Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 123-A "Serpent's Plot"
Release 2020.09.02
Hanabi's pale eyes scanned up and down the being before her, confirming she really was seeing what she thought she was. Convinced she wasn't hallucinating she gave a small nod of acceptance and turned her attention to Yako. "Did you find those reports I wanted yet?"
"Y-yeah." Half aware he lifted a hand towards her, manila folders hanging loosely from his fingers. She snatched them from his grasp before he had the opportunity to drop them or spill their contents and then promptly smacked him in the head with them none too gently.
Considering the height difference it was moderately impressive. "You've seen breasts before, Yako, get your ass back to work."
It took another second or two for him to respond, moving away from the humanoid snake and past the head of administration. As he did Hanabi was able to hear him mutter "Not on a snake, though." and she had to admit he had a point. Why did a snake even have breasts? They weren't mammals, though she supposed the human half of her might have been.
But could you really be "half-mammal"?
Naturally, probably not, but Hanabi had a pretty good feeling that the woman before her was not something that had occurred naturally in the slightest.
Call it a hunch.
Her subordinate back on track- hopefully- Hanabi realized it didn't really matter any more, what the snake did with its breasts were entirely her- its?- business. Naruto was obviously aware of her presence- not that he seemed to care all that much for it when he brought her up- so Hanabi shouldn't have to worry about whatever it was they were doing here. He had mentioned informing her of the upcoming move, though, and while he said he didn't care if she was made aware Hanabi thought it was pretty rude to just up and leave without telling someone, even if that someone happened to be half snake.
"Naruto mentioned I might run into you," Hanabi started as if she intended to begin a conversation but went right to the point immediately. "I'm not sure if anyone told you but we'll be leaving this base and Konoha within the next two weeks."
The expression of surprise on the snake-woman's face was easy to read, as was the panic that set in immediately after. "What? What's going on? Where is Naruto-sama going?"
Oh, 'Naruto-sama', was it? That was enough to tell Hanabi that whatever before her was most definitely Naruto's fault somehow. At the very least, he was responsible for it whether it had been intentional or not. This, however, she was confident in saying exceeded any of the other individuals he had managed to pull into his influence.
She was going to have to ask him for the story behind this one later….or…
Hanabi frowned before gazing about the empty hallways. She had already assigned tasks, now she was just supervising. With Yako sent back to what he should have been doing she could probably spare a few minutes to get to the bottom of this strange being.
"Come on, let's find one of the sitting rooms and talk. You have questions and I'm finding myself with some of my own, I think we can help each other resolve that."
At first the woman looked like she would decline but after another moment of consideration Akishi realized she was going to have to establish a working relationship of some kind with the High-Priest's Wolves- even if they were incompetant from what she had seen so far- if she wanted to be able to get the things she was going to require to fulfil the High-Priest's will.
Incompetant or not, humans always had been an excellent resource. And these humans, well, from what Akishi understood the High-Priest was not wanting for riches so they should be able to provide quite a bit more- and much more quickly- than Akishi would be able to obtain on her own.
"Very well," She eventually agreed, arms folding over her chest. "I can spare a few minutes away from Naruto-sama's task to exchange information."
Naruto had given her a task? Hanabi gave her a suspicious look that she didn't try to hide. If he had assigned her something why did he seem so uncaring about keeping her informed? There was something going on here and Hanabi hoped this talk would let her get to the bottom of it.
Hopefully.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shot up from her seat and took several quick steps before catching herself and coming to a stop. She was a goddess, she wasn't supposed to act like a little girl greeting her father when he came home. Fortunately for her Naruto was already on his way over and with long strides devoured the distance between them. His slim fingers pushed into her hair with a gentle ruffle and he gave her a small smile.
"Hello, Hinata-chan." Purple eyes darted over to Hiashi who sat calmly in the window watching with pupiless eyes and then back to the Hyuuga Head. "Is now a bad time?"
Remembering her father Hinata's eyes widened slightly and she turned back to see his carefully neutral face. Her brows furrowed and an uncertain frown tugged at her lips as she considered it. "No," She eventually decided, still meeting her father's eyes. "Hinata no Mikoto always has time for those who support her."
She turned back to Naruto only to be met with an amused expression. They both knew that when he had indeed supported her in her new position among her clan itr was done so to serve his purposes within the village. He didn't say anything about it but both Hyuuga present could tell by his expression that it was only because he was humoring her before her father.
Hinata became acutely aware of the red dusting that spread over her cheeks and to save face refused to look back to Hiashi again. "You'll have to excuse us, Tou-san, we have matters to see to."
Naruto gave Hiashi a grin of his own, one that clearly told the man that he both considered the game between them over and himself the victor. "Yes, do excuse us Hiashi-san. Perhaps I'll stop by for a chat with you afterwards, I don't suppose you get many visitors these days."
Hiashi's expression remained blank, whatever expression he would have been showing tightly controlled. Unfortunately it couldn't hide the slightly bitter irritation in the man's eyes. "No, not many." He agreed.
"As I thought." Naruto returned his attention to the reason for his visit. "Come, Hinata-chan, shall we take this to your office or to your mother's garden?"
"We'll go to my office, mother's garden is being tended to at the moment."
"Very well," Naruto gave a sweeping gesture towards her office. "After you, Hinata-chan."
As the two left Hiashi's garden Naruto gave one last pitying look over to the caged bird.
Hiashi thought it was infinitely worse than the previous smugness.
