Sealkeeper: He WHo Binds
Chapter 127-A "No Easy Task"
Patron Release 2020.11.08
"Come on," Hioki grabbed her captain by the shoulder and gently guided her into the sitting room. "We're going to be discussing it in a second here anyway, you'll know everything we do."
That halted the questions that bubbled at the tip of her tongue and Yugao agreed with a nod, allowing herself to be led to the worn green couch that had been the first piece of furniture they had purchased for the apartment.
Souji gave her a nod as she found herself sitting next to him. "Taicho."
In her distracted state all she could manage was a weak smile but he didn't seem to mind. There was a fairly solid chance that he had overheard her speaking with Hioki and knew she had only just learned of Tsukuyomi's identity. Still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Naruto was Tsukuyomi, she hardly even noticed as Hioki curled back up into her corner on her other side.
As Taru retreated into the kitchen to hide an obviously exhausted Ikkan dragged himself into the sitting room, bleary green eyes looking around the room but not really seeing anything except the burgundy reading chair he had claimed as hiso own years ago. As he slipped into its familiar embrace Toru slipped back into the room and onto his favorite dining chair, folding his arms across the backrest and resting his chin against them.
"There," He scowled at Hioki. "I got him."
"And you didn't get stabbed."
"Not for a lack of him trying."
"I never said anything about that, Taru." He turned away at that- still scowling- and instead focused his attention to Yugao.
"Hey, Taicho." He lifted one hand in a lazy wave, moving only enough to make it visible without disturbing his resting head. "Long time no see, they've sure been keeping you busy haven't they?"
"...Yeah." Maybe- maybe they didn't know she had been actively avoiding them? It seemed absurd but she did have quite a large workload as the ANBU commander and her team had always been aware of that, perhaps it was possible they had just assumed she was drowning in work and had left her alone so she could dig herself out of it. The question she then had to tangle with was whether the fact that they were oblivious to what she'd been doing was somehow even worse.
It certainly felt that way. Gods, she wasn't good for anyone, was she?
"Well, it's good to have you back." He gave her a small smile that vanished as Souji spoke.
"Even if it's under these circumstances."
"Yeah," Taru agreed, dropping one hand from his chair to scratch nervously at the back of his head. "Those could probably be more cheerful."
"I'm not entirely familiar with the circumstances," She admitted. "This is the first I've heard of the matter."
"That's fine, Taicho." Buta kept his gaze squarely upon Ikkan, a concerned frown tugging at his lips. "Ikkan's heard even less, we'll bring you up to speed."
"It had better be good." Ikkan rested his right arm on the chair and supported his cheek with his palm, fingers feebly attempting to wipe the sleep from his eye. It was debatable how 'here' he really was despite his current presence.
"Good as important, yes." Was Taru's response. "Good as in good? No. Not at all."
"Great, I was better off asleep then." Not wrong, really, even from just what little Yugao already knew. "Who wants to get Taicho and I up to speed?"
At once Buta, Taru, and Hioki all glanced over to Souji who gave a flat look in return. "Really? Fine." Sitting up from his lounging position he slouched forward and set his arms on his thighs.
"It's recently come to the attention of Godaime Hokage Sarutobi through Kirigakure that Tsukuyomi is none other than Genin Naruto of Konoha." He paused for a second to allow a weary Ikkan time to process his words.
"Wha- Naruto?"
"Naruto." Souji confirmed with a nod. "He's not just a part of the Wolves, he actually founded them as an organization."
Ikkan let out an impressed whistle but Souji wasn't done yet.
"We also know that he faced Momochi Zabuza and Hoshigaki Kisame at the same time and was considered to be victorious and that he has impossible sealing abilities considering he ripped the Sanbi from former Mizukage Yagura and sealed it within himself during combat."
"And we know he has giant snakes." Added Taru.
"We knew that first hand, though I realize now you may not have been aware Taicho." He glanced over to her briefly. "Considering Anko doesn't actually have the summoning contract, I think it would be safe to say he has dealings with Orochimaru too. Supporting that would be the presence of Otogakure forces coming to his aid in Kirigakure while we were there."
"And Akatsuki." Hioki offered. "There was the one with the orange mask who claimed to be his mother."
