Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 143-A "Pets"
Patron Release 2021.08.23
In the end it had ended up being Tsunade who was tied to a bed- Naruto's bed, in fact- and Shizune had- much to everyone's surprise- decided to show just how wild the quiet ones could be. Tsunade hadn't seemed to mind and no one else in the room had either except, perhaps, a mortified Hinata.
The nude massage had already been pushing the limits of what his little lamb could handle but the things Shizune was getting up to with her master? The poor girl's mind had practically fried on the spot.
They left her in Kakashi's room to recover- being one of the few rooms on the upper floor not otherwise occupied- and the rest of the group- sans a still very busy Shizune and Tsunade- had migrated back to Anko's room. The bed wasn't nearly as big which had been an interesting hurdle to overcome but Anko and Tayuya seemed content to swap out to go check on- see: watch - the two in Naruto's room.
He didn't know for sure- yet, anyway- but Naruto was fairly confident that at least one of them- Anko, specifically- had joined them at least once.
He'd probably find out soon enough if that was the case- Anko loved to kiss and tell- but for now that would have to remain a mystery.
Also a mystery was how they had all fit into the bed afterwards- everyone but Tayuya, from the looks of it. Either she had retreated back to her room or had fallen asleep in his room- when the bed should have held at most two- maybe three- of them. As he slipped from the edge to free himself from the tangle of bodies, however, their numbers had most certainly exceeded that.
Anko, Temari...Tsunami?...He….he didn't remember her joining in. Maybe she joined after they had gone to sleep? No, that can't have been right. Anko had slipped out at some point, had his Fang brought back Tsunami with her? That was something Anko would have done. He supposed it didn't much matter. With Tsunami and himself that was four but Karura had also created a clone to join them when she heard what they were up to and the Karura in his head had demanded some attention while her clone was getting to know Temari better.
Fortunately that Karura hadn't taken up any more of the bed's very limited space.
Four people was simply too much for Anko's poor bed. They were probably fortunate it hadn't broken at some point. With a shake of his head Naruto began searching the dark room for his clothes- a pair of pants, at the least- and nearly tripped over another figure asleep on the floor.
Oh. Yeah. He blinked in the dark- not that it helped much- as he remembered one of the Wolves joining in. Chizuru had been more than happy to take orders from Anko- and the other girls, now that he thought about it- throughout the night. He wasn't sure if she was on the floor because she had fallen off or if she had- for some reason- chosen to sleep there. For some reason the latter wouldn't actually surprise him and he realized that should be more concerning than he found it.
He chalked it up to too much time spent in the company of Anko.
Not that it should serve as a valid excuse, he just didn't have any other explanation to offer.
Stepping carefully over her sleeping figure- he'd found his pants, he just didn't think he'd be able to get her to surrender them without waking her up- he made for the door and escaped into the light of the hallway.
Even as early in the morning as it was- He was pretty sure it was close to three but Anko didn't actually have a clock in her room which explained a great deal- the lights were still as bright as ever. Top floor or no the palace never actually slept and there was always someone somewhere going about their business. From Wolves on patrol to servants tidying up while things were quiet and even an S-Ranked puppet tinkering with things on the third floor through the night- Sasori, Naruto had learned, didn't actually require sleep seeing as he was only alive in the barest of senses- the chances of the entire palace being asleep at the same time was so slim that it trespassed into the realm of impossibility.
Even so, that hardly meant Naruto had expected to be greeted by the sight of someone as he edited the den of debauchery- as Anko's room was so fondly called by the Wolves- but that's exactly what he found.
They weren't quite awake but they hadn't drifted off to sleep just yet and, of course, that hair was unmistakable.
"Gaara." At the sound of his name the boy stirred, bleary eyes blinking to clear themselves and then widening as they recognized the person they were looking at. The former Ichibi Jinchuriki scrambled up from his position against the wall and rushed over to his father. "Why aren't you in bed?"
"Ah….I wanted to tell you something."
"It couldn't wait until morning?" Even as Naruto asked he reached up to ruffle Gaara's hair. It was getting pretty long these days, he was sure the Wolves were going to absolutely adore the chance to have another head of hair to play with.
Gaara paused at that, as if considering for the first time whether his news was that important that he'd need to sleep in a hallway waiting for his father to wake up..
"...It is morning."
Naruto gave a quiet bark of laughter, further ruffling his son's hair, and accepted his defeat. He couldn't really argue with that.
"So it is. What did you need to tell me?"
"I just wanted to let you know that Sobo has invited us all to dinner. Isobu-Chan too."
"Oh, okay." Naruto nodded, starting down the hallway. He could brave his own room for a pair of pants or he could slip into Kakashi's room and take one of his. Hell of a surprise for Hinata if she woke up, though, so maybe his room was a better option unless some of Kakuro's were in Gaara's room. He could probably fit into-
Wait.
"...Sobo…?" He asked, pausing mid-step. His thought immediately went to the only woman in the world he knew of that would legitimately qualify for that position but that seemed unlikely. When would he have met her of all people? Then again, the only other person who might claim that name would be Mikoto but why would she invite them to dinner when she was here in Nami?
Gaara nodded in agreement though Naruto couldn't see it. "Mmhm, she said she wanted to hear from you how you and Kaa-San met."
….Temari mentioned that he might be in Konoha, didn't she? He'd sort of been distracted in the many hours since but now he seemed to distinctly recall that. Why was Karura...Actually, no, that was a bad question. Trying to figure out the motives of that woman was impossible because half the time she didn't have any.
Biju, Naruto knew from experience, did not pause to consider consequences. At least, none of those he'd met ever seemed to.
"Gaara…?"
"Yes, Tou-San?"