Hanabi watched as the snake-woman -Akishi, she had learned. An "Ak'Gyun" - walked- or, rather, slithered her way- down the hallway and back to the room she had claimed as her own, the map Hanabi had found for her held tightly in her left hand. A good portion of her mental power was still working away at processing everything the Ak'Gyun had told her and she had a feeling she might not ever fully wrap her head around some of the concepts.
She had experience with those who claimed people she knew for a fact were mortal were actually some form of deity- her sister was a prime example of that- but when a creature that shouldn't rightly exist tells you they were given their form by some sort of giant snake god who lived in the sun, well, Hanabi was honestly more inclined to believe them.
She didn't know what to think about Naruto apparently being the High-Priest of that god considering she hadn't ever seen anything from him to indicate he worshipped any deity himself. Infact, the closest thing to that would probably be Tsukuyomi- whom she was reasonably certain was a human dispute having never met him- whom the Wolves believed to be some form of god. Naruto was a Wolf and a high-ranking one from what she understood- joint second with Mai- so if the Wolves as a whole were expected to worship Tsukuyomi as a divine being then it would make sense for him to at least follow the practices even if he really didn't believe him.
Yet from what Hanabi had seen, Naruto didn't even speak Tsukuyomi's name with respect, let alone reverence. It could be tied to how casually Naruto always spoke of him, as if the two were good friends- which was entirely possible after this Tsukuyomi had aided Naruto in his vendetta against the Yamanaka- and that friendship simply meant Naruto didn't feel the need to show reverence or respect.
If Hanabi was friends with an actual god she would still be showing respect- especially around others- if even just to avoid irritating them. If that "god" wasn't actually a greater spiritual being, however, it made sense that Naruto didn't feel the need to. He would know that Tsukuyomi wasn't a god and those who did believe otherwise would be aware that Naruto was in good standing with their gods and thus not question the familiar relationship between the two.
But an actual god, one who- according to Akishi- had turned a snake- and an impossibly large one at that- into a half-snake half-woman Ak'Gyun and sent her here to serve this "Au's" High-Priest; Naruto. If Naruto was doing something for the snake deity Hanabi would be inclined to believe it but he didn't seem to be so sending Akishi to serve him in his own goals didn't really add up.
Something wasn't right here and Hanabi really didn't like it but Naruto was obviously fine with Akishi's presence- though impartial might be more accurate- and that only brought her back to questions about why, if she was here on the orders of her god to serve Naruto his High-Priest why didn't Naruto seem at all interested in this very real sign from his supposed god?
Granted, Akishi might not be telling her everything- though what she did tell her she seemed to honestly believe, the Ak'Gyun obviously wasn't used to having such an expressive face- so if Hanabi really wanted to get to the bottom of things it looked like she was going to have to get her answers from Naruto.
Assuming he was willing to provide them, that is. With her luck he would probably tell her less than Akishi did. Hanabi had already gotten used to that. She had access to a lot of the paperwork that went through the top of the House of Wolves- including the sort of stuff that would make its way to Tsukuyomi himself- but she still was in the dark about the things shared between Naruto and the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni. From what she could piece together, Naruto and Mai were as equal under Tsukuyomi as they claimed but Mai was the one whose tasks focused on the Wolves themselves. Naruto seemed to work on some of Tsukuyomi's other projects- whatever those were.
With them leaving Konoha now- and she wondered what Tsukuyomi thought about that, was he aware or had Naruto just made the call in the absence of Mai and Tsukuyomi?- he would probably be busy trying to finish up or salvage those projects he had been working on for him.
Probably not the best time for a religious discussion.
"This isn't just you visiting me, is it Naruto-kun?" Her eyes told him she already knew but he afforded her a small, regretful smile and answered anyway.
"I'm afraid not, Hinata-chan."
She returned his smile. "That's okay, Naruto-kun, I understand." One arm wrapped around her waist and gave a brief squeeze. "Maybe next time it will be just to see me?" She asked. It was impossible to miss the hope in her voice.
"I wish I could make that sort of promise, Hinata-chan, but I'm probably not going to be visiting for quite some time." That instantly had her attention.
"Why? What happened? Are you leaving again?""
"The Wolves are departing from Konoha by the end of the month, visiting's going to be a bit tricky from then on."
"But-" Hinata's voice died down as her lips pulled together in a disappointed frown. It took her a moment to ask the question that was really bothering her. "If you're all gone who's here with me?" She could usually go to Naruto or Mai for advice and she really didn't have anyone else she was close to- her father was the closest and their relationship had been strained before she took over the clan and imprisoned him within the compound .
"You'll still have your guard," He promised. "And just because the Wolves will be gone doesn't mean our allies will be. Konoha is still ours, the Inuzuka will keep an eye on things and help you ensure the actions Konoha takes benefits all of us."
"So I would go to…" Her first thought was Kiba and she had a very good feeling that was wrong. At least, she really hoped it was.
"You can go to Tsume if you need advice. You can also send us a letter, though it might take a bit for a response." He didn't know how Tsume would take these events, actually, or how Mai would. He was essentially pulling Mai from Konoha which meant either Tsume would have to come with them, or the two of them were going to end up separated from each other which wouldn't be good for Mai's happiness. He made a mental note to buy a property in one of Hi no Kuni's cities that the two would be able to meet in regularly, just in case. It was far easier to have them meet somewhere between Konoha and the Wolve's new base than having one of the two sneak off to spend time together.