"That's right," Souji remembered with a nod. "There was a member of Akatsuki too. Kisame called her Tobi. Based on everything else he apparently has his hands in, I'd put money on her being his spy though I have no idea how he came to know of the organization in the first place or what he would do with information about their activities."
"Gods above, how the hell did you guys figure all that out?" Ikkan shook his head in disbelief and Yugao could only commiserate. She, at least, had been given a fraction of prior warning before this was all dumped onto her and yet she was still struggling to come to terms with what she was hearing.
"That was me." Taru raised his hand to take credit. "I was posted in the Hokage's office as a guard when a Kirigakure Kunoichi visited to return a copy of Narutos' files and share what they had discovered."
"Why would they need his file?" The question was asked by Yugao this time.
"To confirm it was him." Taru shrugged. "They knew some details but they didn't know who he was. Apparently the Kirigakure Kunoichi described what they knew, took the file back, and the new Mizukage confirmed that he was the one she had seen during the last battle."
"So we were-" What Ikkan was about to ask was interrupted by Hioki.
"Don't dwell on it, Ikkan." Was her command. "We didn't know- couldn't have known. We know now, and that's what we need to focus on."
"We did know that he was a part of them," Countered Buta. "We should have been more careful, any one of them could have been him in those masks." The room fell silent at the possibility that one of the Wolves they had slain would have been their favorite Genin.
"He's leaving Konoha." Souji spoke up to break the silence a minute later, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Asuma told him he wanted him gone and he agreed, says he and the Wolves will be out by the end of the month."
"Nothing we can really do about that, is there?" Asked Buta with a frown. It wasn't like they were going to be able to convince the Hokage not to send him away especially if he agreed.
"Even if there is," Hioki spoke up to bring up the other half of Buta's thought. "If he agreed he might have some sort of plan, he might want to leave Konoha for some reason."
Even though she said that, none of them really had any idea why that would be the case.
"We could ask him," Was Taru's suggestion. "Or at least Hatake-Taicho. That might be a bit easier to swing and we'd be less likely to run into Anko." His frown deepened as a genuinely worried expression settled onto his face. "I think she'd still try to stab me even though we're back in Konoha."
"You managed to dodge Ikkan." Pointed out Hioki, earning a scowl from both of them.
"No offence, Ikkan, but I'm much more worried about Anko's attempts than yours. 'Restraint' is a scarce word to find in her vocabulary."
Ikkan grunted. "That's fair."
"Not a bad idea, though." Yugao agreed. "Kakashi could let us know what Naruto actually wants."
Silence returned for a minute longer before Buta asked the question they had all been avoiding. "Yeah, but then what? Do we...help him?"
"I think…."Hioki didn't look too sure, casting nervous glances over to Yugao and Souji as she made a suggestion. "I think that might depend on what he intends to do." A series of nods agreed with her.
"If it came down to it, who would each of you side with?" Yugoa didn't know what had come over her when she asked such an overt question but she already knew her answer and wanted to know where everyone else stood. As soon as it was leaving her mouth, however, she began to think she may have made a grievous error. " Between Naruto and Asuma…..between Naruto and Konoha?"
Silence was the only answer she received, her team casting nervous looks at each other to see who would answer first.
Souji's voice filled the silence but he didn't answer- not yet. "The last time I spoke with Kakashi-Taicho he had some...interesting...opinions about Asuma's leadership and comparing the Yondaime to the Godaime, well, there's hardly a question there on who I support."
Ikkan and Hioki met his eyes and gave understanding nods of agreement as Yugao's brows furrowed. "The Yondaime?" She asked. "What does he have to do with anything?" Buta and Taru shared her confused expression and the three again met each other's eyes before Hioki took the reins.
"Some of us are aware that the Yondaime had a wife and, on the day of the Kyuubi's attack, he had...children."
It only took a second for Yugao to realize what her team was implying. "Naruto is-"
"His firstborn, yes." Hioki nodded solemnly. "And between the Yondaoime's blood and Asuma….. I would stand with the Yondaime."
It was with perhaps more words than strictly necessary but the intention behind her words was understood easily enough.
"As would I." Ikkan joined in, followed quickly by Souji.
"I've already mentioned where I stand on this." He crossed his arms over his chest. "But to make sure it's perfectly clear- I stand with Minato's son."
The three looked over to their captain who stared back with a thoughtful frown. Buta and Taru likewise turned to her, wondering how she would respond to half her team openly stating they would side with a foriegn Daimyo over their own Hokage.
