshin dispelled earlier, if you were looking for one of them."
Gaara shook his head. "No, I thought she might be feeling a bit left out with her Kage-Bunshin about. I know they go back to her but I was going to keep her company until then."
The implications weren't hard to see but Naruto wanted to make sure he understood what his son was saying. "She's not in the seal?"
"I couldn't find her." Not exactly a yes but if Gaara hadn't been able to find Karura in the seal it stood to reason she wasn't in the seal. Unusual but not quite impossible.
"Did you stop by and check with Mito?" If Karura had been feeling a bit bored or lonely it was likely she had gone to visit her sister and that provided the most obvious answer for why she wouldn't be in her own seal.
"She wasn't there." Gaara hesitated for a second, obviously uncomfortable with what he was about to share. "...Aunt Mito wasn't there either."
….What?
It was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?
His shoes clicked against the black marble pathway leading to Mito's seal just as they used to every night all those years ago. Just like those days, he was here for Mito- specifically so he could then figure out where on earth Karura had gotten off to.
Naruto had no idea how any woman could manage to be such a handful even if she was a Biju. In fact, because she was a Biju- specifically a sealed Biju- she should have been less of a handful. Then again, if she wasn't she wouldn't exactly be his Karura. Like Anko- and a majority of the women he was close to, now that he thought about it- she had a tendency to cause a lot of trouble- and triple that in headaches- but he wouldn't trade them for anything.
He would appreciate at least a few days where they could all work together to stay out of trouble.
Or maybe not, because that would mean there would be several of them getting into mischief on all the other days. He wasn't sure he could handle that so perhaps it was better to have them constant but spread out.
He reached the bars that marked the boundary to Mito's seal and, as Gaara informed him, was greeted to an empty living space. He only spent a second to make sure he wasn't simply blind and, satisfied that his vision wasn't failing him, proceeded down the two steps that took him from the marble pathway to the wooden floors of Mito's room.
"Mito?" Naruto called her name into the air and was, unsurprisingly, met by silence. "Karura?" He spared a look behind him towards the portion of his own mindscape he had specifically barricaded so his sister didn't end up walking through it. It seemed to be in one piece still so it was unlikely they had gone that way but that left….ah, that's right. There was the rest of Mito's seal, wasn't there?
Wit ha thought he moved the bookshelves out of the way and looked distastefully at the murky waters that greeted him. Another thought created a wooden walkway just above it which was a much more attractive option. Now he just had to wonder just how far in they could have ended up.
How big was this place, anyway?
"Mito." The fox in question nearly yipped in surprise as her name was called out within her seal and her head lifted from arms that had rested across her knees to see Naruto making his way to the simple patio Karura had constructed.
"Naruto?"
"So this explains where you got off to," He spared a look around the dreary atmosphere. "Not that I understand why you would want to, but it doesn't seem like I've managed to find Karura yet."
As she suspected, he hadn't come looking for her but she had already known he wouldn't. Still, it would have been nice to have even a chance to pretend that had been the case.
"She's with Naruko at the moment." Mito pulled herself up from her sitting position, stretching out a kink in her back, and slowly approached her warden so he would have time to pull away if he chose to. Much to her joy he did not, though he didn't move any closer himself, but she still restrained herself to stopping several feet away instead of pushing her luck.
Close enough to have a normal conversation, perhaps, but not close enough to really be considered next to each other. It was a delicate sort of balance.
"I came to ask Naruko about learning and using the Kage-Bunshin and Karura came with me."
Naruto made a showing of looking around the flooded basement empty of sentient beings beyond the two of them and returned to raise a questioning brow at the eldest Biju.
"They're…..they're in the physical world, I suspect. Karura left first, eager to show Naruko what she could do, she took some of my Chakra because hers can't pass through the seal."
"...She made a Kage-Bunshin using your Chakra to enter the physical realm and she's left the seals completely?"
"As far as I can tell."
Goddamnit. And goddamn himself, too, for what he was about to try.
With a resigned sigh he made his request. "Mito, I'm going to need to borrow some of your Chakra." He almost hoped this wouldn't work because if it did he had absolutely no idea how he could possibly understand why.
Seals were marvelous tools but he didn't think there was a more frustrating, illogical art in existence.
If he hadn't had them on him since before he could speak he would never have touched the damned things.
Naruko was just considering the pros and cons of seeking out Kakashi so Karura could become his problem when there was another puff of smoke in her room. Naturally Mito was the next person to suspect- if Karura had been able to do that surely Mito could too- but she was not prepared for the smoke to dissipate leaving her brother in its wake.
He didn't seem like he had been entirely prepared for this outcome either.