"There may also be some others here in Konoha you can turn to." The Yamanaka- well, really just Inoichi and Ino- came to mind and he still didn't know if Anko and Kakashi would be better following him or remaining some of his agents here in Konoha. Sakura would support Hinata if he asked her too- he thought- but he wasn't sure how much advice she'd be able to give for ruling a clan. "I'll see who we'll have staying here in Konoha and let you know who can be relied on while we're gone. If it comes down to it, things may reach a point where the Hyuuga need to relocate from Konoha entirely, we'll have a home for you in Nami if it's ever needed." That would be a massive blow to Konoha, which Naruto would rather avoid, but it would also really hurt Asuma to see such a prominent clan go.
Iroh's reaction, well, that would be Asuma's problem. Losing a clan like the Hyuuga from his country was going to hit his reputation as they left the Imperial Fire Court to join the courts of Nami and his peers might begin to see Nami as a more prominent country if nobles were leaving the rapidly expanding Hi no Kuni Imperial Fire Courts to join it.
It would probably be a good thing for the Wolves, actually, the chances of becoming a greater country was high and that would really only benefit the Wolves as their influence increased over other lesser countries dramatically. With Kaze no Kuni having been annexed into Hi no Kuni there was an opening for a fifth greater country anyway, it might as well be them.
Then again, if you were to look at a map to compare the sizes of other countries, well, Nami no Kuni was hands down the smallest country you'd find. By that merit they were unlikely to become a greater village before expanding but with Konoha taking up most of the coast they were off of the only way they could expand would be to officially take over Yu no Kuni or to somehow gain claim to the series of islands to the northeast. Unfortunately while those weren't officially Kaminari no Kuni land the presence of the Lightning Daimyo's troops on the islands told everyone that they might as well have been.
Was it too soon to piss off another country by trying to encroach upon their territory? Probably, he had antagonized enough people lately, probably best to give people a chance to calm down while he reorganized the Wolves.
Besides, he could just take over whatever country was elevated to greater status when the Greater Daimyo met to discuss it. Traditionally that was supposed to be about six months away but with Iroh trying to hang onto Kaze no Kuni he might push for it to be held later than normal and the others were unlikely to argue against it.
It was Kaze no Kuni's turn to host anyway, so a delay was more than understandable in those circumstances.
"Oh, okay." She didn't seem too happy about it but she really had no choice but to accept. "You'll still visit though, right?"
"Or you'll vacation in Nami," He countered. "It will depend on how things go but you'll still see me Hinata-chan, don't worry."
He hadn't been very good at visiting her when they were in the same village- busy with his other duties- so Hinata knew that meant she would be the one coming to visit him but that was okay. As long as she got to see him still she'd be happy. She also knew that if she was to stop by then he was guaranteed to make time for her unless something urgently needed his attention so it was much more reliable than waiting for him to have the opportunity to visit her.
"Expect me to visit regularly," She warned him. "You're really behind on brushing my hair." That earned a soft smile for the young Daimyo.
"Yeah, I suppose I am." He gave her another half hug. "There's one more thing I'd like to show you before we leave, would you be able to stop by the apartment this evening?"
"Of course, Naruto-kun. I'll be there."
"Excellent, I think you'll like this." He was more than sure, in fact, he knew for a fact she would be overjoyed even if their visit was probably going to be short-lived and Hanabi was going to be leaving with the Wolves.
"I'm looking forward to it, then." She didn't know what he had in mind but she was sure it was going to be more than worth a visit to his home. She returned his half-hug with a full hug of her own. "If you're leaving Konoha I'm sure you have a lot of work to do still, I'll let you get back to it."
"Sorry," He shot her an apologetic grin. "But you're right, I have a lot to see to still. Send my apologies to your father as well, it looks like I won't be able to visit with him today. Maybe on a trip back to Konoha."
"I'm sure he'll look forward to it." She wasn't as certain about that but it was possible he'd like company other than his daughter and he had seemed to enjoy speaking with Naruto when he had invited him over for dinner so long ago. Gods, that felt like a lifetime ago at this point.
Things really had changed a lot in such a short time, she just really hoped it was for the better.
"Do you think we might ask the High-Priest for some of his servants, Great Akishi?" One of the golden snakes looked up from the par to stare at the Ak'Gyun, the others following suite with questioning expressions. "Surely this would be easier with humans at our disposal to stand in for the human lord and his brood?"
Akishi's lips pulled down into a frown and she considered asking him to lend them some of his Wolves but with a small sigh she shook her head. "He has tasked us with replacing them. If he wanted his Wolves to take their place he would have no doubt had them do so already." Possibly, they didn't seem the most competent lot as far as Akishi had witnessed
The snakes in her room nodded in agreement with her assessment but she continued regardless. "This is our test, we prove nothing by relying upon the High-Priest." Not that she thought he would help them in the first place, she was half certain this "test" was also to serve as a form of punishment, though whether that was for the actions of Ashun and Aya or for Akishi's words when they first met she wasn't completely sure.
It certainly felt like more than just a test though and he most definitely was not pleased with the children of Au when he had set it for them to accomplish to earn his favor.
"Well, what about a single servant of his to transport us to this 'Yu no Kuni'?" Proposed another. "We have to observe the palace of this Daimyo before we can determine how we'll go about replacing them anyway, it may be easier for one of these…'Wolves'-" the word fell strangely from the snake's tongue. "-to bring us there."
"The High-Priest has been very clear that association between his Wolves and our control of this Yu no Kuni are to remain unknown to the world. If Wolves are in Yu no Kuni I do not suspect they will be anywhere close to the palace." Akishi countered. At this rate they were either going to have to try to make their way to Yu no Kuni themselves or find some way to gain human servants of their own.