She was not, however, about to show her hand until those two spoke up and thus prompted them for their own answers. "Buta. Taru. Are you in agreement with the others?"
Their eyes met for a few seconds, an unspoken agreement passing between them, and as one they turned back to her with a nod. "Hai, Taicho."
"I see." She lifted a hand to her mouth in thought but it's true purpose was to hide the smile that threatened to spread over her lips. When she was sure she had it under control she allowed it to drop but let her team stew in the tense silence for some moments more, each of them growing noticeably more nervous about her reaction.
"I don't care who the Yondaime's child is," She started. "But I stand with Naruto." The room was filled with audible sighs of relief as they all relaxed slightly, confident in the knowledge that they were all in agreement about this.
"I've already been looking for ways to help him and his Wolves," Yugao admitted, "I just hadn't known he was Tsukuyomi."
"Really? Why?" Taru's brow rose curiously but he quickly backpedaled. "I mean, we all like him it's just-"
"No, it's fine. It's because I owe him at least that much and probably a whole lot more." A hand settled onto her shoulder and she turned her attention to its owner Souji.
"Don't worry about it, Taicho. We're a team. He'll be repaid."
It was definitely going to be a larger debt, they all realized, because making up for the Wolves they had ended as a team was going to be no easy task.
A crowd had gathered as she worked, no doubt drawn to the kitchen out of curiosity, and Akishi tired her damndest to ignore their presence while she worked. Unfortunately she wasn't very successful in that endeavor and she found herself regularly glancing over to the Wolf-masked humans in the doorway.
She wished, if nothing else, she was able to see what expressions they wore beneath those masks of theirs. At least then she would know what they were thinking- to a degree- which could have been very useful if she made some sort of mistake in her cooking.
As it was she'd be going in blind hoping everything had turned out properly. It had been many, many lifetimes since she had last consumed a human meal and for the life of her she couldn't recall anything about it beyond the fact that it had been some sort of offering from someone trying to curry favor from the great golden gods they had been worshipped as. Now was a hell of a time to realize how important such a minor event could prove to be.
Flipping open the cabinet doors she quickly located a bowl to contain her creation. The rice went first, scooped generously into the bowl. It had changed slightly during cooking, increasing in size and becoming ever so slightly more soft but it was such a subtle thing she thought she'd either gotten something wrong or humans "cooked" the rice just to warm it up. The latter didn't sound quite right but she tried not to dwell on that too much.
To cover the rice she poured in a medley of vegetables she had found in the fridge. She thought they were vegetables, at least, as a carnivore she didn't have much experience with them. Those, like the rice, had been warmed up after she cut them and, again like the rice, had become slightly softer from it. She didn't know if that was good or bad- maybe they were supposed to be crunchy and she had ruined them?
If the Wolves watching her knew they sure as hell weren't sharing that information with her and there was no way in hell she was going to be asking them for help, it was bad enough that she had to do this in the first place just for aid from the snake sage.
Atop the vegetables she had a meat of some sort. It had already been skinned and deboned but she was fairly certain it was rabbit or something close to it. She'd kept that cooking until every part of it had changed color and then sliced it into small strips. The inside seemed to have changed color too, so she figured she had probably gotten that right.
Over everything she poured a sauce she had found in one of the books. There had been a lot of pictures of fish in that area but the sauce had seemed simple enough and what she had managed looked like the picture of the finished sauce. How wrong could she be if they both looked the same?
Of course, the first ingredient had looked pretty much identical to the finished product too but she stubbornly ignored that fact in favor of clinging onto the hope that she hadn't done too poorly.
In the end the meal appeared decent enough, she thought, and so she desperately hoped that was a direct reflection of how well it had been made.
Stabbing a pair of chopsticks into the meal she gently picked up the bowl and began slithering out the door, the Wolves moving out of the doorway so she could pass. She didn't bother turning around, heading straight for Naruto's office to deliver his meal, and so she didn't see the look shared by those porcelain wolves or the fact that they scrambled into the kitchen and began cooking fervently.
Their father wasn't going to go hungry if they could help it, they'd make sure he had a meal that was actually edible.
The familiar sound of flesh against his office door drew his attention but not his eyes. "Come in," Naruto ordered, gaze still firmly upon the papers before him as his pen created and scratched out pseudo-seals almost absently.
