Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 116-A "...And The Laboratory Sink"
Patron Release 2020.04.27
The sun had only just touched the horizon as Haku followed the ANBU out of the Uzumaki main house and down the path to the spiraled gate. While she was slightly annoyed that the Hokage had decided he had time to meet with her now rather than just waiting for the morning it would be good to mark this off her list.
There was no telling if the man would actually grant any of Mei's requests for aid or information but the sooner Haku did it the sooner it was out of her hands. This had also been the entire reason for her trip to Konoha in the first place, so she really should focus on her task even if she'd rather be spending more time with the Uzumaki women.
The ANBU pushed through the large gate, holding it open for her, and she stepped into one of the quieter streets of Konoha. Generally only clan members or those dealing directly with them came into these areas and with clan compounds being rather large- on average, at least- there was considerable space between their gates.
It was strange to think that just a few streets over were the crowded Konoha markets packed full of people. She had to assume it was some sort of unwritten rule that kept them from using these streets in order to get where they needed to be in the market district more easily.
That or they were just worried about pissing off the clans, that was entirely possible. Konoha was the only Hidden village Haku knew of that both still held its founding clans and where such large clans continued to thrive. In most of the other villages the original clans had either died out completely or had been reduced to only a few members.
She supposed when you were founded by clans like the Senju and Uchiha and quickly joined by the likes of the Hyuuga- all huge names from the clan wars- you might hold clans higher than most. It helped when those clans were also large parts of the village economy and made up a good portion of your Shinobi forces. Regardless of how your village felt about them as an individual you didn't want to risk pissing one off.
If they thought walking down these roads would end up angering each compound built along it, well, that would be some mighty fine incentive to avoid the place.
Of course, on a more practical note it was just general common sense to avoid places Shinobi gathered- especially places where they felt comfortable. Another Shinobi might not think much of a practiced technique crashing through a compound wall but civilians were taking a pretty high chance just to get to the store they wanted a little bit faster.
If civilians who had tried thought those errant Jutsu had been warnings aimed at them for 'trespassing' then that would only go further to keep things nice and quiet around the clan district. You know, ignoring the occasional runaway technique and the repairs to clan walls.
Overall, though, it was quite peaceful here, even if she could start to hear the drone of the market district as they continued towards the Hokage Tower. She had expected it to be a bit more...subdued…as the sun entered into the final part of its journey but the sounds of the market were hardly different from when she had made her way to the Uzumaki compound earlier.
If anything, in fact, they sounded more frenzied. As they entered the administrative district made up of the building surrounding and supporting the Hokage Tower Haku glanced down Konoha's main road that cut right through her market district. As the sounds had suggested it was still packed with people flitting about from shop to stall to shop again.
As she watched a group of men squeeze their way into the hustle and bustle- stuffing uniforms into their bags as they went- she realized it only made sense that the markets would swell as people left their jobs for the day. Those able would have gone earlier to avoid such crowds but there also seemed to be more carts setting themselves up between stores in an effort to take advantage of the higher volume of prospective customers. Evidently this was a rather regular occurrence.
Strange, Haku had never heard anything about a Konoha nightlife. Now Kumo, that was a place known for its nights. Most militaristic they may have been but those Shinobi needed a way to blow off steam when they were off duty and the civilians were more than happy both providing and participating.
This, well, wasn't that but now that she thought about it expecting the city to die as soon as the sun went down was pretty ridiculous. She hadn't thought it would be tothat sort of extreme but she hadn't considered that the village might become slightly more active in the later hours of the day. Maybe it had something to do with the way the sky began burning red and the sun still peered over the horizon like a flickering flame.
Konoha did love its fire, after all.
Regardless of why the evening seemed to draw out more of Konoha's populace she had a feeling it would be much more quiet by the time she was returning to the Uzumaki compound.
Stacks of paper and scrolls he could only half-remember the contents of were shoved into a bag as he tore through his primary office. He wasn't worried about clothing or personal items, he could always borrow some of Naruto's if he had to and Konoha had no shortage of shops that would hold what he needed should the Crimson Prince be unwilling to share his wardrobe.
No, what was important now was to ensure he had everything the prince might need on his first trip. Naruto couldn't be kept waiting and going back for something he had forgotten was unacceptable.
Nearby a Wolf leaned against the wall by the door, arms folded across her chest and one foot on the wall. She had done her job as evidenced by the open letter sitting on Orochimarus' desk and now waited only as a courtesy to the Snake Sage who had requested her to. Narutro hadn't expressed any need to return urgently though she was fairly certain he expected an immediate response. This, she rationalized, was no different than waiting for the..young man...to gather whatever it was Naruto had requested and pen a letter in response for her to take back with her.
Only in this case she'd just be bringing Orochimaru back to answer in person. That was better as far as she was concerned so she doubted she'd be in any trouble for doing so. In fact, she might even be rewarded for that. You know, assuming Orochimaru didn't end up doing something to annoy Tsukuyomi before she managed to get it.
She frowned behind her mask. Now that she was giving it some thought, maybe this wasn't a very good idea at all. Did she really want to be responsible for bringing the Otokage back to Konoha? As the man in question sat his bag at the end of his desk and pushed the entirety of its contents spilling into it she supposed it was too late to change her mind now.
"Do you really need all of that?" She asked curiously as filing cabinets were sealed away and joined everything else in the bag. Just what had Tsukuyomi requested that needed so much? Perhaps having Orochimaru come back to Konoha was for the better if it was going to require that much being sent to Tsukuyomi. She could only imagine how lengthy the reply letter would have to be to explain it all.