"What if we asked one of the Wolves to arrange something with humans that don't serve the High-Priest, is that worth an attempt?"
Akishi blinked as one of the younger snakes voiced her suggestion. That- that wasn't a bad idea at all, actually.
"Yes, yes." Akishi's head bobbed in agreement. "That may work, child, that may work." But did they all go or did they just send a few of them to scout out the area. Akishi's thoughtful frown returned. It wasn't like they'd be able to stay here long anyway considering the Wolves and the High-Priest intended to vacate their current residence.
But if no one stayed with the Wolves how would they locate the High-Priest again in the future? And did they really want to travel with the amulet of Au and the little remaining blood in their possession? The chances of something happening to it were high, not that the prospect of trying to move them alongside the Wolves was all that much better. They needed somewhere safe to store them. Akishi almost considered entrusting them to the snake-sage -or the young man who claimed to be- but their attitude towards Au made her rethink that course of action.
She didn't want to risk them doing something as awful as getting rid of the amulet or destroying the blood just to spite Au or to keep the High-Priest from taking his rightful place in the Golden Serpent's service. Unfortunately she didn't think there was anyone else here even remotely tied to the serpents in any way and it would take time to cultivate loyal human servants to the point that they could be trusted with such critical components to the Father's will. She wasn't talking months, she was talking years, possibly decades.
There was no way they could make plans that would take so long- not at first anyway. They needed to try what they could as quickly as possible first before Au's patience was worn even more thin. If all else failed, though, she had no doubt she'd spend the next century with more and more elaborate plans and gathering as many resources as she could get her new hands on in order to accomplish the High-Priest's task and get him to accept the mantle of Au's High-Priest.
And if it took longer than that? Well, unfortunately humans tended to only live about a hundred years so if she wasn't able to arrange things by the time he was on his deathbed then she'd never be able to accomplish his task or the task given to her by the Father. She would be damned to remain here in the mortal world for the rest of time, the best outcome from which was guarding Au's amulet and seeking out those worthy to be the Father's next High-Priests. That might be enough for her to eventually earn her the opportunity to return home to the foot of Mount Aogi.
That is, if she was lucky and, as recent events were proving, she was anything but.
"Someone's going to need to stay with the High-Priest and his Wolves so that we can get back into contact with him after he moves." She finally spoke. The snakes shared a look among themselves, wondering who would have such a task.
"Shouldn't that be you, Ak'Gyun-sama?" one of them dared to ask. "Should he have other needs from the children of Au no doubt you would be the best suited to attend to them."
Not wrong but she couldn't just stay around the Wolves waiting for word from those seeking to complete the High-Priest's task, no, she needed to be at the forefront to make immediate decisions and oversee their attempts.
"I must see to it his will is done personally, that is the task he has set and the will of the Father." No..exactly...but it was lightly twisted enough that it would hold up to scrutiny. He had declared that the High-Priest's will was to be done and the High-Priest had given the challenge to her, so in a way she needed to be there as the task was accomplished even though it could technically be done without a single scal;e entering the country of Yu no Kuni. All they had to do was create a loyal following of humans and have them take over Yu no Kuni and her task would have been complete.
They just didn't have that sort of time so she would be doing as much of it herself as physically possible and with her current physique that included many tasks the others simply weren't able to do themselves.
"When we get to Yu no Kuni I'll secure us a place to stay and from which to work. I'll send one of you back so the one with the WOlves knows where to find us should the High-Priest require us for anything else." She beyond doubted that would ever come to pass- at least not until after they had managed to prove themselves- but it would be put into place just in case and would no doubt put these younger snakes at greater ease about her not being immediately at the High-Priest's disposal. "If we figure something out quickly enough, we might have the palace of Yu no Kuni's Daimyo ready for the High-Priest to occupy before he moves from his current residence."
That immediately caught the attention of what were barely more than hatchlings compared to her. Not only would they be accomplishing his task but they would be going above and beyond to see to his other needs in doing so, something that would no doubt please the Father and gain the favor of the High-Priest they had yet to meet.
"But for now I want you to think of anything we might need so we can gather it from his servants before we leave. We won't have the luxury of sending for them when we've moved to Yu no Kuni and anything we don't have we'll have some difficulty obtaining." When five of them were snakes and she was liable to terrify the simple mortal humans who gazed upon her glorious form there wouldn't be any trading or bartering unless they found humans to do their bidding.
She'd done it before, it wasn't too hard when you possessed an impossible form such as that of a massive talking serpent or something half-snake half-human. They couldn't be trusted with safeguarding the sacred items in her possession but they could be utilized to buy and trade with other humans for what they needed, that was a simple enough task for the sorts she could convert to her bidding most expediently.
"It can't be too much," Pointed out one of them. "Only you'll be able to carry our supplies, Ak'Gyun-sama."
Akishi's frown cut deeply into the lips of her human face, she hadn't even considered that limiting factor but what was it they really needed? Hands, mostly, she thought. Things would just be so much easier if they had hands with which to interact with everything in the palace. It would also make it much easier to silence and dispose of the real Daimyo and his family.
But, they didn't just have to get rid of them, did they? They could get rid of as many as they needed to as long as they replaced them successfully.
A longer plan, then, might work much better.
"A temple," Her sudden idea broke the silence. "We'll set up a small temple to begin gathering the followers we need. It will take longer but if we can get them into the palace it will be much easier for us to accomplish our task and we'll be doing some of the High-Priest's work for him by spreading the glory of Au's light."