It wasn't real Fuinjutsu, not really, but it was a system he had developed to more fully implement the full capabilities of Sealkeeper. If he couldn't get his own understanding of the seal and how each function was supposed to work then what he willed it to create was going to inevitably be flawed. These matrices were nothing more than a way to visually organize his thoughts as he carefully tweaked things and, eventually, how he was going to apply these changes to Orochimaru's Ten no Juin.
Generally he didn't need to look up at his visitors anyway, he could identify them by a hundred other tiny things that could tell him exactly who was here calling. From the way their footsteps sounded, their hesitancy in entering, the rustle of cloth as the bowed or even just how they knocked, he had begun paying even more attention to his children and their individual quirks ever since...Kiri….though admittedly this was one of the few things he actually used that extra familiarity for.
The sound of scales against the hardwood flooring, however, immediately snapped his head up to the doorway to rest his gaze on Au's half-snake. He knew her name, of course- he was not so careless as to ignore her words completely- but he didn't care to call her by it. She could earn that right when she proved her worth, let that motivate her.
For someone having been given an impossible task she sure was around a lot.
"Did you actually have any intention of even attempting the task I set for you, snake?" The way she winced told him that his words had the desired effect but she continued to make her way into his office regardless, head bowed slightly.
"I will see your will done, Naruto-sama, I've already made arrangements to get us started in Yu no Kuni to expedite the process."
One crimson brow rose, purple eyes turning their attention to the bowl in her hand. "And you intend to do so by eating…" He had to turn to his clock to figure out what the closest meal would be, he could have sworn it was before noon but apparently he was more than a little off on that estimate- it was nearly a quarter to seven already. "Dinner in my office? Perhaps you can come to understand why I don't hold faith in you or your siblings."
"It's- it's not for me, Naruto-sama." As she spoke she set the red bowl on his desk and slid it closer to him. He quickly gathered his scattered papers to get them out of the way before any of it ended up spilling on them, a deep frown tugging at his lips at the fact that someone would put his work in any sort of danger.
His brow didn't lower. In fact, the other decided to join it closer to his hairline.
"I ask for a country and you bring me dinner." He didn't think his voice could possibly be more flat.
"It's part of the arrangements."
His mouth opened briefly, a question dying at the tip of his tongue as he snapped it closed again. Taking a second to gather his thoughts he forwent the question and moved to end the interaction entirely. "I'm tempted to ask why, but I really don't have the patience to deal with whatever it is at the moment. Thank you, you may go."
"You're-" She hesitated, glancing down to the bowl she had brought, before gathering enough courage to proceed with her question. "You're not going to try it?" She didn't realize she could have less confidence in what she had created until he took a second to give her food a skeptical look, one that quickly turned itself to her.
His questioning look quite clearly asked her if she was sure she wanted to be here when he did and if she was completely honest she could admit that she probably didn't. She would, however, need to be able to tell Orochimaru how it went so that they could continue with getting transportation for herself and her siblings. "...Please?" She ended up pleading. All she needed to do was see him take a bite, that was it.
Surely it couldn't be that bad, could it?
Without breaking eye contact Naruto reached for the bowl, pulling it towards him by the chopsticks stabbed into its contents. With the practiced ease of someone who was used to eating while they poured over reports he moved a piece of the meat over to the veg and scooped it up with the underlying rice.
Even before he started chewing it he could tell it wasn't cooked properly. The rice was only half cooked, as were the vegetables, and as he started to chew the fact that the meat- rabbit, he believed- was horribly overcooked. He was honestly surprised it hadn't burnt, though it had probably come pretty close. And the sauce, well, the kindest way to put it was just to refer to it as liquid salt because that overpowering taste was all he could identify.
After swallowing he returned the chopsticks to the bowl and let out a deep breath. It would have been disappointed had he any positive expectations for it in the first place but as it was she really couldn't hold less of his faith if she tried.
"I asked you…." He spoke slowly and deliberately, making sure there was no way what he said could be misinterpreted. "To take over a country for me." His eyes moved down to the bowl and back to her. "I had intended for it to be a difficult task, one that would prove your capabilities to me. It is obvious now that it would have been infinitely more kind of me to send you back to Au than give you even the most simple task to accomplish. I would dare not command you to water flowers in fear for their well being."