Orochimaru gave her an irritated glare, one of his eyes turning red subconsciously. "Yes." Then a pause. "Maybe." His eye faded back to black. "I have absolutely no idea." He admitted. "I'd rather have things I don't need then forget what Naruto-kun is looking for."
The Wolf gave a shrug. It was logical- sort of. She should probably just be grateful Orochimaru wasn't packing up the entire base and trying to drag his staff of scientists or- Tsukuyomi forbid his experiments- with him to Konoha. "What was he looking for anyway?"
Orochimaru gave her a searching look for a few seconds, deciding if he would answer her, and with a sigh decided there was no harm in it. "He's interested in my second greatest creation, the Ten no Juin. It's the key to my greatest invention and a major element of Otogakure's forces."
Oh. Yeah, that might be something that both interested Tsukuyomi and required so much to properly explain. She did wonder what he was looking into it for but if he intended for the Wolves to know she'd learn eventually. "So is this all you need?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "No, not at all. These are all the notes that went into its creation-" some of it was, anyway. He could never remember what he had stored where after he had reached a point he was satisfied with. "There's still a physical component necessary for the Ten no Juin to properly function. I should have some samples stored away in my lab and hopefully enough supplies to be able to create another batch if he needs it."
"...How much are you intending to take with you?" She looked down at the bag on the ground noting the various sealing scrolls also within it. As a general rule it was a bad idea to put a seal within another seal- as many first time users of the common sealing scrolls often learned the hard way- which meant unless Orochimaru had something else up his sleeve he was intending to carry at least the over-packed duffle bag with him.
If this was just filled with notes, though, she was feeling more than a little wary about the more physical components that would need to be transfered.
Probably would have helped if he'd at least sealed everything before putting it in the bag, rather than just sealing some of the bigger objects. She understood he was going for speed but it wouldn't have taken all that much longer and would make the trip back to Konoha much , much easier in the long run. Maybe she'd suggest that when he had calmed down a bit- the trip down to the laboratory that was no doubt coming, perhaps.
"Just enough equipment to be able to recreate it." She didn't know if it was supposed to be reassuring but it most certainly wasn't.
They were totally taking the whole damn lab with them, weren't they?
"Gaara…" His mother's voice seemed to surround him from the blackness and as awareness slowly returned to him he found himself on the familiar rooftops of Sunagakure once again. Of course he wasn't actually in Suna- he couldn't be, they were camped out near the border of Hi no Kuni and Nami no Kuni- but the form this world took matched his memory of Sunagakure perfectly.
Picking himself up from the tanned roof his teal eyes scanned the surroundings looking for his mother. When none was forthcoming he turned his attention to the box of wooden lattices that stood in the middle of the roof. Covered in green vines and bright white flowers it didn't quite belong in Sunagakure. At least, not on a roof. Something like this would have been carefully kept in a private garden where it was protected from the harshest rays of the sun each day and provided enough water to keep from withering in the heat of Kaze no Kuni's desert.
This part, he knew, was not part of his memory. He approached it calmly and reached out for the handle of the door. It swung open easily enough, brushing past some of the plants that turned the wooden frames into more proper walls.
Despite the sides of the box being no wider than the door itself the sight before his was a sprawling garden flourishing from white marble in the golden light of the late afternoon. That too he knew didn't actually exist anywhere in the world- to the best of his knowledge, anyway- but it was exactly the place he wanted to be at the moment.
Stepping through the doorway he made sure to close the door behind him as he entered into Karura's garden. She wasn't immediately visible from the other side and he slowly began ambling through the garden to see if he could spot her on one of the marble benches or admiring a particularly colorful and fragrant patch of flowers.
Within a minute he could confidently say she wasn't currently in the garden which he found strange. While she had the entirety of the palace Tou-sama had built for her she had always delighted in time spent in the gardens. It was, without a doubt, her favorite place to spend time.
It was also where she was when she called for him every other time, meeting him as he entered this sacred place. Gaara actually felt a bit strange to be here without her, almost as if he was intruding. This place had not been built for him to exist in, molded instead by Tou-sama's will to become a sanctuary for his mother.
But mother had called him here for some reason- he was absolutely certain he had heard her summon- so she must have been expecting him to answer her. He moved- slowly- towards the open back of the throneroom his father rarely had time to occupy. Hsi foot had only just stepped into the palace proper- left hand placed on the cool marble of the throne- when the sound of hasty footsteps reached his ears.
"There you are, Gaara." Karura smiled at him from the entrance to the throne room and the former Ichibi Jinchuriki felt warmth spread throughout his entire being. "Come on, Isobu and Mito are waiting for us." She beckoned him to her and he compiled without a second's hesitation.
Despite his immediate action, it took a second to actually process her words. Isobu he knew but… "Who's Mito?"
"Your aunt, silly." She reached out for hsi hand as he reached her and he was more than happy to grab hold. "Your other aunt was in here recently which means it should be fine for us to visit Mito."
"My other aunt?" His brow scrunched up in thought for a second before remembering long blond hair and piercing blue eyes on a young woman not all that much taller than he was. "Ah, aunty."
"Yes, she mentioned she had met you already." Gaara nodded in agreement and let her guide him through her palace. He hadn't ever been in the actual palace now that he thought about it. The throne room he was familiar with simply because its back wall was left open to Karura's garden but there had never been any reason for him to step foot within before today.
Now he had a very good reason- the soft hand of his mother wrapped around his own.
He would follow her anywhere without question.
Being able to hold her hand was just a bonus.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, I'm sure you were probably preparing to retire for the evening." Though he tried to keep hsi tone even and polite it was easy for Haku to see that the Godaime Hokage was exhausted. The substantial stack of finished paperwork sitting next to his desk gave her a pretty good idea why.