The younger snakes hissed excitedly at the idea of being the founders of one of the Father's temples and the glory that would come with it. He was bound to be so pleased that they would be able to bask in his light for eternity and the way it would help them serve the High-Priest made it even better.
It also meant there would be no question why Akishi was with them- the Ak'Gyun were created to tend the great temples of Au, after all.
It was only right for her to be present during the creation of the first new one the human world had seen in millennia.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 123-B "The City of Sand"
Patron Released 2020.09.10
"Where is Gaara?" Despite his first words not being about her, Karura still smiled at both Naruto's presence and his apparent concern over their son.
"He's nearly across Hi no Kuni, beloved." Came Karura's answer. "Shall I call him here or send him towards Konoha for you?"
"No, that won't be necessary." Quick strides brought him to Karura's side and she was happy enough for the opportunity to melt into his. "I just want to make sure he's out of Hi no Kuni by the end of the month so he doesn't get caught up in anything."
She didn't say anything but the expression she wore asked enough.
"Just a disagreement between the Hokage and myself. He thinks we're bad for Konoha and I think he's wrong, though I can see how he reached that conclusion. We'll be pulling out for a time and letting him and Iroh point fingers at each other while we focus on some of my other plans. Gaara should be fine but with his ties to Kaze no Kuni and myself it's best to be safe."
Her expression changed into a beaming smile and she planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "That's so sweet of you, beloved. You know I can take care of that Hokage for you if you like?" She offered. He wasn't sure if the hopefulness in her voice was about the opportunity to kill-presumably- the Hokage or for the chance to do something to help him.
Probably both.
"I appreciate it, Karura, but I'd like to retreat from the public eye for a bit and I fear that might draw too much unwanted attention. We still have a lot to get done and if potential irritants want to busy each other by arguing among themselves it just makes it easier for me."
"Mmm, if you're sure beloved." She'd already been told no so she wasn't actually expecting him to change his mind but that was fine, she was happy enough that he had stopped by for a visit. Sure, she could speak with him whenever she pleased and when he used her abilities to manipulate her sand she could feel his touch ghosting across her skin but it wasn't the same as being with him like this. She could only imagine that somehow being in his presence in the physical world could only be better.
But Karura was a grateful Biju and she'd take what she could get without complaint and appreciate anything that wasn't an eternity of solitude locked within a damp cage.
Unlike some.
"I'm sure Isobu would love a chase to spend some time with her father," Her voice broke the silence. "Do you have time to stay a bit longer?"
One red brow rose in question. "I thought you might like some time with me to yourself for a bit first."
She bit her lip in response, trying to determine the proper form of action. With a resigned sigh she shook her head as she came to a conclusion. "You must be busy getting everyone out of Konoha which means you don't have much time here right now. As happy as I'd be to take it all for myself little Isobu will be much more pleased to see you and I can't take that from her." His arms gave her a quick squeeze in response and his lips briefly brushed over hers in a quick kiss.
"You're a wonderful mother, Karura, and I'll make sure you know just how much I appreciate that when this matter with Hi no Kuni is over."
A shiver rocked down her spine at the thought and a bright anticipation entered her eyes. "Oh, I'm looking forward to it, Beloved." If she was going to be getting extra for waiting then Karura could wait, she had been intending to do that for free anyway.
Grateful for what she could get she might have been, that didn't mean she wouldn't take an opportunity to get even more to be grateful about.
She couldn't wait.
Hiashi's attention was caught by movement outside his window and his pupiless gaze turned to the source only to see his daughter frowning deeply in thought. Normally that would be related to running the clan that he had no influence over and so he would let it be- his time to deal with clan matters was over, after all- but this time he found himself becoming immensely curious.
Was this actually something about the Hyuuga alone or was she thinking about something related to Naruto and his Wolves? Did it tie into his clan at all or was she just worried for her friend?
"Interesting chat?" He asked after a second, catching his daughter-off guard. With a small jump and a startle she turned towards the voice only to realize where she had wandered.
"Oh, yeah." She nodded. It was clear that while she was trying to focus on her father at least half of her attention was still elsewhere. "Well, no. Kind of." Her frown pulled even deeper. "Actually," She admitted. "I'm not sure how to take it. It's good but also bad, but everything will be okay...I think."
It was strange for Hiashi to see this and he realized that it was the first time he had seen her in any way unsure since she had led the branch family to take over the clan. That was something he wouldn't have ever expected, looking back. She had always been so timid and shy growing up but now it just seemed wrong for her to not be standing up proudly and taking charge of the family. Naruto- Naruto had been good for her, he could readily admit that-
Just not out loud.
"Was it about the clan?" He asked after giving her a few moments to continue pondering her feelings on the matter.
"It will affect us, yes, but it has nothing to do with the Hyuuga directly." As she said that her face lit up with a sudden realization before hardening with determination. "It's nothing to do with the Hyuuga." She repeated to herself quietly before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Tou-san, but this is not a matter for the clan and has been entrusted to me by our allies."
She wasn't going to be saying anything more on the matter, then, Hiashi realized. And while he was tempted to try to pry more information from her he decided to leave it be for now. He would hear of the matter eventually if it did actually affect the clan, otherwise he really couldn't bring himself to care for it more than any other fleeting thought and he tended to have a lot of those from within his gilded cage.
"I see." Was all he offered in response, falling silent again and returning his attention to the gardens outside his window.