Maybe...maybe she should have said no and just left him with the food. Akishi winced in shame as his words struck her, hanging her head as low as she could. She knew her human cheeks were probably burning bright with her shame but she was too focused on the fact that she had failed so miserably to care about image at the moment.
"My deepest apologies, Naruto-sama. I will leave you to your work." She folded the rest of her torso into a deep bow and began retreating from hsi office when he continued speaking.
"Whoever you made arrangements with that involved that, do inform them that I am most displeased with them for doing so. They should have known better."
"O-of course, Naruto-sama. Your will be done."
"I'm beginning to doubt that more and more, child."
As the closing door marked Akishi's exit Naruto turned back to his papers, spreading them over his desk in the only semi-organized chaos he was most comfortable with when brainstorming. It was several minutes into his work that he paused to glance back at the bowl. After a few moments of deliberation he brought it closer to him and took hold of the chopsticks once again. It wasn't good in the slightest but it was food. Sort of.
Considering he hadn't eaten since breakfast- no, wait, did he eat this morning? Try as he might he couldn't recall eating anything between waking up and starting on his work. Maybe a Wolf had brought something while he was working earlier? Surely he'd had something.
A sudden emptiness in his stomach made itself known at that, proposing the fact that he may have indeed neglected to eat anything throughout the day- again.
He only briefly considered sending for a Wolf to prepare him something or even going to one of the kitchens and doing it himself but a look at the clock told him he had wasted enough time as it was. If he wanted any hope of getting to bed at a decent time he was going to need to just keep working and, in that case, he'd settle for what was immediately on hand.
Gods above, though, he was going to have to put out orders to ban that serpent from using the kitchens if this is what was going to come out of it.
He only watched for a moment as the small train pulled away and headed back towards the town they were currently based out of. Juugo had a feeling this was the last time it would do so as once the path was clear the chances were high they would be moved to the town beyond the mountain.
A frown momentarily tugged at his lips. He may not have very many possessions but what he had collected while here was still back in the room he had been renting and he hadn't asked them to bring his things with them when they returned in the morning. Juugo also had a feeling that his coworkers wouldn't honestly be expecting him to have finished by the time they returned so there was little chance of them doing that of their own initiative.
He didn't own a watch- though maybe that would be a decent use of his wages- but they had already worked late and were due to return early in the morning so he'd expect to see them in the next six or seven hours.
That wasn't a whole lot of time to finish punching through the remaining nine-tenths of the mountain but fortunately he wasn't going to have to continue working as a regular laborer. With a deep breath he settled his mind, reaching out for natural chakra as calmly as he could. Nature Chakra was a raw, primal force that had the unfortunate effect of causing massive spikes in aggression in animals and humans were no exception to this.
There were rumors throughout Orochimaru's base of a "Sage Mode" that had been his focus before the Ten no Juin and apparently the theory was to draw small amounts of nature Chakra into the body and balance it carefully with your own but it was certainly nothing Juugo was capable of.
What he was capable of, he had recently discovered, was focusing that aggression. No, not aggression, it wasn't aggression. It was passion, it was drive and it was the strength one needed for both. Anger and bloodlust were passionate emotions and were heightened by the addition of Natural Chakra but if you already had something you were determined to accomplish then your own Chakra would reflect that- being partially mental energy- and the Nature Chakra would follow.
Juugo knew what he needed to do and now the entire world was going to lend him its strength so he could accomplish it.
With another deep draw he filled his lungs with the breath of life, allowing the energy that followed it to seep through his veins and soak into his entire being. His skin turned a deep grey, his muscles bulked slightly, and his bones creaked as they elongated and strengthened into steel. It was painful- it always had been- but it didn't last long. The soothing cold of a mountain river flowed within him, tumbling over bone and ligament like pebbles.
The changing of his eyes signaled the completion of a full, voluntary transformation and it was something he felt more than he actually saw. Even so, the energy of the world made itself known to him as it danced over snow and seeped out of living stone like wisping smoke.
With a glance down to the tools resting by his feet he scoffed lightly. They had been true and reliable but they were not suited to withstand the force he was about to use to carve though this stone. Tossing them safely into the snow he felt the heavy bone growing up through his skin to cover him fingertip to elbow. Nearly two inches thick and strong enough to support the weight of one of Doto's full trains he knew that even if his tool had been strong enough there was no way his hands would be able to use them properly. Not like this.