"Are you talking about Kushina-Sobo?"
"Mmhm, Aunty's probably going to be there too. She's really smart."
He was really going to need to sit down with Karura and lay down some ground rules when it came to utilizing her clones - And to see what, exactly, she had agreed to with Kushina.
Maybe he should just go back to bed, he really didn't feel like dealing with this at the moment.
While he did end up going to his bedroom Naruto unfortunately couldn't utilize his bed at the moment as it was otherwise occupied. He'd managed to make it into his closet to grab a pair of pants and halfway back to his door before he was noticed by a bleary-eyed medic. She stared at him for a few seconds- during which he stared right back-until she realized what she was seeing.
It took another second or two for her to realize she was just as dressed as he was and with a startled 'eep' she dove for a nearby sheet to hold to her chest. Tsunade was still completely asleep- though it did look like she had been untied at some point- and equally naked.
"N-naruto?!" Shizune's gaze flickered around the room and her eyes widened as she realized it wasn't hers.
"Relax." He lifted up the pants he had retrieved, visible as little more than a dark shape in the moonlight coming through half-rawn curtains, and gave sort of a half-shrug as if this sort of situation should have been expected and was completely normal. "I just needed a pair of pants."
Tossing them over his shoulder he continued to the door. "Do Tsunami a favor and bundle up the bedding by the door when you and Tsunade are done, will you?" He looked back just in time to receive a tentative nod in response and that was good enough for him.
"Anko was right," He muttered as he left the room. "It is always the quiet ones."
Shizune's blush nearly provided as much illumination as the moon, fortunately the only other occupant remaining was fast asleep.
Still, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to look her employer straight in the face again after this.
Kabuto and Rasa looked down at the students as they filed into the bottom floor of the academy and greeted their Oto instructors. Several Wolves lingered around the walls paying various amounts of attention to the future Nami Shinobi gathered in the room. Some, they knew, were posted here to provide Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Hana, and Sai reports on progress and it was just as likely that at least one Wolf here was specifically reporting to each of them.
The others were just here because they were bored. Neither of them knew how watching academy students could ever be considered 'entertaining'- and a majority of academy personnel they had interacted with both here in Nami and in their own home villages shared a similar opinion- but none of the trainers ever attempted to force them out and they generally minded their own business.
The academy head had mentioned that the Wolves had actually stepped in to help with instruction on several occasions and that the students- or a large number of them, anyway- seemed especially receptive to the teachings of their liberators.
To Rasa and Kabuto it was an obvious sign that these students weren't being brought up as Shinobi so much as they were being prepped to be a new generation of Wolves. Of the two only Kabuto was aware that there was already another generation being trained at one of Otogakure's many outposts. He didn't know how that was going but considering most of the recruits had been Oto Shinobi with existing Shinobi training he could only imagine the process had been sped up more than a little.
There was still the matter of making them as fanatical as the original Wolves were but if anyone could inspire fanaticism it was Tsukuyomi.
He wondered how that was supposed to work when Naruto- as far as he was aware- had never visited the outpost.
On second thought he probably didn't want to know.
"I'm slightly surprised he didn't just assign Wolves as the instructors." Rasa commented. Some of the students down there were older than most academies would typically train but as this was the first generation of Nami no Kuni he supposed it wouldn't have made much sense to completely restrict their potential forces to eight year olds. Still, some of them were in their early teens already and a group near the back seemed to be made up of three young men and a young woman who were all approaching twenty.
They probably wouldn't become spectacular Shinobi- it had been too long without training their bodies to utilize Chakra- but if they trained hard enough they could make solid Chunin. Chances were they would remain as Shinobi guard here in Nami maintaining a presence and ready to defend it but that was certainly better than them becoming fishermen or merchants as far as Rasa was concerned.
It made him wonder if Suna shouldn't have tried to train up more of their populace or at least reached out to some of the smaller Kaze no Kuni settlements and trained them to defend themselves to reduce the number of desert patrols Suna had to maintain.
Unfortunately Rasa would never know the answer to that.
"If he did that he couldn't pull the Wolves away for other things." Kabuto had also considered this but he'd had more time here in Nami to think about it. Hell, he had directed the creation of this outpost and academy and had hand-picked the instructors at Orochimaru's command. "It also gives the Oto Shinobi something to do while stationed there. I can't imagine he'd allow his patrols and defences to be composed primarily of foreign Shinobi even if they were hand picked by Orochimaru himself."
Rasa nodded, that made sense to him.
"Still," He pondered aloud. "Why an academy and not just Wolf training? Is he planning on training twice to bring them up to standard or will he just not train them as Wolves in the end? Good habits need to be ingrained early and even I can tell the training the Wolves received didn't start at an academy level."
"Training twice is an option, we're trying that elsewhere, but I do believe the main purpose of this academy is to help the populace of Nami feel like they aren't defenceless."
On one hand that would help the populaces confidence, especially when their city was still filled with Wolves and perhaps would help them feel secure if the Wolves were pulled away for something else but at the same time if anyone resented the presence of the Wolves and the self-appointed rule of Tsukuyomi then that training could be turned against them.
They would know what they'd been trained in, sure, but all that really had to be done was attacking the rest of the populace as 'traitors' to Nami, That would destroy the economy and drive away Wolf supporters until Nami wasn't as much of a country as it was just a very large military base.
The Wolves' global operations would be crippled by a lack of funding and they would have a very difficult time supporting themselves with no trade and no production. Not to mention if another group was to support those rebels. It was a massive recipe for disaster just waiting to be baked and it seemed like something a bit too obvious to have gone completely unexpected by Tsukuyomi or his command team.
Rasa went silent for a full minute before quietly commenting; "It's almost as if he wants some of them to revolt."