"Of course, Hokage-sama. I appreciate you making time to see me today." She really would have prefered tomorrow morning but Zabuza's examples had been more than enough to teach her that it would be a very, very bad idea to let the Hokage know that.
Mostly because a big part of her presence here was to request further support from the first hidden village.
"Before anything else I'd like to express Terumi Mei's, Kirigakure's, and my own personal gratitude for the support you gave us during our civil war." Had Yagura won they'd have been a failed rebellion and as many people had expected that outcome "rebellion" had become a common name for the Kirigakure conflict over the past years. It felt good to be able to call it what it really was.
"You're very welcome, I'm glad Konoha was able to offer her assistance." Asuma clasped his hands on the desk and leaned back slightly. "Shall I assume Terumi-dono has taken the position of Mizukage?"
"She has."
"Good, good." Asuma nodded to himself. "Please excuse my haste, but what is it that has brought you to Konoha?" He had a pretty good idea and as he had announced in a recent council meeting they would be helping support Kirigakure publically now that the civil war had concluded. The sooner it came up the sooner he could arrange the support to be given and the sooner he could go home. Today had been long enough and he got to do it all again in the morning.
Fairly confident that the Hokage was aiming at expedience, Haku cut right to the chase. Ao would probably have a heart attack if he ever learned, though she was sure Mei would be amused by the lack of niceties.
"While we were victorious thanks in part to your aid, Kirigakure has been left in a rather poor condition. I am here to request Konohagakure's aid as we rebuild and work towards reestablishing Kirigakure as a proper hidden village."
"Konoha has already offered Kirigakure her aid," Asuma began. He should probably be doing more to ensure Konoha benefited from this arrangement- something more solid than good will for future interactions- but not only had he already offered Konoha's help he also felt slightly responsible for the damages. It was his ANBU who poked the sleeping Wolves, after all. "That has not changed just because Yuguira's loyalists have been defeated. We've been preparing supplies to help you get back onto your feet."
That was...fortunate. No negotiation, no persuasion, Konoha had already decided it was something she was going to be doing. Haku almost couldn't believe the sudden stroke of good luck, it seemed too convenient to be true. She was not, however, going to be questioning it.
If it made her job easier and helped out Kirigakure that was good enough for her.
"We had not been certain that would be the case. Kirigakure is quite fortunate to have your aid in this matter, Godaime-sama. We will not forget your generosity."
"I should hope not." That was the only sign that this wasn't done completely out of the kindness of Konoha's heart but Haku couldn't blame them for that. They were already putting in a lot of effort over in Suna and she was sure Iwa and Kumo were probably more than a little nervous at the moment.
Building up more allies was simply a sound investment on the Hokage's part.
"The supplies have been gathered in Otafuki Gai, I'll send word in the morning to have them moved to port. We have ships readied at the coast to transport it to Kirigakure and I think it would be best if you accompanied them."
"Of course, when should they be ready to depart?"
"The orders should reach Otafuki Gai in a matter of hours but it will take at least two days to have it all moved to the ships and another half day to load it. It would be best if you were there in three days."
"I'll be there," She assured him. "In the meantime, Mei has also requested that I inquire about a Shinobi you may have under your command."
One of Asuma's brows rose. That was generally considered a pretty forward request, Kage typically didn't give out information about their Shinobi to better protect them. The fact that she would do so despite knowing this, however, piqued his interest.
"...I...see…." He gave her a searching look but there wasn't anything to be found. "Which Shinobi was she asking about?" It wasn't a promise to actually provide but Haku considered it a major victory that she wasn't just immediately shut down.
"We don't have his first name-" Haku knew it, actually, from time spent with Naruko but that was something she hadn't shared with Mei. It also something she didn't really feel the need to explain to the Hokage. Any relationship between Shinoi of different villages- including friendships- could be a touchy subject. "But we know he's of Uzumaki blood and probably at least of Chūnin rank."
Asuma went perfectly still as soon as the word "Uzumaki" left her lips and she could tell he knew exactly who she was talking about. With a sigh he reached for the bridge of his nose, massaging it slowly.
"And why is it they interest Mei?" He had dropped the formality for a second and she didn't know if that was a good sign.
"They seem to have close ties to the Wolves."
Yes, that would be a matter of some interest then. The Wolves were the one to do that damage to Kirigakure but Konoha was going to be helping them put things back together. Someone with ties to both groups was naturally going to be someone you wanted to know more about before they used their Konoha ties to slip into Kirigakure on behalf of the Wolves.
"I suppose that would be something you would want to know. For security purposes, of course." That part was said with a pointed look, indicating that information would only be shared so that they would know who was entering their village. It went unsaid that trying to do anything against a Konoha Shinobi otherwise- even if they did have ties to other groups- was not going to be taken lightly.
Because relations to the Wolves or not they were still a Konoha Shinobi and Konoha would not stand idly by while her children were attacked.
In a moment of sudden clarity as he spoke Asuma realized that must have been how the Wolves felt when they all rushed to Kirigakure to avenge their fallen comrades. The fact that he could relate to them at all left a sour taste in his mouth but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind until he could drown it with alcohol later.
"Of course." Haku agreed readily enough. Security wasn't even what they wanted it for, they just wanted to confirm the identity of Tsukuyomi himself. If it was him then they'd share their findings with Konoha- that seemed like something a Kage would want to know about their Shinobi- and if it wasn't they didn't really care. As it was all they had to go from was the fact that he claimed Naruko was his sister and Asuma's reaction that indicated that such a person might exist.
Whether they were truly Tsukuyomi remained to be seen and only Mei would be able to tell.