Arms ready, his back went next and he felt his spine losing its flexibility and his shoulder blades grow to fuse down at his pelvis to support the muscle that rapidly grew to be able to move his arms. He was not going to be mobile like this, not in the slightest, and as if to prove his point his legs changed next. Bone widened first but the skin and muscle had to quickly follow to keep from being split apart much as his pants and shoes did. By the time they were done his legs were nearly triple their previous size and Juugo knew most of that mass was solid bone.
Forget weighing as much as Bukra, Juugo had a feeling he might be able to contend with the small train that transported their team each day.
Taking a few painfully slow steps he positioned himself before the wall of rock that separated him from his goal and examined the way Natural Chakra flowed in and around it. As soon as he had located a spot where the energy abundant he struck,his elbow propelling the rest of his arm toward it with a jet of Chakra .
The stone, already weakened enough to allow the Natural energies to seep out, crumbled away without resistance. There were no chunks like when the rest of the team broke through the stone, no, all Juugo left behind was dust.
One down, many thousand left to go. Gritting his teeth, Tenbin no Juugo set to work.
It was going to be a long night.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 127-B "Loyalty"
Release 2020.11.20
"He ate it?" Orochimaru asked, not looking up from his work. Akishi, having just entered the man's office, was grateful for the lack of his eyes on her and was painfully aware of the shameful red dusting her cheeks currently sported.
"I didn't stay around watching him eat." Was her immediate, slightly biting response which prompted the Snake Sage to lift his gaze and raise a single eyebrow. "...But he took a bite while I was present." She continued much less defensively, averting her eyes in hopes that his own would be denied the chance to read her thoughts through them.
Whether or not this had been in any way successful she would never truly know but he seemed to accept her answer nevertheless. "Then I suppose I owe you transportation to Yu no Kuni's capital. I'll arrange something in the morning," He promised before lifting a hand and making lazy shooing gestures. "I'll have someone inform you when things are set, now leave me. I have work to do."
She was only too happy to oblige, her serpentine lower half swiftly turning her out the door. She paused there, though, one hand resting on the doorframe as she glanced back at a working Orochimaru. It took a moment for her to come to a decision but her voice broke through the freshly settled silence.
"Orochimaru- thank you."
"I didn't do it for you." He didn't even look up as he responded, the gratitude of the snake-like wholly inconsequential to him.
"No, perhaps not," She agreed as she turned and left the room, her voice carrying from the hallway. "But I'm not doing it for me either."
That caught the man's attention and he lifted his head just enough to be able to see her retreating form slithering down the hallway. That was a good point, he frowned, perhaps he was being just a bit too hard on the Ak'Gyun. She was, after all, just trying to fulfil Naruto's wishes, even if his crimson prince didn't actually have any faith in her capabilities to do so.
"I suppose," He mumbled quietly, returning to his work. "That in that case you're quite welcome…..Akishi."
He was, perhaps, halfway through his unexpected...meal...when there was another knock at the door. Placing his chopsticks on the table Naruto turned his attention there, the pages in his other hand lowering down to the desk. "Enter."
His latest visitors obeyed, quietly opening the door and filing inside. A single crimson brow continued to rise as the three Wolves spilled in from the hallway. Unless they were here to try to drag him away from his work- a likely possibility, really- he was going to be very curious as to what had prompted so many of them to stop by when they knew he would still be working.
"Yes?" He questioned, his purple gaze meeting the unmasked eyes of the off-duty Wolves. "Was there something that requires my attention, children?"
They didn't respond verbally but he quickly found his current bowl of….attempted food...confiscated and a new, much more appetizing bowl swiftly replacing it. Task completely, the three offered a quick bow in unison before the middle Wolf spoke. "Our apologies for the delay in your meal, Tou-sama. We hope you enjoy."
Naruto's gaze went from the Wolves to the bowl and them back up to his three children. "...Saw her cooking, did you?"
Sheepishness overcame the three, embarrassed expressions and nervous gestures making themselves known. "Ah, yes, Tou-sama." The middle Wolf scratched the back of his head. "We saw her in the kitchen. We would have stopped her but...well…"
"Orochimaru had informed us that he had instructed her to do so, something about an arrangement between the two od them." One of the otters spoke up to continue the explanation, quickly averting her eyes when her words had drawn Naruto's focus.