Raising a brow towards the former Kazekage, Kabuto ran it over in his head and shrugged. "Maybe he does."
Orochimaru's right-hand was more used to such schemes and manipulations and as such the atrocities that followed weren't worth a moment's thought. Gods knew Orochimaru had allowed head researchers to think they were getting around him only to learn upon trying to break away that he'd been in control the whole time.
Rasa, however, was understandably a bit more concerned with that possibility.
Tsukuyomi was, after all, now technically his boss.
At least he wasn't on a boat.
There was silence between them, only the distant murmur of the instructors below filling the air, before Kabuto had a question of his own.
"So if you're taking control of Nami's future Shinobi does that make you the Namikage?"
Rasa didn't even try to stifle his groan, unable to escape the accursed water, and the poor student suffered for it as the instructors took that to mean he was dissatisfied with their performance.
Perhaps not the best first impression to make.
He was supposed to be on vacation according to Mai but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. In this case, anyway. Slipping into his office chair, Naruto deliberately ignored a small stack of reports that had evidently managed to slip past whatever blockade Mai was trying to set up for the next week and instead picked up a letter addressed to him.
He'd been wondering how long it would take for this to show up.
Breaking it open- it was unmarked save his name, naturally- he pulled out the rather short letter and an additional few sheets of paper folded behind it. Perfect, it looked like he was willing to play nice from the beginning, that should save him a headache later.
The letter, like the man who penned it, was direct and no-nonsense. So direct, in fact, that if the author had ignored the greeting and closing a third of the letter would be gone.
'Naruto,
Intel. Report on Anko.
-Ibiki'
It looks like the man was only able to go for so long without knowing what sort of trouble Anko might be getting into. From what Anko had said about him over the years it was both the concern of a father or elder brother and the paranoid self-preservation of a man who made her his second in command just to make sure he would be aware of anything she was doing that could end up harming him.
Mostly the second, in all honesty, but there was enough of the first that Naruto really would hate to have to eliminate the man if it came down to it. For Anko's sake hopefully it wouldn't.
'Now,' He wondered, a grin very reminiscent of a certain pair of snakes spreading across his face. 'Just how detailed do I want to be about Anko's recent activities?'
He wasn't really sure how Ibiki would react but he was willing to bet quite a lot that it would probably be worth being a fly on the wall of his office when he received his 'desired' report.
….Maybe he could have Kakashi observe it with his Sharingan and share it via Genjutsu at some point? It would certainly be worth a second letter…
He checked the clock, frowned in thought, and then nodded his head. Yeah, he had time to write them both before Mai caught him.
Probably.
Doto looked down at the report, cocked his head, frowned, and then snapped his gaze up to one of his nearby attendants.
"You, fetch me a map."
"A- a map?"
Doto's expression immediately became a glare nearly powerful enough to cause physical harm. "Do you not know what a map is?! Go, now!"
"Yes, Doto-Sama. Of course, Doto-Sama." A series of frantic bows preceded the attendant turning tail and running off to locate the desired map.
Smearing in undisguised disgust, Doto's attention returned to the reports Hyuran had managed to compile for him. Something wasn't quite right. Setting them down on his side table he picked up the initial estimates for the project and skimmed over the projected numbers until the attendant returned with a rolled up map in one hand and two of his fellows carrying a table following closely behind.
They set down the table and the map was rolled out to show Doto the entirety of his country in the best detail Yuki no Kuni cartographers had ever managed. With a wave of his hand the three were dismissed and Doto rose from his throne- pausing to collect the reports again- to start mapping out the current rail system.
The minutes passed in silence interrupted only by the sound of the Daimyos' pen scratching over the map. Hyuran did his best to seem both relaxed and attentive, trying to keep an eye on what Doto was doing without staring at the man. He wasn't sure what the Daimyo had seen but hopefully it wasn't something that was going to cause problems for him. As far as he knew they had met all their goals throughout the project- even if only barely in a lot of cases.
Doto looked up and over his shoulders at one of the guards. "Retrieve the records of the resource authorization I sent to the treasury for the railway."
Smarter than the attendant the guard snapped off a quick salute and marched off to carry out the orders. In response the rest of the guards shifted to evenly cover the room. Juugo wondered why they bothered. They were set up against the walls, if anyone there wanted to kill Doto it would be done before they could make it halfway across the room.
Then again, perhaps some sort of revolt wasn't far from possibility and the guards were there solely to keep others out. That was probably more likely.
When the guard returned with the desired records and a nervous looking treasurer in tow they went straight to a suspicious Doto who took a second to look over his copy of his orders and the amounts reported by the railroad. A raised eyebrow had the treasurer sweating and it wasn't hard for Doto to see what had happened.
"That would explain...quite a bit." He commented, eyes narrowed at the squirming man. "Get this thing out of my sight." Doto gestured to the treasurer. "I knew it was taking too much for this project."
The treasurer didn't even try to plead as the guard dragged him off, knowing it was probably more likely to dig himself a bigger hole than do anything to help him. Right now his only hope was that Doto forgot about him entirely but considering he'd been stealing from the man, well, that was highly unlikely.
Doto returned to his map. Checked the reports, and then gave a satisfied nod. "You've gone much farther with less resources than I had realized." He commented. "At these figures, it won't be nearly the burden I expected when your idea was first proposed."
He pointed to a bored Juugo. "You're in charge of this project going forward, get the trains ready to handle high traffic from the lake to the capital." His attention turned to the just-replaced Hyuran. "And you'll be moved to overseeing the resort. I'll have my architects out there to start making plans. When I approve them you'll be in charge of making sure they come to being exactly as planned, understood?"