"Stop by my office before you leave for the ships, I'll have Gennin Naruto's file for you to take back to her. I'd let you send it by courier but his former ties to the Uzumaki only serve to make the information more sensitive and I don't need them throwing a fit. As far as anyone should be concerned, I released nothing."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I understand perfectly, thank you." Haku had a feeling Naruko and Kushina would not be pleased to learn that Naruto's information was being shared with another hidden village, so that made perfect sense to her. Of course, all they really needed was a picture for Mei to confirm was the man she saw slay Yagura.
The Uzumaki compound had some of this Naruto but none that seemed recent, likely pre-academy. Haku still hadn't really found the courage to ask specifics about what had happened between him and his former clan and she suspected it would only be harder if it turned out he was Tsukuyomi.
Unfortunately she had a feeling the man hadn't lied when he said Naruko was his sister.
Was it bad that she was starting to hope Kushina had some sort of affair?
Or maybe the father Naruko never mentioned. That was probably better, just because Haku didn't know who the hell they were.
Gaara's nose scrunched involuntarily as he passed through the marble doorway and into the flooded basement his mother seemed intent on entering. He wasn't completely sure why he had done so either considering the fact that despite its appearance it didn't actually smell. Not even a hint of mold reached his nostrils but the murky brown waters seemed like they should befoul the air instead of just cooling it.
He spared a glance to the left only for hsi site to be stopped by a massive wall of blackened iron. Despite sitting in the water and stretching to marry each wall of this structure without the slightest hint of a gap there was no rust on it as far as he could see. More than that, the iron somehow seemed...new. There was a glossy sheen to it that shouldn't have been possible from the material as it caught the dim green light of a torch that burned with unnatural flames.
Karura hesitated for a second or two as she noticed it which was odd unless it was some sort of new addition. The fact that it was now blocked off only made Gaara more curious about what lay behind it.
His instincts told him that even if he eventually learned, he'd never actually see it for himself. There had to be a reason his father had blocked it off from them, after all.
Turning his attention the other way he was greeted by an almost comically large gate. It, too, seemed to be made of blackened iron but this was..propper, for a lack of better words. It was the sort of material Gaara was familiar with in the physical world and it simply felt...right. The distinction was so strange that Gaara found himself turning back to the newer structure once again, now able to recognize the foreboding dread that seemed to seep like a vapour into everything that surrounded the metal wall.
Gaara would bet everything he had that it had been created like this very much on purpose.
He averted his eyes from the dark monstrosity as if staring at it were some grievous sin, instead focusing on the marble pathway as it changed from white to black beneath his feet. His mother continued along the pathway to the right, bringing them to the massive cage.
It was ridiculous to imagine it could actually manage to contain anything when the bars were more like massive decorative pillars. There was enough room that Gaara could probably squeeze through next to his mother without too much difficulty. Of course Gaara was also aware that his mother could take the form of a giant Tanuki and that the one they were visiting- her sister- would also have another form. It was obvious this gate was designed with that in mind, though he wondered what kept her from slipping through as a human.
Karrua didn't hesitate as she reached the gate, stepping through the bars with only a gentle rap to warn the occupants of their guests. Her fingers slipped from Gaara's grip as she did so and Gaara paused for a second to wonder if his aunt was actually expecting them and how she would react to her uninvited guests but mother had already gone through so Gaara was naturally going to be following her regardless.
He climbed through the gate and took a look at the furnished room that had been locked away. It seemed comfortable enough, he thought. It wasn't as luxurious as mother's palace but it certainly felt more cozy. Gaara liked it.
There was a bed in the right corner and a fireplace surrounded by bookcases directly before him. To the left he could see a dining room and he assumed the cabinets towards the back encircled at least a kitchenette. That would make the doorway on the right some sort of bathroom which helped to separate the sleeping area from being completely visible from outside the gate. It wasn't perfect, obviously, but it was probably better than having it completely exposed.
Not that there were that many people with access to this world. In fact, the only man with regular access was father himself. Temari didn't have any sisters so Gaara wasn't completely sure if they needed privacy from one another. He knew sisters needed privacy from brothers sometimes so maybe it was similar.
"What is it now, Karura?" The exasperated voice drew gaara's attention to the couch placed before the fireplace where a redheaded woman snapped her book shut with a sigh.
"I told you I'd introduce you to your nephew, remember?"
"I remember, did you ask Naruto about it already?"
Karura pouted slightly. "Of course not, Naruko-chan was already in here and everything was fine, Gaara shouldn't be any different."
Mito paused and tilted her head to the side in thought. "It's not exactly the same," She shrugged. "But it's pretty close. Were you going to bring him here?"
"I already did!" With a beaming smile Karrua gestured towards Gaara and the former Ichibi Jinchuriki was treated to his first sight of his aunt's face. With a slight reddening of his cheeks he glanced away.
Why was everyone in his family so damn pretty? It always made him feel like he didn't really belong.
"Oh, his hair's almost the same shade as Naruto's." Mito's red eyes blinked in surprise. If she didn't know better she could have very well mistaken him for Naruto's legitimate son. "If he grows it out it might be hard to tell them apart."
If it would really be that easy to look like his father maybe he fit in more than he had thought, Gaara realized. Being compared to him in any sort of positive light could never be a bad thing.
This aunt was probably his favorite now.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 116-B "Story Time"
Patron Release 2020.05.04
He was becoming lax, he realized, but he honestly couldn't find it within him to care at the moment. It wasn't as if his ties to the Wolves weren't already known by anyone who would be interested in the first place so what harm was there in being in public among so many?