"...Huh." Purple eyes blinked slowly as he tried to understand his current existence. They flickered up from examining himself to meet Naruko's blue. "You know, my body's actually in Nami no Kuni right now. This really shouldn't be possible."
But, of course, it was and why not? The primary function of seals- the thing they had been first used for- was to blur the laws of time and space which meant transporting something- even a consciousness- across a country or two wasn't all that spectacular in theory.
In practice, however, it went far beyond what humans were supposed to be able to do with them.
"If your body is in Nami but you're here, how do you expect to get back to it?"
Naruto considered that question for a moment as Karura rushed to embrace her beloved. Finally he admitted; "I have absolutely no idea. I didn't expect this to work." A pause. "I'm not even fully sure what I've just done."
Never before had Naruko been more certain that her choice of Kenjutsu over Fuinjutsu had been the right one.
In the end it was Karura who dismissed their clone body and found herself pulled back into her seal. Her attempts to reach out to Naruto, unfortunately, were unable to go through which meant she had to travel back though her seal, into Mito's seal, apologize to the fox for using her Chakra without permission, ask politely to borrow a bit more, and recreate her clone body back in Naruko's room in order to pass on her success.
Naruto, likewise, found himself back in his body desperately trying to puzzle out what was going on. Not being able to communicate between clones he sort of understood. Normally Karura and Isobu were using their own Chakra so it was all linked. Using someone else's Chakra for the clone didn't have that connection and therefore they couldn't share thoughts.
Seemed to make sense to him.
Why the primary conscious moved to that new clone instead of, well, being cloned, however, he hadn't the faintest idea. He was also very, very curious what would happen if he were to say seal the Mito-Karura Bunshin within someone else. Not that he had many options to perform such an experiment. Naruko was a potential temporary host due to being used to Mito's Chakra already, Kushina used to contain the Kyuubi so she probably had some tolerance built up when it came to the dangerous Youkai there were made up of, and Gaara currently had no biju within him and would be more than happy to have his mother- even in a clone, though it was still the primary her and by the gods this was starting to get weird- sealed within him again.
Naruko and Gaara, however, were both currently tied to his own seal already which just left Kushina if he wanted to try figuring out this tangled mess of interconnected seals and transferring consciousnesses into clones made from other people's Chakra.
Then again, maybe it could be said he already had enough projects on his plate at the moment and this was better off shelved until he could give it the time and attention it deserved.
Either way, this was beyond strange and he wasn't really sure what to think of it. If Naruko learned the Kage-Bunshin she could show up wherever he was so long as she could convince Karura or Isobu to lend her Chakra. Gaara could probably do the same. That also meant Naruto could appear wherever Gaara was, at least as a clone.
There were some interesting possibilities there, to be sure, but how practical were they really if he was going to be leaving an unconscious body behind whenever he did it?
….Unless there was a way to bring the body through as well, and then maybe you wouldn't need Chakra for a clone either. Seals were time and space, after all, so theoretically….
He needed to stop thinking about this before he found himself in a clone asking Kushina for help experimenting with this.
There were more important things he needed to be focused on like...Well, actually, a majority of the important things were actually handled by his clones.
...Were his clones okay after his little trip? A curious frown pulled at his lips as he rose from the couch and started for his office. There should be a clone in there assuming it had been unaffected by his impromptu experiment traipsing through seal-space.
His office door was open- as usual- and he leaned in the doorway to catch the attention of himself. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have been bothered by me projecting my consciousness into a Kage-Bunshin I created out of Mito's Chakra back in Konoha, were you?"
He stared at himself, expression blank, and when he opened his mouth to comment found himself pausing, closing his mouth and shaking his head with a sigh.
"You know what?" He asked himself. "I don't even want to know."
Huh, it felt really strange to be on the other end of that.
The worst part? He'd be experiencing this again from the other side when this clone dispelled.
Kage-Bunshin were convenient, no doubt, but let it not be said they didn't come with their fair share of drawbacks
.
There were no words to properly express the amount of effort exerted by Ao to maintain a neutral face as he sat in the mayor's office trying to arrange a supply chain for Kirigakure.
Fisherville. The place actually was called Fisherville.
What the fuck was wrong with people?
Not only was Ao going to have to….negotiate- and he nearly shivered in disgust at the very thought- but he was going to have to convince these people to change the name of their town. He really should have just taken Mei up on her original suggestion for him to be the Kage and her to be the diplomat.
All she would have to do to convince them was lean forward slightly. Ao knew, he'd seen it happen before. Not the sort of negotiation tactic he'd had in his day but damn if it hadn't proven much more effective.
He may be old and set in his ways but even he could admit when something had been improved upon and there was simply no comparison for Mei's persuasive ability.
Hana had hardly exited the carriage before Mai was upon her, flanked by Wolves who were quick to relieve her of her luggage.