She did find it odd he dropped the matter so easily but she didn't think too much on the matter, Hinata had more important things to focus on- like reaching out to the people she was probably going to be relying on in the Wolves' absence. She had known the Inuzuka were allied with the Wolves for some time now but she couldn't ever recall interacting with the clan outside sharing class with Kiba. That was, obviously, a huge mistake on her part. What sort of clan head doesn't reach out to other clans- especially those you're tied to so tightly?
She was going to have to remedy that
As she turned to leave her father to his gardens she didn't even realize she was mumbling about visiting Tsume under her breath.
Hiashi did though and he had to wonder what Naruto was up to that it was going to affect two of Konoha's largest clans.
Probably nothing good.
"Daddy!" The squeal was punctuated by the bullet that was little Isobu charging towards her father. With a chuckle he grabbed her under her arms and spun her through the air, her straw hat falling to the white stone of Karura's palace.
"There's my little Isobu-Hime, daddy's missed you." He placed a quick kiss on each of her brightening cheeks followed by one to her nose and one last one to her forehead. "Have you and mommy been having fun?"
She nodded without missing a beat, her entire expression lighting up at the chance to recount everything she had been up to. "Uh-huh, I've spent time with mommy and with auntie and Nii-sama even helped me build a city around my castle!" She leaned in close to his ear to whisper some important secret. "He says that I'm the princess of that city, too."
"Yes you are," Naruto agreed without hesitation. "Let's go take a look at your city and you can tell me all about your time with auntie too." Setting her back onto the ground he picked up her hat and returned it to tis spot on her head before holding out a hand so she could lead him to her kingdom.
With a smile as large as the ocean she had called home for so many years she happily grabbed as much of his hand as she could in her own and started to tug him through the palace.
It may not have been the same as spending time with him herself but as Karura watched on she knew for a fact she had made the right decision.
The stacks were getting higher Sai noted as he returned to his office, papers spilling from the desk and scattering all over his floor. It would seem Hana wasn't going to stop being upset with him anytime soon for naming the city after her.
He'd try to claim ignorance if he thought it would work but while most people would be pleased to have a great city like Hanahime named after themself he had known that Hana would be opposed to it before he had gone through with it.
He had just figured she'd be mad for a day or two, maybe a bit short with him during meetings, and then they would go back to taking care of Nami as normal.
...Yeah.
He hadn't even been a fraction of that lucky so far.
He did his best to step around the papers guarding his desk like a moat of bureaucracy and was pleased when he managed to only crumple three of them on his journey. He was starting to get pretty good at this. Probably not a real positive but he had found himself lacking those pretty desperately since he made that announcement.
Apparently- and this had been some major news to him- despite technically outranking her on the hierarchy- or even if you wanted to call them equals under Tsukuyomi- it seemed as though the Wolves liked Hana more than they liked Sai.
Or were more scared of her and if that was the case he couldn't really fault them for it but he could still be bitter about it. Regardless, they had stopped being quite so helpful and overall slightly more difficult with him ever since. No doubt either her influence or because they didn't like the name either.
He was betting on the first, though he supposed they could be lashing out just because Hana was angry. That probably made more sense than her actively convincing them to become as large pains in his ass as possible.
Don't get him wrong, they still followed the orders of their commanding officer- that was still him, in case anyone had forgotten, thank you.- but they certainly weren't exactly enthusiastic about it and if they could find a way to twist his words back at him then they would do so without hesitation. He'd had to be exceedingly careful with his instructions as of late, which was just eating more time he didn't have to spare thanks to the mounds of papers that had started regularly covering his desk.
The worst part? These were all forms he had done already.
He snatched one from the top of the pile as he collapsed into his seat, nearly having a heart attack as the stack proceeded to wobble dangerously for a few unstable seconds. A nervous breath of relief escaped him as gravity resumed its hold on the precarious tower of bullshit that were government forms. He didn't know why they hadn't done away with them when they took over- in fact, he was reasonably certain they had actually put them in place on purpose once Nami no Kuni was theirs, though gods knew why they would do something so horrible- but he did know that they had become a bane of his existence almost on the level of financial reports.
When Hana started her little grudge she apparently stopped covering some gaps in the work he was doing, namely the paperwork associated with the requests he made of Nami no Kuni or transferring funds between the country, the house, and whoever Sai needed to pay for, well, whatever it was he was paying for.
She had waited a week before informing him, too, so he had plenty of people wondering why their money hadn't shown up yet and Wolves wondering why things like clearance or shift changes hadn't been approved. Josune had been especially peeved when the request for leave he had put in a month ago hadn't been approved in time for him to get his anniversary off. His wife had been even less pleased and despite not benign a Wolf herself Sai had received quite the angry letter from the woman.
That was not someone he wanted mad at him again, thank you.
Of course, the paperwork itself wasn't bad enough. He had been able to add that to his schedule without too much trouble but the rest of the problem showed up two days after he had caught up with it- when it was all back on his desk rejected. Apparently even a single mistake was now enough for her to reject requests and while each one came with notices of erroneously filed forms and letters of rejection none of those actually told him what he had gotten wrong. Took an entire week to figure out he had been doing the wrong form - 9475-G when he should have been doing 9475-Q - to have Nami no Kuni secure a shipment of equipment from Tetsu no Kuni for them and bill it to the country treasury.
The only thing worse than irritable Wolves with weapons were irritable Wolves who were impatiently waiting for weapons.
If nothing else, the constant bureaucratic bullshit was both helping Sai get better at all the damn paperwork and had given him a greater appreciation for anyone who had previously had to deal with anything he had submitted . He probably owed Naruto and Mai some pretty big apologies.