"So many" wasn't too accurate, actually. There weren't a lot of Wolves in Konoha- and he was planning to keep it that way as much as possible going forward- so the amount to show up wasn't anything impressive despite being a majority of those within Konoha's walls.
Naruto doubted an outsider observing them would think anything of it. At least, anything substantial.
Even if they did it was worth it to be here to see them off. Purple eyes watched blankly as his carriage slowly rolled down the side street towards Konoha's western gate. Three Wolves escorted it- one driving and one more on either side- and he knew two individuals sat safely within. Tsume had been able to convince Mai to take a vacation with her- though Naruto suspected the fact that he supported it was the only reason Mai actually agreed in the end- and Naruto had arranged some time at a Yu no Kuni resort for the women.
Mai had already been within the carriage by the time Naruto had arrived just a few minutes earlier and Tsume was just about to join her. With a nod to the woman he had stood there to see them off despite knowing their escort would see them to their destination safely.
The idea of sending them both out of Konoha without being there personally just didn't feel right- more like some sort of banishment than a well-deserved vacation. It was also a chance to clear his head before throwing himself back into his work. To see them leave and know for a fact they were no longer in Konoha would allow him to focus on what was here and, specifically, what would be leaving as soon as he had everything ready.
Naruto continued to watch the carriage until it turned onto a main road and out of his sight. With a glance towards the Inuzuka compound gate where a few of Tsume's clan that had come to see her off were returning to whatever they had been doing. They probably had no idea what role he played, Naruto mused. He wondered what they had thought of his presence as Mai and Tsume left for their vacation.
He supposed it didn't really matter, Mai was the one who typically dealt with the Inuzuka on behalf of the Wolves anyway.
"Come," He turned his attention to the Wolves that were still present. "We have work to do."
Naruto couldn't wait to see the results of Hanabi's restructuring but until then the deluge of paperwork from Nami needed to be addressed and anything left here in Konoha needed to be prepared for recovery.
If they were really fortunate Mai would return to a whole new House of Wolves, one that wouldn't keep her busy with irrelevant paperwork and reports that didn't actually require her attention.
And if Naruto needed to continue doing her work for a few weeks after she had returned for that to be reality, well, it's not like he was doing anything else in the meantime.
"Are you sure you have to leave so soon?" Kushina asked from the doorway as Haku finished packing up her things. Naruko was sitting on the bed Haku had been using, slowly kicking her feet. Haku had only been a guest of the Uzumaki for a few days but Kushina had taken a shine to the young woman. She still wasn't completely sure if the two girls were juts very good friends or something more but she had already been thinking of the last Yuki as a daughter regardless.
"Mei-sama will want to receive word from your Hokage as soon as possible," Haku flashed the woman a grateful smile. How quickly the Uzumaki matriarch had warmed up to her had not gone unnoticed by the daughter of Kirigakure's demon. "As much as I'd like to stay longer I really must be getting back."
"Can't you just send a letter?" Haklu's thoughts immediately went to the file she was going to be picking up from the Hokage's tower within the hour. SHe shook the thought from her head which accompanied her words well enough.
"No, the information may be sensitive and your Hokage has asked me to escort the supplies he's so graciously giving us. The people of Kirigakure desperately need them."
Kushina really couldn't argue against that and settled for returning Haku's smile. "Well if you're ever back in Konoha you're always welcome in the Uzumaki compound."
"Thank you, Kushina. I really appreciate the offer. Thank you again for letting me stay."
"It was no trouble at all, I quite enjoyed being able to meet one of Naruko's friends." Kushina gave her daughter a pointed look, expressing very clearly that she expected to meet the rest of her friends from now on. With a nervous grin Naruko scratched the back of her head and gave a nod of understanding. Her mother had already met Ino but it probably wouldn't hurt to have her over at some point. She might end up bringing Sakura too. She wasn't sure if she and the girl were exactly friends but they certainly weren't enemies of any kind and she doubted Sakura would decline.
"And I enjoyed the chance to meet Naruko's mother. I'll do my best to write and maybe one day the two of you can come visit me in Kirigakure." Not until it was back onto its feet, of course. The last thing she wanted to invite them to was the ruubble that it currently was after having been a guest in their clan compound. When things were more rebuilt and village-like she wouldn't feel so bad about inviting them to stay, though she would have to ensure Zabuza was off on a long mission. Mei could probably help with arranging that.
Then again, maybe Zabuza would get along with them. A small shudder ran down Haku's spine. On second thought, she didn't think she wanted them getting along.
It was nowhere close to the first time Orochimaru had snuck into Konohagakure after he had gone rogue and he doubted it would be the last. A wolf escort just made things far more easy than they had any right to be.
The Wolves, after all, were allowed to enter and leave Kponoha by the order of Hi no Kuni's Daimyo so all Orochimaru really needed was a mask of his own and to have an actual Wolf with him to vouch for his position within Hi no Kuni's youngest noble house.
Not that he had really been questioned anyway. The guards of Konoha had become quite used to Wolves taking full advantage of their allowance to come and go as they pleased. That was fortunate, Orochimaru really hadn't been in the mood for any sort of proppewr sneaking anyway.
Despite knowing exactly where Nartuo could be found he followed behind the Wolf that had escorted him from Otogakure just to be polite. The Wolves were precious to his prince and that meant Orochimaru would do what he could to avoid slighting them as best he could, even if it was as harmless as rudely rushing to see Naruto the second he crossed into Konohagakure.
Fortunately the Wolf didn't seem any more inclined to take her time than Orochimaru did and they soon arrived at the apartment his prince made his den. Orochimaru wasted no time slipping through the door and making his way to Naruto's office and wasn't disappointed to find him at his desk pouring over his work.