"Of course, Doto-Sama…" Hyuran shifted a bit, an odd look for such a large man. "And if we run into issues the architects didn't account for….Who would you like me to bring them to the attention of?"
"The architects, anything you need to change goes through them and is approved by me. If I haven't signed it you don't do it. Is that clear enough for you?"
"Absolutely, I'll ensure it's taken care of."
Doto nodded. "Good, you're both dismissed. I expect everything to be up in the next month."
Hyuran froze as he heard that. A month? He was going to have to light a fire under the asses of the architects-
His gaze shifted over to a perfectly calm Juugo.
And a few more of that sort, too, if he wanted to make such a deadline. He wondered if he could fit that into his budget.
Or maybe Juugo could reach out to some friends, that would probably be better for both him and his pocketbook.
"Run it by me again, Karura."
"It's not that complicated, beloved." The Biju teased from her position on his lap. "Your mother has invited us and our children to dinner and I want to go." She paused before supporting her argument with two very unfair advantages; "Gaara would like to spend more time with his Sobo too and if I were to tell Isobu…"
She left it hanging almost like a threat. Karura wasn't the most clever of women but damn if she didn't have her inspired moments. If she told Isobu that they were invited to spend time with Sobo- whom Isobu probably didn't even know existed at the moment- and then followed with that by saying he was the only reason they couldn't he wouldn't be hearing the end of it from his little turtle until he eventually caved in and took her to meet her Sobo.
In short, it meant they would be going no matter what, the only thing they were determining now was how difficult Karura was going to be able to make things until then.
"...And you're aware this is the woman who tried to bribe me back into the clan with the prospect of a young woman as a slave, yes?" Two, technically, but he didn't need to bring that part up.
Karura seemed to think about it for a moment. "...And you said no?"
Mmm, yeah, she probably would enjoy having a young woman to boss around and wouldn't have minded having them as competition for his attention. It helped that she didn't really need to compete due to her position as the mother of his adopted children but the fact that she was simply happy to get any attention at all only worked further in her favor for that.
And who was he kidding? She would have especially enjoyed being able to take command of a young woman in the bedroom.
"Yes."
"You said yes?" Her eyes darted around as if searching for this mysterious slave of his.
"Yes I said no." A disappointed pout was her response. She cheered up a second later.
"But we could get one, couldn't we?"
Technically they did, the girls under Tsunami's command weren't exactly free to leave- not after all the expense the Wolves went to in order to procure, feed, and house them for so long- but he didn't need to subject them to a playful Biju either.
They at least deserved that small mercy.
"I don't think you're quite responsible enough for a pet, dear." Her pout only became more pronounced and she crossed her arms with a huff.
"I'm plenty responsible, beloved, do you forget that I care for our two children?"
His look was amused. "Gaara's old enough to take care of himself and has Temari looking after him and Isobu is a Biju, while I'm sure she enjoys your attention and the affections you shower her with she hardly needs to be cared for when she can create whatever she needs in her portion of the seal."
"I can too take care of someone." She declared. "Get me someone and I'll prove it to you."
"I'm not going to waste a person on that."
"A normal pet then," Was her counter. "A dog or cat or rabbit or something."
"That's probably animal cruelty." His comment earned a slap to his chest.
"I can do it, really!"
"Fine." If it made her happy and helped convince her that a human pet was a bad idea then the life of an animal was a small price to pay. "I'll find something for you." Maybe a fish, that couldn't get into too much trouble could it?
And, if he was really lucky, it might even distract her from-
"Oh, good, you're the best Beloved." She clapped in excitement and then proceeded to pepper his face with a multitude of butterfly kisses. "We can find one in Konoha after dinner with your mother. I hear the Inuzuka have a pet shop with all kinds of things."
Damnit, he was really hoping that would slip her mind in the excitement of a new pet.
Looks like he was going to be heading back to Konoha for a few hours.
Idly he wondered if Mai would accept that as his vacation. Couldn't hurt to try.
He was suddenly reminded of a coffee cup he'd had a recent encounter with and rubbed his forehead against the phantom pain. Well, maybe it could.
But damn if she didn't have a good throw.
"...Fuck." Ganju stared at the shore, no change visible to the naked eye. "That was way easier."
Beneath his feet a base was up and ready to be inhabited by the Moon Reading Man and he hadn't had to lift a single shovel of dirt to make it happen. Knowing a Sannin could be awfully convenient but of course he should have known that. Why else would Tsukuyomi associate with all three of them?
"So...I guess we can let Tsukuyomi-Sama know the good news?"
"I'll carry the message." Katsuri volunteered immediately and it wasn't a mystery to anyone why. Guren didn't look too pleased about that- probably because she wasn't going to be able to tease the woman about not being the one to spend time with Tsukuyomi- but Orochimaru looked amused.
"And who says I won't be the one to do so?" He asked. It still felt weird thinking of this little Genin as one of the legendary Sannin but Ganju had seen stranger.
"...Because you have other projects you have to complete?" There was more than a little hope in Katsuri's answer and it caused the man to think. Figuring out the body issue would be quite a gift for his prince and Naruto had given him permission to take as long as he needed on this trip.
So...why not?
"I suppose you're right." He admitted. "There are some things I can look into while I'm away from Nami and I'd hate to keep Naruto waiting for such good news..."
Katsuri didn't even wait, she was already heading back to camp to grab her things and even that was only through force of will. She was tempted to just head straight for Nami. If she pushed herself she could get there before dinner tomorrow.
Unfortunately if she did that she wouldn't be doing anything else for a few days either which defeated the purpose of going back to Nami in the first place.