As he did Hana, evidently. He wasn't sure how you apologize for naming a city after someone but he needed to figure it out.
Fast.
"Isn't it great, daddy?" He only vaguely registered his daughter's voice as purple eyes stared out over the vast stretch of sand that had previously been nothing more than dunes. He had been expecting a city of sandcastles obviously and while he had been prepared for it to be anything from a small number of buildings around the sandcastle she had been building up to hundreds- or maybe even thousands- of little sand houses.
He had not been expecting them to be lifesized.
"It's wonderful, Isobu-Hime." He placed an open palm against one of the nearby walls and pushed his weight into it. It didn't even budge. Naruto couldn't say if that was something to do with the fact they weren't in the real world or if the sand itself had just been so compacted it was practically back to stone. Scraping a fingernail against it he couldn't even dislodge a single grain and his questions remained unanswered.
He didn't get a chance to test things any further as she resumed tugging at his arm and began to drag him down the suspiciously solid streets of her city.
"How long did this take the two of you, Isobu-Hime?" They had obviously been doing more than just building structures because as they wandered- or maybe she had a destination in mind, he didn't know- down the streets he could see colorful lengths of cloth functioning as doors and curtains and a few of the houses had flowers either sitting in vases in window sills or as planter boxes hanging from the windows themselves. One of the houses even had a large decorative pot outside its door from which spilled crimson flowers he couldn't place. It seemed almost like an ivy but instead of leaves the stems had only the flowers. He was no gardener himself, but he was pretty sure a cross between ivy and roses didn't actually exist in the real world.
"Um," Her free hand brought a finger to her lips and her cheeks puffed slightly as she thought about it. "He visits every night. I don't know how many times."
He'd have to ask Karura for that answer then, though he suspected the woman might have a similar answer for him.
"I see," Using his free hand he picked up her hat and rested it on a chain so he could ruffle her green hair. "You two have certainly been very busy, I'm glad you're having fun." He actually found himself more glad that the two siblings had been able to spend time together, even if it was within the seal. He wondered how things might change if there was a way for them to spend time together in the real world.
Isobu gave him a brilliant smile in response. "Yeah, I like it when he visits." Her smile dropped for a second. "I just wish auntie could see my city too."
There were two individuals Naruto knew of that could be referring to and he wasn't completely comfortable with either wandering this part of the seal. One of them had already been here as Karura's guest, however, so she was the one he would prefer Isobu was talking about.
"Which of your aunties did you want to show it to?" Her face lit up with realization at his words and he had a sudden gut feeling that he may have just made a mistake.
"Both!" She grinned happily. He really couldn'' say no to that smile, could he? Damn it all, it looks like he was going to have to provide Mito with access to Karura's desert so that she could visit Isobu's city. Best to warn Karura beforehand so she could decide if she wanted her "sister" to have access to her palace too. Probably not.
"I'll talk to your mother and we'll see what we can arrange, okay?" That seemed good enough for her and she gave a nod at his suggestion.
"Okay." Satisfied with the answer she had received she resumed her tour of the sand city she and Gaara had created, her father pulled along behind her.
Sealing the Sanbi into himself might have been the best decision Naruto had ever made.
Even if it did mean he was going to have to give Mito more access to parts of his seal.
The clan hierarchy within the Inuzuka was...weird...as far as Naruto was concerned. Most clans would have a clear line of succession with second, third, and sometimes even fourth replacements already trained in case something happened - they were Shinobi, so death was completely expected- and in the event that none of them could take charge of the clan the elders would step in to keep wings under control until they found a clan member that was capable of leading it.
Within the Inuzuka there was Tsume.
That was it.
In all fairness, they had a heiress but he had kind of stolen her away to run his country in his absence so a large part of the blame for that rested upon his shoulders. Tsume probably should have started grooming Kiba for the position- last Narutro had heard Hana was still quite happy with her position in Nami no Kuni, so there was a chance she might not want to come back to Konoha to run the clan.-but he could understand the hesitation. Not only was the brash Kiba not exactly suited to that sort of responsibility but it would bring up questions of why he needed to be trained if Hana was simply away on clan business.
The Inuzuka would understand but it was the other clans noticing that could create problems.
Normally this would mean Naruto would go to one of Tsume's siblings to discuss clan matters as they would be closest to headship but he had learned there were two issues with that.
First, Tsume was an only child. Not only that but her parents and their parents had also been only children by some massively inconvenient cosmic twist so there were really no close blood relations he could turn to.
The second issue was that the Inuzuka would choose a new line as clan head by fighting amongst themselves- quite literally- to establish dominance. Strongest- or, in some cases, just the most intimidating- would assume control over the clan once they proved themselves strong enough to lead it.
Fine, whatever they found best for their needs. Naruto really didn't care if they rolled dice to decide, what he did care about is the fact that they weren't going to all be fighting for that dominance when their clan head was just on vacation and so there was no single person Naruto could speak to within the clan to ensure they were informed about the Wolves' upcoming departure.
With no other options he had gathered the strongest and most charismatic members of the clan because if nothing else their clanmates would be more likely to listen to them. Two men, two women, and a young man who wasn't yet out of his teens. Naruto's first thought on seeing the young man was that he was no more than a child but he had to catch himself- this young man was older than he was.
He could only imagine what must have been going through their heads as he walked into the room, someone barely old enough to maybe be considered a Chūnin having called them together because he needed to speak with them. They probably thought this was some sort of joke.