A purple eye glanced up at her with some surprise and he leaned up to give him a curious stare. "Orochimaru? I hadn't expected you to visit, has something happened?"
"Of course, Naruto-kun, you wrote." It was strange for Naruto to hear those words come from a body he could easily recognize as one Uchiha Sasuke. He also wasn't sure how he felt about the young man's voice calling him 'Naruto-kun'. The fact that when Orochimaru wore it his face wasn't quite so stoic was also something that was giving Narutro mixed feelings. Apparently the young man had been capable of looking cheerful, how much it actually suited him was up for debate. Naruto was leaning towards 'not at all'.
"So I did." He set his pen onto his desk. "But I was expecting a letter in return, not for you to come personally."
"Your first request would have been easy enough to address over letter," Orochimaru admitted. "But your second request is more than a little complicated. I wanted to make sure everything went properly."
"Thank you," He gave an understanding nod. That made sense, it wasn't like the Ten no Juin was something simple. It was, in its own way, a masterpiece. There were some improvements that could be made, of course, but what Orochimaru had been able to do with his seal was an incredibly impressive feat.
As much as he'd like to dive straight into that matter he needed to address the one that was more time sensitive. The sooner they were able to start the more he could rest easy knowing another step had been taken to secure his children's future.
"On the matter of your bases, did you have any near Yu no Kuni's coasts we would be able to utilize?"
"Oh?" Orochimaru rose one fo Sasuke's brows. "Are you sure you don't want to start with my Ten no Juin? I promise I'll make it interesting." Orochimaru probably hadn't had a chance to talk to anyone- besides perhaps his right hand Kabuto-about the actual workings of his seal on a technical level and it was obvious he was eager now that the chance had presented itself.
"I do, but we need to take care of the Wolves first. Did you have a base or not?" Ah, yes, he should have known better. The Wolves would always come first in Naruto's eyes, that should have been obvious. Of course he wanted to know about the Ten no Juin more but he had duties to fulfil before they dove into those discussions.
It also made sense because the matter of a base could be cleared up much faster than explaining decades of work.
"I have a few in Yu no Kuni but only one I can say is near a coast." Orochimaru set his bag near the door and approached the desk to sketch a crude map of the Yu no Kuni area. "It's north-east of Yu no Kuni's capital city and almost directly south of Kumogakure in a small cove."
"So this one is on the coast, then?"
"Not….exactly…." Orochimaru's response earned a raised brow from Naruto. He didn't seem very amused and Orochimaru thought the lack of patience may have been tied to wanting to move onto the Ten no Juin. "There's access to it from the coast, but the actual base is beneath the coast in the middle of the cove. It's one of my earlier bases designed for marine study. When experiments started becoming more noticeable and Kumo started looking into it I moved them to bases in areas more removed from the sight of any of the major villages."
"Is it still usable?"
"I...don't know." Orochimaru admitted with an embarrassed shrug. "It was when we left it but I haven't checked up on it in years."
"I see." Naruto leaned back into his chair for a solid minute of silence, contemplating if it would even be worth checking out. "You say that's the only one close to the shore?" Nami no Kuni gave them access to plenty of ships, it would be best if they could take full advantage of that with their new base.
"The other one is on the border of Kome no Kuni and Yu no Kuni, the closest water being up near Shimo no Kuni and Tetsu no Kuni . You'll have better support from Otogakure-" And Orochimaru would be overjoyed to have his prince closer to him. "-but I suppose that might make moving troops and supplies a bit more difficult if you have to pass around Kaminari no Kuni to get there."
"It would, yes." Increasing the chances of being discovered completely defeated the purpose of doing this in the first place so he'd have to pass on that for a new main base, though he might have some of the Wolves stationed in that base just in case. He couldn't think of any negatives to having a small garrison located elsewhere in Yu no Kuni in case he needed them, especially if they could easily meet up with some of Orochimaru's forces when necessary. "That eastern base, how close to the shore did it stretch?"
"To the shore and then some, we dug parts of the storage into the ground of Yu no Kuni because the stone was better insulation than the water and I was tired of delays from frozen materials and the excessive heat we were using. If I hadn't Kumo probably would have found us when they started to grow suspicious."
As long as the storage held up they would be able to make use of it, then. Sure, it would be more work to be practically building a new base into Yu no Kuni by expanding Orochimaru's storage but he happened to know of a Wolf that was quite happy expanding bases.
"I'll have Katsuri escort some of the Wolves there to see if it's still usable." He voiced. "As long as the storage is still there and accessible it should fit my needs well enough. Thank you, Orochimaru."
The man pouted- which looked more than wrong on a male Uchiha- but didn't argue the form of address. He hardly thought he'd be able to convince Naruto to call him "Orochimaru-chan" when he was like this. He was well aware he was currently wearing the form of one of Naruto's old classmates.
"I'm happy to have been of service." Naruto didn't doubt that in the slightest. "Have this Katsuri speak with me before she goes, I'll let her know how to get into the base and how things should work within if everything's still functional. I'm sure the last thing you want is for them to accidently flood the base before you can properly repurpose it."
Yes, that was the sort of thing he'd very much like to avoid. He could always task Ganju with creating a base from scratch- which honestly might be better- but the issue with that was ensuring their activities went unnoticed. Having a starting point that was already out of sight would be a huge boon, he'd just have to make sure to instruct them to make a new entrance away from the water to reduce the chances of any...accidents.
If nothing else, they needed to ensure they had plenty of failsafes to negate the negative effects when it did happen. He wasn't sure if Ganju was actually capable of such complicated tasks but he supposed he'd find out soon. Actually, it might help if-
"Who built the base in the first place?" Naruto asked.