She needed time with Tsukuyomi Tou-Sama, damnit, and she blamed Anko for it.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 143-B "Color Coordination"
Patron Release 2021.09.03
"I'll be spending the evening in Konoha," Naruto spoke as soon as Mai came through his door, no doubt drawn by whispers of the Wolves that he was dressing up. He indulged a pair of them now, one working on his tie while the other smoothed down his suit.
Mai stopped as his words reached her ears, a puzzled expression settling on her face. "...I expected you to take a break from your work." She eventually voiced. "I didn't think you would use your vacation to travel." He was welcome to, of course, it was only right that his vacation allowed him the same- though honestly it should be more- freedoms as everyone else's had.
She simply hadn't considered he might want to go anywhere and, as such, had not prepared a guard for him, sorted out transportation, or even had the most basic of itineraries prepared.
Mai also had absolutely know idea where he might be going until just now. She honestly didn't know why he had chosen Konoha when they had only left the village a month ago so unless he was trying to combine a vacation with work- which was just like him- she couldn't think of any reason for him to choose Konohagakure as his vacation destination.
But...he had specifically said 'this evening', was he going to make it all the way to Konoha in the next hour or two? That was a hell of a tall order for even the quickest of Shinobi.
"I hadn't planned on it." He admitted but he felt no need to elaborate.
"I...see..." She really didn't. "Will you be there long?"
"A few hours, I suspect." The two Wolves finished their preening and he thanked both of them by reaching up and rubbing the tops of their heads. They didn't have to lean down quite as far as they used to, Mai noted absently. "I'd prefer to keep it down to one but that would be bordering on rude and while I really don't want to go in the first place I'd hate to disappoint the kids."
"Of course." She contemplated just coming out and asking for a few seconds before going for it. "Why is it you'll be in Konoha?"
He turned just enough to meet her gaze, both brows rising slightly. "Ah, yes, forgot to mention this but it was only brought to my own attention recently." A faint, amused snort left him. "Karura and Gaara did, in fact, go to Konoha and came back with an invitation from the Uzumaki matriarch to join her for dinner."
"...Your mother." Yes, she could understand now why he might not want to attend.
He nodded. "The same. Karura is quite adamant on going, adamant enough to threaten me with a crying Isobu and I know Gaara is looking forward to spending more time with new family. I swear every time I turn around he's added more members to it."
Mai tried very hard to keep her amusement to herself, hiding her smile behind one hand, but it still came out in her voice. "Remind you of anyone else, Tsukuyomi-Sama?"
The young Daimyo thought about it for a second, the similarities making themself known, and he didn't bother hiding his own grin.
"I suppose he does, I wonder where he gets it from."
"From you of course, beloved." A beaming Karrua swept into the room, appreciative eyes roving over the black suit Naruto was currently wearing. The Ichibi had also decided on black, her sleeveless dress simple and form-fitting with a splash of color in the form of a silver necklace of hanging rubies. Isobu was held in one arm, resting against her mother's hip, her usual white sundress now black with a teal ribbon. Her hat was nowhere to be seen.
Gaara trailed behind dressed in a suit almost identical to his father's, the only difference being the color of his shirt and tie. Naruto had gone with a deep indigo shirt- which Mai just now realized matched Karura's eyes as well as her rubies matched his hair- and a simple blue tie while Gaara had donned a blue shirt and purple tie.
It was very nearly opposite until Mai realized the purple of Gaara's tie was closer to Naruto's eyes and both of their blues matched one of Isobu's eyes exactly. Now that she was looking more closely, that teal wrapping around Isobu's dress matched Gaara's eyes, too, and it took her a second to actually match a thought to the realization.
Were they color coordinated? Really?
For some reason she didn't think that had been Naruto's idea but he had surprised her before so maybe it had been. Karrua never did strike her as someone who paid much heed to the world around her- probably because she was a Biju - so the idea that she would insist on color coordination was less likely.
But if Naruto and Karura hadn't suggested it who had?
Whoever it was, Mai did have to admit that it had been a good call. The group gathering around Naruto looked really good, a little family dressed up for an outing. Perhaps a bit overdressed considering they were going to go see his biological family but it was certainly a unified front and made it abundantly clear that this was Naruto's family.
Or, one of them, at least.
That actually led to an interesting line of thought. Did Naruto just have one massive family or was the reality closer to several families with him at the center of them all in some sort of strange venn diagram? She was starting to lean towards the latter, it seemed to fit better.
"You all look very nice" Mai complimented them. She didn't have much experience with any of them, truth be told, but she knew they were important to Naruto and that was good enough for her to try to maintain at least a neutral standing with them.
Considering two of them Naruto considered his children maybe it should be more than just neutral but she wasn't sure how close she wanted to get to a woman who made her feelings for Naruto abundantly clear.
With some of the others it could be hard to tell what the relationship is- her own had been much the same which made it much easier for her to relate to those girls- but Karrua left absolutely no room for doubt. The Biju absolutely adored Naruto and considered him more or less her husband.
Whether Naruto felt the same Mai had no idea but that wasn't the point, she wasn't sure she really wanted to be getting close to someone who was going to be talking about Naruto as if the two were married. Even thinking about it just felt….wrong. Naruto? Married? Mai just couldn't see it but, looking at the four individuals in similar clothing getting ready for a night in Konoha she almost could.
Still didn't feel right.
Karura's beaming smile turned to Mai, nothing but love and pride in those indigo eyes. "Don't they all just look fantastic? I may just have to have Naruto-Kun get a painting commissioned."
"I'm sure it would look very nice in Naruto's office." Mai remained diplomatic. Why didn't she have a painting of herself with Sai and Naruto? Or just her and Naruto? Or just Naruto?
Now that she thought about it, she didn't even have a picture of Naruto.