Of course, that meant he had to take immediate control of the room if he wanted any hope of being taken seriously. Well, that or to borrow some of Karura's chakra and prove himself to them physically but it was probably best to avoid that.
He would keep it in mind, though.
"You're all here. Good." He shut the door behind him and moved to stand behind Tsume's desk. The letter he'd had delivered via Wolf Courrier only an hour before had instructed them to meet in Tsume's office for this and the four adults didn't seem too comfortable about being here while Tsume was out of the village. He was sure the only reason they had complied was because of the Wolf delivering the letters and the two official seals that had been pressed into the bottom of the letter.
The young man didn't seem bothered by being here but Naruto thought that was probably more ignorance than anything else. One did not normally let yourself into the office of a clanhead- especially when they weren't there- even if they had invited you. For five of them to be present while the clan head was out was beyond inappropriate and while the Inuzuka tended to be pretty lax on the rules even the most laid back Inuzuka would know better than to just waltz into the head's office.
It was a good way to get your ass kicked from the clan entirely.
Both men and one of the women remained standing near the door, the other woman was leaning against the far corner to keep an eye on the whole room- probably incase an angry Tsume burst into the room- and the young man had decided to lean against Tsume's desk. He turned his neck around as much as he could to keep Naruto in sight, questions clear in his eyes.
The look Naruto shot back told him he was far from impressed.
"Stand up, boy." Naruto ordered firmly. "This is a meeting not a birthday party." As soon as he had given the young man instructions he turned his attention to the adults, not waiting to see if his orders would be followed. "Front and center, there's business to be seen to."
Three of the adults shared brief grins before complying. He wasn't sure if they were amused or approving but he didn't have the time to care, either. One of the men, though, remained at his position near the door and while Naruto noted that he was also aware that the kid- he didn't care anymore, even if they were older than him they were still a kid- had turned from leaning back against the desk to leaning against it with his side. It was closer but it wasn't what Naruto had instructed him to do.
Meeting the eyes of the man standing in the back he kept their gazes locked while one of his chains whipped out from under the desk to strike the wood next to the boy with a solid crack. The boy jumped back with a yelp, warily eyeing the black chain that had made itself known.
"I gave you an order, boy. I don't have time to wait for you to learn how to follow simple instructions." Naruto turned to the young man still eyeing the chain. "That goes for you too."
Both of them blinked dumbly and Naruto briefly wondered if they were a bit more closely related than the others. Obviously that wasn't to last as they processed what he had said.
"What did you-" "Who do you think-" The two were immediately speaking over each other, earning an irritated glare from Naruto. Knowing that wouldn't be enough on it's own he briefly turned his attention inwards.
'Karura, love, I'm going to need some of your Chakra.'
"Wha-" Her initial confusion was immediately replaced by panic. "Are you okay?! What's going on?"
'Don't worry, I just need to teach a few dogs their place.'
"Oh, of course." If that was all he needed she was more than happy to supply it, not that she would be able to deny him otherwise but she would still be hesitant to give him any substantial amount of her Chakra after the last time it had ended up hurting him so drastically. It was good to know this wasn't a situation in which he would need much or to use it for an extended period of time." "Take as much as you need to remind him who they're trying to defy. Do be careful with it, though. Please."
'Thank you, Karura, it will only be a moment.' As he finished his thoughts he drew upon the vast wells that were her Chakra. He didn't actually need permission to be able to access them- it was the seal he made, after all. He had full access to her Chakra whenever he pleased- but he did prefer to at least make her aware he would be accessing them. It didn't hurt that if she knew he would be using her Chakra she could actively help him with it which made it much easier to control.
He was momentarily caught off-guard as he felt another Chakra enter what he was drawing from Karura but it only took a second to realize Isobu wanted to help out too.
How could he say no?
Of course, when Isobu noticed her father was accepting her Chakra and not rejecting it she was only encouraged and became, well, more than a little overzealous.
Three full tails worth of Chakra enveloped his form, causing the five Inuzuka in the room to jump back in fright. The man in the back actually ended up smashing into the wall he had so recently been leaning against with a solid thump but he was too engrossed by the sight before him to register that fact.
The kid was probably the most shaken, falling onto his ass and looking up in horror at the absolutely titanic amount of Chakra he could feel pouring from the young man who had walked into the clan head's office as if it were his own.
Just taking a fraction of Karura's would have been sufficient for Naruto's purposes, Isobu had thrown more than three times the amount Karura could possibly muster his way. It was only by his own high Chakra control, Karura's help, and the fact that Isobu had surrendered it all to his will without a second's thought that allowed him to keep the actual tails from forming and instead maintain the Chakra around him in a cloak of flaming teal energy.
Honestly, it probably appeared more intimidating that way anyway though the adults here would likely be able to tell that it wasn't human Chakra surrounding him. They were all old enough to remember Mito's rampage and it was hard to not recognize the Chakra of a Biju even if it wasn't the same Biju you had encountered before.
"Now," Naruto's voice cracked the silence, dripping with equal parts impatient irritation and scalding venom. "Are we ready to act like adults and get to the reason I've called you here or do you still need a few minutes to remember who's in charge?"
The Merch mentioned in the last chapter can be seen in some of my recent Tweets (At Eyazahrid) if you wanted to see what it looked like. It did show up much earlier than expected. The mask came in recently too and I can't say I'm too pleased with the material or the ear loops. If you do end up getting one I would advise against the darkest color option because unlike the picture in the store my emblem is barely visible on the actual product in that color.
Thanks goes to my Patrons for their continued support of my work.
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