"Orochimaru, huh?" Well, that did shed some light on the situation. He'd have to get more details from the...man... when they next spoke- and inform him of just how displeased he was with the results of his 'arrangement'.
"We could, however," The third Wolf spoke up, drawing the attention from his grateful sister. "Ensure you had something edible afterwards. We're sorry we took so long to get here, we didn't want her to see us in case she told Orochimaru."
His red brow rose again. "You need not fear Orochimaru or what he thinks of your actions. You are my children and have my protection far above the favor they hold with me."
"Uh, yes, Tou-sama, it's just that we know you wouldn't care for them to be upset, either. Keeping him from knowing seemed the most simple solution to achieve the best results."
Naruto was silent for a moment, moving his gaze between the three of them. "...You...have put entirely too much thought into bringing me dinner." He eventually stated, a wry smile pulling at his lip as he shook his head. "You three have to have something better to be doing with your downtime."
The three shared a quick look, nonverbal agreement being reached, and as one returned their attention to their father. "We like to cook." They shrugged together.
Naruto knew that was a blatant lie and he was fairly certain that they knew he knew that but he allowed it to pass without calling them out on it. All four of them knew the real reason they had put this much effort into such a simple task and he could appreciate that.
"Of course," He accepted their word with a knowing look. "Of course. How could I forget? Now that you've cooked, however, I do believe it's time to return to some of your other hobbies, don't you?"
"An excellent idea, Tou-sama, we'll leave you to your work and your meal- enjoy."
"I'm sure I will, thank you."
The three gave a grateful bow and left the room, closing the door behind them with a soft click.
Lifting the papers he had been reading he recovered his chopsticks and deftly reached for his first bite only to pause as soon as he had begun to chew. Blinking in surprise he glanced down at the bowl they had brought.
Huh, maybe they really did like to cook because that was pretty damned good.
It was impossible for anyone to miss the pleased expression of the three beaming Wolves walking down the hall- even for Akishi with her scarce and outdated experience in human expression- but despite her sudden curiosity the Ak'Gyun kept her focus solidly ahead as they moved to one side so they would be able to pass each other.
Despite her efforts her eyes were drawn to a familiar red bowl in one of their hands and she found herself taking the briefest of peeks.
That...was her food. The food she had made for the High-Priest. The first emotion to rise to her attention after being reminded of her shame was outrage. How dare they be in possession of the food she had prepared for him?! That was quickly replaced by understanding, remembering the comments he had made after she had begged him to try it. Of course he would have it removed from his office, why would he keep it around?
And finally, as she realized that the bowl was nearly half empty Akishi experienced a sudden, inexplicable feeling a warmth spread through her chest. He hadn't liked it, she was absolutely certain he had not been lying about that- but something about knowing he had been eating it anyway brought with it feelings of satisfaction she hadn't felt in centuries.
She wasn't aware of the bright smile that she wore all the way back to her rooms but had she been she wouldn't have been inclined to care.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack
Crack
Juugo's bone-covered fist punched through the rock, what little remained of the wall crumbling away around it. He unclenched his fist, moving his fingers as much as he could in this form in an effort to confirm he had done what he thought he had. Yes, that felt like falling snow to him and he highly doubted it was somehow slowing within the mountain itself. Clenching his fist again he pulled his right fist out of the mountain as his left foot connected with a solid crunch. The last three inches of the mountain could hardly resist and fell to the dusty ground in large chunks.
Yellow eyes squinted out into the dusk, just able to make out the lights that were starting to flicker on in the town further down the hill. A giddy elation began to rise in his chest but before he could enjoy it he felt the remaining Nature Chakra within him responding to it with heightened adrenaline and a sudden bloodlust. Nonononono, that was not what he wanted. Not here, not now. Yuki no Kuni was known for a few things but powerful Shinobi was not one of them. If he went on a rampage there was a very real likelihood that The country would break before his maddened rage did.
Unfortunately when your body was predisposed to the absorption of Nature Chakra it was no small task to purge it from your system. In fact, it was nearly impossible in most cases, he'd always needed someone to help him burn through it so he could calm down again.
There would be no one to do that for him here, of that he was sure.
Trying to think quickly without panicking- the Nature Chakra would react even more strongy to such an emotion- Juugo wracked his muddling brain for something he could focus his attention on, his yellow eyes scanning over grey dust and white snow almost sightless.