….Did anyone have a picture of Naruto? As far as she was aware Naruto didn't really get his picture taken and none of the Wolves walked around with cameras. Despite the chaos it would undoubtedly cause Mai found herself almost tempted to go secure a few for the various guard shifts so they could take pictures of him.
If not for the potential of a majority of them to end up being more than a little inappropriate- or invasive- she would do so.
Then again, there was a good chance Naruto wouldn't care. It's not like he tried to keep any of his life private as it was. At least not from the Wolves.
If he wasn't always in the palace she wasn't sure how much effort he'd actually go to in order to keep it from the public, either. He'd probably go about everything the exact same way so perhaps his preference not to leave was for the best.
They didn't need Tsukuyomi walking naked down the streets of Nami just because Anko had gotten a bit too handsy in an alley and his clothes had been torn apart. She didn't like dwelling on just how high the odds of that happening were, mainly because it certainly exceeded 100%
Karura clapped excitedly, practically bouncing in place. "Oh! What an excellent idea!" The Biju turned to Naruto, eyes, begging, and he was quick to acquiesce before she could start begging.
"We'll have a picture commissioned, Karura, but not now. Maybe Sai would be interested in a project."
Mai's brows rose at the suggestion. Her brother did like to paint- it's the reason they had opened up an art shop- but she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him actually do it. Part of that, undoubtedly, was due to how little she actually saw her brother these days but even then she should have heard of his latest paintings. He probably just hadn't had the time but Mai was sure Naruto would be more than willing to make time with the help of a clone or two so Karura could get her painting.
Naruto's answer was rewarded by a quick- but certainly not chaste- kiss from the excited Biju and Mai realized that this Karura was taller than those she'd been seeing. It looks like she had been practicing, though she still only came up to Naruto's chin and had to practically leap onto him in order to reward his willingness to provide what she had asked for.
"So you're all off to Konoha then?" Mai found herself asking. "How did you plan to travel?" Maybe the Biju had some method of getting them there quickly.
"We'll go through Naruko's seal, of course." Was the answer she received from Kaura. "It's the fastest and easiest way."
Mai tilted her head to the side curiously.
"If you're going through the seal you'll be utilizing Kage-Bunshin, right?" She was pretty sure she had the basics of that situation down.
Gaara nodded. "We'll use Aunty Mito's Chakra to make a Kage-Bunshin."
"..Then why are you getting all dressed up? Wouldn't the Kage-Bunshin match whatever form you took in the seal?" She was pretty sure that, as a mental representation within the seal, they could look however they pleased.
"We should be able to do that," Naruto shrugged. "But doing it this way makes sure. I've never tried to form a Kage-Bunshin that was dressed in something different and don't want to be experimenting on the way to a dinner we've been invited to."
That made a certain amount of sense, Mai could admit, but it didn't explain Isobu or Karura quite so much when they were always within the seal. As she understood it, the two originals were there now and these clones were mentally separate for the moment..
"It's also so they could make sure everyone looks right before they left." Another voice spoke behind her and Mai turned just enough to see Temari walk into the room, her eyes flickering over the gathered family to examine their outfits. After a moment she gave a satisfied nod. "Excellent, you all look amazing. I told you the colors would work well like this."
That made a bit more sense and Mai had her answer for the source of the color coordination but she also couldn't help but notice that Temari was wearing a dress very much like the one Karura was wearing and a similar necklace spilled down her neck with amethyst that matched Naruto's eyes.
Mai rose a questioning brow over to Naruto only to see him raising one in Karura's direction. Apparently he had noticed as well.
"She's also Gaara's mother," Was Karura's defence. "She's as much a part of this family as anyone else and it felt wrong not to invite her to come along." What she didn't mention was that this was also her way of repaying Temari's kindness in thinking of her the following night during their Naruto-time. She'd been unavailable initially, of course, but she was still thankful that her..sister, she supposed...had been thinking of her. "Kushina did want to meet the entire family, after all."
Mai tried to not let it show how much those words affected her. Sure, she may not have been a part of Karura's family but she didn't like the idea that she might not be a part of Naruto's.
"I'd love to be a part of it," Said Temari. "But it is, of course, your decision."
"How is she even going to join you?" Came Mai's question. "I know the rest of you can go through the seal-" even if she had absolutely no idea how that was possible. "-but are you able to just bring anyone through?" That could be very useful if that was the case. Maybe not too terribly practical for everything, but definitely a tool that could be applied in the future.
If it was possible.
"Well I figured Naruto could just give her a seal tied to mine and we'd draw her in that way."
Mai's curious look settled on the man in question. "You can do that?"
Naruto's attention remained on Temari. "I could certainly try." He was leaving the ball in her court for this one. She was, after all, the one who was to be affected and while Karura seemed to want this too if Temari wanted to join them this way she was going to have to accept a seal that might not even work as intended.
Sealkeeper was amazing but Naruto had no idea how they even managed to use the seals in the manner they had been so he had no idea what a seal on Temari would need to do in order to allow her to do the same.
Beyond just hoping "A seal that lets her enter Karura's seal" was good enough for his father's masterpiece to work with. Possibly but the vagueness of function was still slightly unsettling.
"If it lets me join I don't really mind," She shrugged. "It won't take long, will it? I'd hate to make you late when we've spent so much time getting you all ready."
"Only a minute or so, though we won't have time to test it." Naruto looked to the two Wolves that had remained in the room. "If you could retrieve some ink and a brush from my office, please." They were both off to find what he needed. He- and Mai- were a little surprised they weren't shoving each other on the way out to try to get to his office first.
If they started that out in the halls they'd better hope Tsunami wasn't in sight, she wasn't about to condone horseplay on the upper floors that she had only just cleaned and gods help them if they broke or dirtied anything as they did so.