With a blink of surprise Orochimaru tried to recall who had been on that job to no avail. "I...don't remember. Kabuto was in charge of getting that project on its feet and I never really asked how he had completed it. I assume he used a mix of my Shinobi and scientists working together to accomplish it. Scientists to come up with the ideas and my Shinobi for the labor."
The Wolves could handle the labor part so Orochimaru's Shinobi probably wouldn't be needed. His scientists and researchers, however, might be useful to have along.
"Would it be possible for you to lend me a few of your more mechanically and architecturally inclined scientists for the repurposing of this base?"
"Oh, certainly!" Orochimaru would never miss an opportunity to aid and support his Crimson Prince."In fact, I believe one of my bases is still working on an older project of mine. It may be of use to you for this, though it will take some time to get his current results here from Umi no Kuni"
"There's no time to waste," Naruto mused. "But it will take time for your scientists to make it here." He drummed delicate fingers against the dark wood of his desk as he thought about the best course of action to take. "Are they in Otogakure or spread to other bases?"
"I would have to check to see which projects they're currently on, I know I have a few of the generally more well-rounded in Otogakure to assist me with my more important projects."
"That will do for now. Send for them but have them meet my Wolves at the base, that should save us some time."
"And my other project?"
"I'm assuming it's something to do with the water," His pointed look reminded Orochimaru that he had yet to explain. "So I'm sure it can be of use too. Have it sent as well, I'd like it to arrive soon after we've determined if the base will be a suitable starting point."
"Yes, of course." There was a slight dusting of pink on Sasukemaru's cheeks, something Naruto really didn't think he'd needed to see in his lifetime. "I was looking into the possibility of aquatic Shinobi. I believe there has been at least partial success so far, which should be a valuable asset in reclaiming the base and ensuring the integrity of its structure."
"Good, good." That would definitely be useful if the base itself was built in the sea. Naruto didn't suspect his Wolves could hold their breath for any significant amount of time to get work done on the outside of the base. "Arrange everything we've discussed immediately, I want this taken care of as soon as possible."
"Of course, Naruto-kun. I'll see to it immediately." Orochimaru made it to the door before hesitating. Looking over his shoulder he brought up what they both wanted to focus on. "Will you want to discuss the Ten no Juin when I'm finished?"
"I'll be here." That was agreement enough as far as Orochimaru was concerned and with a smile that never belonged on Sasuke's face he hurried away to see his prince's will done. A Wolf popped their head in as soon as he had left, giving Naruto a curious look.
"Orochimaru has what I was looking for, he's off to arrange things for us." Despite their face being hidden behind a mask their body language seemed to convey a sudden understanding of the situation. "I need you to get me Katsuri and Ganju as soon as possible, I have a task for them."
"At once, Tsukuyomi-sama." They snapped off a salute- well, he assumed they did. Most of it was hidden by the wall but the movements he could see seemed to match - and rushed off to carry out his father's will.
Knowing he had only a few minutes before his next guests arrived Naruto turned back to his work. He should be able to finish at least a few pages before he was interrupted again.
The ANBU guard gave three solid raps to the Hokage's wooden door before opening it and standing to the side for Haku to enter. Much like the last time she was here there was plenty of paperwork spread about and the Hokage himself seemed well on his way to burning himself out for the day despite it not being noon yet.
From what she'd seen between Mei and Asuma, Haku was absolutely certain that Kage was not a position she had any desire to hold. As respected as the position was it seemed to be a lot more trouble than it was worth. Unless you really liked paperwork it seemed to be more of a punishment than an honor.
Pushing those thoughts from her mind she stepped up to his desk and waited as he finished signing the last paper in the most recent stack. With a well-practiced flourish that somehow managed to convey the same weariness she could glimpse from his face the paper was signed and set on its fellows which Asuma moved to the side of his desk with visible satisfaction.
She really couldn't blame him.
Finished with that part of his work Asuma glanced up for the first time. He trusted that whoever had been allowed into his office by the ANBU was probably not someone he was going to need to worry about and the fact that they had simply stood there as he finished only confirmed that. Of course, he had been paying very close attention since the ANBU had knocked on the door.
It never hurt to be more careful, but it was good for his image as the Godaime Hokage to seem relaxed within the village of Konohagakure. No one else needed to know that he still suspected at least one member of his ANBU was actually a Wolf.
He'd have to do another check sometime this week, could never be too careful.
"Ah, Yuki-san." He turned his attention briefly to a clock on the wall. "I suppose you're about to leave to meet the ships, thank you for being prompt."
"Of course, Hokage-sama. Thank you for your continued aid."
He gave a half-hearted nod as he reached into a desk drawer to retrieve the file of one Gennin Naruto. It was suspiciously thin indicating he'd not been on many missions which immediately raised red flags with Haku. Strange enough was the fact that he was a Gennin- a Gennin fighting off Momochi Zabuza and Hoshigaki Kisame by himself? Never in a million years- but so little in the ways of mission records indicated a very recent Gennin, one she very much doubted could have risen to the position of Tsukuyomi.
In the end, however, only Mei would be able to know for certain. Maybe the lack of missions was because he was too busy off being Tsukuyomi. That made a certain amount of sense to the last Yuki and made her just the tiniest bit more comfortable that they might be requesting information on the right person.
Then again, for Naruko's sake she hoped that wasn't the case.
That, perhaps, was the greatest argument against inter-village friendships Haku had ever encountered if she was being perfectly honest.