"Uh, thanks? How have you been, Mai?"
"No time for that." Mai practically picked her up from the last step and pointed her towards the palace. "Nartuto moved all the offices to the palace, yours should be on the second floor. When you see Naruto in there make sure to give him a solid punch, okay?"
"Wha-what?"
If Mai had heard her she didn't make any show of it, idly making a showing motion with one hand and proceeding to the second carriage just as Sai's boots touched the ground. "Sai-"
"Ah, Mai, did you miss-"
"Second floor, find your office, punch Naruto if he's behind your desk, go."
He stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, catch up with you later."
"You're not even going to question it?" Hana asked as she caught up and fell into step with him.
"When she's in one of these moods?" He scoffed. "Not a chance. We'll have better luck asking Naruto when we see him."
Yeah, she could see the wisdom in that.
Didn't make her any less confused though.
"Uh, Naruto?"
The man in question looked up from behind his- her- desk. "Hana, welcome back. Did you enjoy your vacation?"
"Very much, yes, thank you." She hesitated. "Uh, Mai gave me some very specific instructions for when I ran into you here."
One red brow rose. "Really? What were they?"
Rather than answer verbally she approached the desk and, leaning over, socked him in the arm. It was hard to determine who was more surprised as her fist connected and he burst into smoke.
Oh, a Bunshin. Hana's fists found her hips. "Well why didn't she just say so?" She huffed. "That would have made things so much clearer."
Really, she probably could have just told it to dispel too but she suspected Mai had some sort of reason for wanting the clones punched. Well, Hana hoped she did at least. Still, using clones to do all the work required for Nami no Kuni? Her instincts told her that was a bad idea but at least on the surface everything seemed to have continued on just fine in her absence so maybe it hadn't been such a bad idea after all.
She supposed she would have to reserve judgement for after she had reviewed the work from the last month. Now the only real question was where the clone had been in these stacks of papers and how much was left.
Maybe she should have taken a few extra minutes to talk to it first but she really didn't want an angry Mai combining upo behind her and asking why it hadn't been punched yet.
She loved Mai like a sister- mostly because Sai was like a brother- but gods could that girl be scary.
"Naruto." Sai nodded as he entered, never breaking stride.
"Sai." The Naruto at his desk replied, nodding back but not removing his eyes from the expense report he was going over.
"Instructions from Mai."
"Hmm?" Before he could focus on Sai a fist connected to his face and he was forcefully dispelled leaving the report he was reading to slowly drift back down to the desk. Sai blinked at it curiously, fist still extended.
"Ah, yeah, that makes sense." He paused, frowning at the report. "...Maybe I should have let him finish that part first?" He asked himself. Would have been better than doing it himself only for Naruto to return it with the corrections that needed to be made. Could have saved everyone some time.
Whoops.
With a shrug, and a resigned sigh, Sai took his place at his desk and resumed Naruto's work.
Or, his work that Naruto had been doing. Semantics, really.
A memory interrupted his sentence, carrying with it the phantom pain of being punched in the arm by a certain Inuzuka heiress, and was quickly followed by another in which Sai punched him in the face.
Before Naruto could dwell on it too much a third memory suggested Mai chucking an empty coffee mug at his head in his office and seconds later the doors to the upper floor dining room were thrown open by the same young woman. She marched across the room and around the table- completely ignoring a curious Rasa- and grabbed Naruto by the arm before proceeding to drag him out of his seat and back through the door.
"Hana and Sai are back, you're done for the day, and you'll be taking the week off." Was her only explanation.
"And that couldn't wait until I finished the meeting I was currently in?" Despite his question he didn't actually make any attempt to resist her as she guided him behind her.
She paused and turned back to Rasa as if seeing him for the first time. "Thank you, good meeting, goodbye." Meeting adjourned she continued in her quest to pull him as far away from any potential work as she could reasonably manage.
"We'll talk later, Rasa, but feel free to check out the academy. I'm sure Orochimaru wouldn't mind too much if you were to start running it."
The man nodded slowly, wondering who was actually in charge of this place, and was able to make out the "Daimyo's" voice as it moved down the hallway.
"I suppose I have you to thank for Sai punching me in the face, then?"
"It was the quickest way to stop you from doing any more work."
"And that's why you dragged me off from my meeting with Rasa?"
"You're done working for the day." She repeated.
"This was the only work I've done today."
Rasa could feel the young woman's glare through the wall and he wasn't even the recipient.
"It doesn't count if you have three clones who are working."
Naruto shrugged which Rasa couldn't see but could certainly hear in the young man's voice. "Sure it does."
The former Kazekage wondered how much longer it would be until the girl ended up killing him -
Or marrying him.
Rasa couldn't quite decide which one seemed more likely.
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