"Now, is there anywhere you'd like me to put the seal, Temari?"
Within a second her cheeks were already dusted by a pink blush. "I can think of a few places I'd like to have you," Was her answer. "But considering present company perhaps they wouldn't be quite appropriate."
A thoughtful frown tugged at Naruto's lips and Karrua raised one hand before her mouth to stifle a giggle. "I'm sure I know where your thoughts are, Beloved, and I certainly approve but we really don't have time for the two of you to be getting up to anything. I'm sure your sister is already wondering where we are."
The thoughtful look dropped but the frown remained. "I suppose you're right," He mumbled. "Well, anywhere you'd prefer that I can access without removing that dress, Temari?"
She thought for a moment before a wicked grin played at her lips."It depends on how loosely you'd like to define 'not removing my dress'."
"As loose as the dress." Mai wasn't really amused. She knew what some of the others got up to with Naruto but she usually wasn't there for it and standing here watching the former Suna Kunoichi flirt with Naruto rubbed her the wrong way. There was an odd, hollow feeling in her chest that she really did not like.
The Kunoichi in question pouted slightly, something probably picked up from time around Anko based on how familiar it seemed, but it quickly left her. "As tempting as my back might be," She gave a quick spin to show the plunging back that exposed nearly the entirety of her spine. Mai took it back, Temari's dress was not quite as similar to Karura's as she had initially believed. "I think we'll stick to my shoulder for now."
Naruto nodded, accepting the suggestion. "I'll try to make a copy of Gaara's seal and I'll store a trace amount of your Chakra within, Karura. Hopefully using it in its creation will help tie it all together and its presence should make it easier for you to find."
Karuras practically purred at the suggestion. She did love it when he made use of her Chakra, even if it was going to be going into another woman. Hmm, that actually sounded a bit naughty. She couldn't help the grin that spread over her lips. She liked it, very much so. Maybe she could find a way to introduce that to the bedroom?
Karura's thoughts all came to a massive halt as she realized something and her grin became positively wicked as she spun to her sister-mother. "I'll be able to show you the dungeon." The Biju was practically salivating.
Temari blinked, considered it, and matched it with a grin of her own. "Show? I think you mean I'll get to join Naruto in dragging you into it."
Okay, Mai took it back. It wasn't just watching Temari flirt with Naruto that was making her uncomfortable because her flirting with Karura was having the same result. Maybe she was just missing Tsume or, perhaps, she was just feeling a tad left out these days.
Or maybe it was because Temari's flirting with Karura still managed to involve Naruto.
Whatever it was, she was relieved when Naruto left for Konoha and that wasn't something she had really expected to be possible. Usually the idea of him traveling the world only served to worry her.
The fact that his- and Gaara's and Temari's, too- body hadn't actually left probably had a large part to do with that.
They had moved from his bedroom to his private sitting room before their departure, taking up the larger seat together and allowing their consciousnesses to slip into the realm of the seal. Isobu and Karrua didn't have physical bodies anyway so there was no evidence of their previous presence.
Naruto, Temari, and Gaara, however, most certainly had. They took up one side of the seat each with Gaara perched on their lap looking very much like a beautiful young family, a sight that had Mai's insides twisting unpleasantly. She pushed that feeling to the side, instead trying to focus on how relaxed they all looked.
With their minds quite literally somewhere else it came at little surprise that any worries would have gone with them and their bodies were as peaceful as if they had simply slipped off to sleep.
Mai took several minutes just staring at them before she made up her mind. They said they would probably be gone for a good few hours, that was more than enough time for her to drag Sai over here to get a good look and start a painting and it was most certainly enough time for her to track down a camera.
She might not particularly like some of the thoughts she had looking at them but she also wasn't going to let such an opportunity go to waste. Karrua would just have to have a second painting done later.
Mai doubted Sai would mind. It had been so long since he had any projects of his own.
While she had been expecting it- Karura had popped in to warn her and inform Kushina that she had convinced Naruto to come for dinner- Naruko still jumped when her room was filled with the signature smoke that accompanied the use of the Kage-Bunshin Kinjutsu.
She still had no idea where her brother had managed to get his hands on one of Konoha's forbidden techniques and she wasn't even going to try understanding what had possessed him to teach said technique to Biju of all things.
Her train of thought was firmly derailed as her blue eyes received their first glimpse of their evening guests.
Wow. Just...wow. Before she could stop herself Naruko was already looking down at her own outfit, a simple orange tanktop and a pair of black shorts. She was...severely underdressed which was weird because she was one of the hostesses. Weren't the Uzumaki supposed to be the ones determining the tone of the evening?
So much for that.
….Maybe she still had time enough to change?
Naruko's second realization was that there were more bodies in her room than she had expected them to be. Three had been expected with a possibility of four but there were currently five people better dressed than she could ever remember being.
...When was the last time she dressed up, anyway? Naruko couldn't remember so it had probably been too long.
"Aunty!" Gaara- and didn't he look dapper in his suit?- stepped forward to give her a brief hug and the young girl he had been standing next to was quick to copy. Behind them the two women smiled at the sight- Karura notably more than the other- and Naruto simply seemed politely amused.
"It's good to see you, Naruko dear." As her children backed away Karura took their spot, wrapping her arms around her second-favorite sister. She'd seen her earlier, of course, but Karura was always very happy to spend time with as much of her family as she could. Gaara got that from both of his adoptive parents.
"It's good to see you too, Karura." Naruko returned both the greeting and the hug, squeezing briefly. "You all look wonderful." They really did. Maybe she should talk to her mother about changing it from dinner here to going out to a restaurant? Not only would that feel more appropriate but Naruko kind of wanted to show them off too.