"The file, as requested." Asuma held out the manila folder and Haku approached to grab hold of it. The Hokage did not let go. Meeting her gaze head-on his next words were careful and measured. "This will not be used to act against my Shinobi. This is so Mei-dono can be informed if anyone with ties to the House of Wolves enters Kirigakure. Am I clear?"
"Perfectly, Hokage-sama. We have no intention of making moves against….your Shinobi." Her pause spoke more than her words and Asuma gave a nod of understanding as he released his hold on the file.
"We have no intentions of making moves against the Wolves" was what had been conveyed and after the damage that noble house had caused to Kirigakure Asuma understood their hesitation perfectly. They were in no position to pick that sort of fight and he didn't have to worry about them trying to kill themselves by doing so.
"Uchiha?" The name was spoken more as a question which Orochimaru could understand. The original owner of his body had been stolen away from Konoha months ago so seeing it again within the walls was a completely plausible source of confusion. Luckily for them they weren't interrupting anything as he had just sent off summoned snakes with written orders for his subordinates.
What they were doing, however, was delaying his return to Naruto. Nothing as grave as interfering with the fulfillment of Naruto's orders- not directly at least, though Orochimaru could easily twist the situation into keeping Naruto's requested information on the Ten no Juin from him if need be- but something generally considered ill-advised to those with even the slightest inkling as to who he was.
Based on the fact they called him "Uchiha", Orochimaru was reasonably certain they did not.
A peek over his shoulder had him looking down at what he was reasonably certain was a Hyuuga. He hadn't paid that much attention to the clan over the years- their Byakugan didn't really interest him and outside that they were just a stuffy, boring bunch- but he seemed to recall the heiress was supposed to be the same age as Naruto, so this couldn't be her.
The fact that this random Hyuuga was here, however, was quite curious and Orochimaru found himself unbothered by the interruption if it meant stating this new- though predictably short lived- curiosity. He could spare a minute or two.
"Hmmm?" The inquisitive hum left neutral lips as Orochimaru turned to more easily meet her gaze, one brow rising prompting.
"What are you doing here?" Questioned the Hyuuga. "You went missing months ago."
"No," Orochimaru corrected her dryly. "I went missing years ago. You probably weren't even born yet." The flat look he received in response didn't hint at any amusement from her but was almost enough to spark some in him. Almost.
"You were in the academy with my sister." She folded her arms. "You can't be that old." Oh, this must have been the heiress's younger sister then, that seemed to fit. Still didn't explain why she was here. Had Naruto already started kidnapping children to reach his goals? It was admirable, but perhaps he might consider keeping them slightly more restrained or, even better, start going for those too young to wander around his apartment.
"I'm certain I did not, unless your parents had the two of you over thirty years apart."
Her look held steady for a few seconds before- with a roll of her eyes- she abandoned that line of questioning. "Fine, you want to be older." She waved one hand dismissively as if shooting the previous topic from the room. "I don't even care that you're back in Konoha, what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Orochimaru did his best to tower over the girl but his body- while one of the tallest in the class- didn't possess anything close to the size difference he'd have in any of the other bodies he'd ever used. "I'm here to visit my godson, what's a mini-Hyuuga doing here?"
She didn't seem pleased by that, not in the slightest, and it made Orochimaru nearly giddy to watch her carefully controlled black face meld into one of obvious irritation.
"I'm not a 'mini-Hyuuga', I'm Mai's assistant and the head of admin Hyuuga Hanabi."
"And I'm Orochimaru of the Sannin." She seemed even less impressed by that- probably assuming he was doubting her positions- but that only ended up putting him in a good mood. With a pat to her head and a quick ruffle of her hair Orochimaru strode past her and back towards Naruto's office.
That boy did surround himself with interesting individuals, though they'd have to have a talk about employing children as head of administration.
If it really was working for the Wolves Orochimaru was happy to give it a try himself.
Karura knew her grin was probably coming dangerously close to splitting her face and was well aware that it would probably annoy Mito if the Kyuubi was to see it but she couldn't bring herself to care much less to actually make some effort to hide it.
And it wasn't like the older Biju was likely to see it, either, because at the moment she was very much occupied and her attention was held solidly by the task at hand.
"The serpent looked up at the wanderer, the cold waters of the mountain spring glistening off golden scales, and with a flick of his black tongue he tasted sweat and blood carried by the sweet pine breeze."
Karura's hand shot to her mouth to keep herself from saying anything as she watched from her perch on Mito's bed. She knew that the second Mito realized what was happening- or at least realized she was being watched as it did happen- she'd have ruined it for the two currently on the couch with the Kyuubi.
"Couch" was probably too much of a stretch, Gaara and Isobu were very much in Mito's lap as she read whatever book she had taken from the nearby shelves. With Gaara on her right thigh curled around an Isobu who was as much snuggling into her brother as she was her aunt Karura was beyond ecstatic to see the three so comfortable with each other already.
If she thought for even the briefest of seconds that she could get away with it without ruining the moment she would have snuck over and taken a place next to Mito to join in on the fun but she knew very well that the prideful Kyuubi would be embarrassed as soon as someone else saw and was unlikely to ever do something like this again.
Karura's children seemed to be enjoying it, so for their sake Karura would refrain from spoiling anything.
"...And his pure white fangs caught the sunlight before they pierced the traveler's bandages and sunk deeply into the flesh of his left wrist. White-hot bursts of agony shot through his body as the venom was spread by his blood, forcing him to the forest floor. 'You seem strong," The snake mumbled. 'You might be strong enough to survive this. If you don't die, seek me out at the peak of Mount Aogi where the sun creates a lake every noon and the moon a mirror every midnight. I will wait for you there.' "
She did wonder what the hell Mito was reading her children, though.
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