She could only imagine the reactions of Konoha's populace to this group and it would only increase if she and her mother were dressed up to join them.
"Oh, thank you dear." Karura notably looked down at Naruko's attire. "It looks like we weren't running nearly as late as we thought, you haven't even had a chance to get dressed." A hand rose up to hide painted lips- Karura was definitely taking her appearance tonight seriously if she had put on makeup, Naruko had never seen the woman wear it- and a light giggle escaped her. "That's probably for the best, though, imagine if we had shown up while you were changing!"
Naruko shot her a smile at the thought, not completely sure if Karura's comment had been her method of graciously providing her with the opportunity to change before dinner or a genuine assumption of the Biju. "Yes, that probably would have been bad." She moved her attention to Naruto. It might not be the most polite thing to do as a hostess but naruko was willing to give herself an exemption tonight. "Do you mind showing them to the dining room so I can finish getting ready?" She asked.
Normally she and her mother- and years ago Naruto too- just ate at the small table in the kitchen but with more than four guests- and with her mother oddly excited at the prospect of playing hostess, though maybe that was just excitement because she would be seeing Naruto again- the formal dining room was the one that had been prepared.
Hopefully Kushina would catch on quickly and could get another place set when she counted the number of guests. They'd only expected Naruto, Karura, and Gaara though the possibility of another child had been there. The other woman had not been expected.
She did look pretty familiar, Naruko really thought she should recognize her. Hopefully it would come to her before dinner started or conversation might get a bit awkward.
Naruko was fairly confident she would have remembered meeting someone with what looked to be a large seal painted on her right shoulder though, so maybe not.
Her brother inclined his head slightly. "Of course, I'll let Kushina know you're getting changed." He held out both arms and the women with him were more than happy to grab ahold. Gaara followed, offering another shy smile to his aunt, and the little girl practically skipped after the group, pausing by the door to flash Naruko a smile and a wave.
Naruko returned it but couldn't help but wonder how Naruto had ended up this little girl's father too. Unlike Gaara, this one seemed young enough to actually be his and that was a very strange thought.
She'd probably learn over dinner depending on which way the conversation turned so she wouldn't spend too much time pondering it. More pressing, what clothing did she have that would fit in better with their outfits?
She didn't have anything in black, did she?
Naruto paused near a window, the group coming to a halt with him. Slipping his arm from Karura's, he opened the window and held out an empty hand that was soon filled by a bottle. If he could bring other objects through the seal he wasn't aware of it yet which was a bit of a pain when you were a guest in someone's house.
It was, after all, only proper to bring a gift to show gratitude for a host's hospitality.
Fortunately Naruto had ways around that.
"Thank you, Kakashi."
The lanky Jounin leaned against the wall of the Uzumaki main house, Icha-Icha volume seven cracked open with one hand. "Mmhmm," The man hummed. "No problem."
He used his now free hand to turn the pages of his book.
"You know I did have questions about a letter I recently received from Mai mentioning Biju who may or may not be running around Konoha." Kakashi turned his uncovered eye to sweep the group. Three of them he knew weren't Biju but the other two, well, he could connect the dots without too much trouble. "But I suppose this goes towards answering some of them."
"Does it?" One red brow rose.
Kakashi shrugged. "Only a little. Yugao's team is watching the gate today and not a single one mentioned you had entered Konoha."
"How strange." If Kakashi's expression was anything to go by he didn't exactly appreciate Naruto's lack of forthcoming but it was also Kakashi, so he wasn't about to try pressing- that would suggest he was interested in something which simply wasn't Hip- instead settling for another shrug after a moment of staring.
"I guess it is. Did you need anything else or can I get going before Kushina notices I'm standing in her roses?" Naruto leaned slightly out the window to check and, yes, Kakashi was indeed standing in the middle of a trampled rosebush.
"...How long have you been waiting here?"
"An hour or two. They kept pricking me while I was trying to read so I took care of it."
Naruto's gaze went from what used to be roses to the other side of the window where the garden was only filled with some wild grass. "Is there a reason-"
"The roses were in the shade when I got here."
Ah. Shaking his head, Naruto reached into his jacket and removed a letter. "I was originally going to send two letters out but when Karura mentioned we'd be in Konoha ourselves I figured I could just have you take care of the delivery."
"I didn't realize I'd signed up to be a mailman."
"One of those letters was going to be for you and I figured you might like seeing the reaction to the other."
"Oh?" That caught Kakashi's attention, his Icha-Icha drooping forward as he turned to better face the young Daimyo in the window.
"That letter is for Ibiki," Naruto offered as the explanation. "If you could have your Sharingan out for it I think Anko and I would appreciate you sharing the moment via Genjutsu later."
"Oooh." Kakashi snatched the letter from Naruto's hand. "Communication between the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni and K.I.T.? What trouble are you up to now?"
"I think the real question is 'what trouble Anko is getting up to?'."
Kakashi looked terribly curious- though he did try not to- but Naruto didn't offer anything more.
"Fine," Kakashi pouted behind his mask or, that's what it sounded like. It was always difficult to tell with him. "Be that way."
"Maybe Ibiki will share with you." Kakashi nearly choked on his spit at the idea that Ibiki might volunteer any sort of information to anybody for any reason ever.
"Yeah," He scoffed. "And maybe Uchiha Madara will rise from the grave as an attractive woman and profess her eternal love for me."
"You won't know if you don't try."
Kakashi blinked, wondering how on earth he was supposed to 'try' having an undead Uchiha founder change genders and fall madly in love with him. He was amazing, don't get him wrong, but that was not something he had any experience in.
Not yet, anyway.
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