He only knew those colors from fading memory, all he could see now was red.
Turning behind him he was greeted by the sight of his tools laying discarded in the snow and the end of the track they had been laying.
That's right.
Clarity slowly seeped back into his mind, the animalistic urges of the Nature chakra receding slightly in favor of humanity's higher thinking. Suppressed but always present, human's true nature ready to be set free. Juugo was well practiced with standing against those urges but even that only went so far to help him here.
His work here was done but it wasn't done. They still had to get the track down to the town by noon if they wanted to reach the eyes darted back to the hole in the mountain roughly carved out by his fists. It was workable but it still needed a lot of improvement to be up to Doto's- and by association the rail managers'- standards. He wasn't going to be able to lay the track but he could resume his work on the tunnel.
That was going to take power but not as much as his desperate punch through living stone and it was going to require precision more than force. Knowing this he directed his body to revert to a form more similar to his regular physique. He was already well-suited for this kind of work but the increased strength and stamina of the Natural Chakra would probably be the only thing capable of keeping him going through the rest of the day.
Or, at least, until noon. After that the crew could take over because he was due for a nap.
Hurrying over to his tools he scooped them out of the snow and set to work creating a rhythm to lose himself to. He didn't know why, but something about patterns made it much easier to focus the natural energy that filled his flesh. He was careful not to allow any more into his body, however, severing his draw so what remained could be worked off non-violently. Hopefully he would succeed in burning through it before his crew rejoined him. He had become rather fond of them over the past few weeks, he would hate to scare them away now.
Kari, especially.
Unlike most mornings where she'd slouch in one of the hard seats like the rest of the crew, Kari found herself practically hanging out of the train in an effort to spot Juugo as they returned to the mountain that was causing them so much trouble. As strong and durable as he was she- and the rest of the crew- were fully expecting to find him collapsed within the snow.
Hopefully alive but the cold of Yuki no Kuni's nights was not merciful and didn't care who it took.
The rest of the crew remained seated with the exception of Yaiji who was currently conducting the small train but none of them were collapsed half-asleep into the small metal seats like they usually were, nor were they bitching about the cold or how shit the coffee back at the office was. No, today they were all as on edge as she was but managing to keep their asses firmly planted until they reached the end of the tracks.
The fact that Bukra and Deiko had a stack of blankets and several thermoses filling the seat between them didn't go unnoticed by anyone, nor did the fact that Yaiji had already set a cot up on the far side of the traincar before anyone else had arrived that morning. Despite their best efforts they hadn't been able to get a single word out of him about it, their supervisor deliberately ignoring the very existence of the preparations he had made for their tireless crewmate.
Well, perhaps not tireless if he was going to be in need of the cot when they arrived, but close enough. Even if he collapsed into it the second they found him, just the fact that he'd been awake that long would be enough to justify a title of tireless.
Working all day and night was already something at least notable, doing it in this line of work- and breaking through a mountain at that- was absolutely incredible.
The small train passed the final bend in the tracks and Kari leaned out even further only to be pulled back by Noki before her face became well acquainted with the branches of one of the many cypress trees that they had lain the track through. If Doto had any idea how valuable the wood of these trees actually was they would no doubt be cut down within a day and already on their way to the highest bidder.
Fortunately Doto's attention was rarely caught by anything that wasn't shiny.
She turned back to him and gave a sheepish, thankful grin before turning back to the window and waiting for the trees to thin out enough to safely return to her previous position. Thankfully she only had to wait another minute before the trees stopped and she could resume her lookout for their crewmate.
The mountain they were heading towards grew larger and larger, towering over the comparatively tiny train on its little tracks and every time Kari thought it couldn't get bigger- that they had to be as close as the tracks would permit- she was proven wrong. Just as Juugo had refused to stop working, the mountain refused to be anything less than the largest it could be.
Juugo wasn't as stubborn as a mountain, the mountain was as stubborn as him.
Metal against metal squealed through the air, signalling the train's brakes. They still weren't at the end but they were close and with each second growing closer. It was nearly two full minutes of squealing before the train had mostly stopped, something that told the entire crew that Yaiji had maintained top speed for far longer than was strictly appropriate in order to get here as quickly as possible.
If she didn't have more important things on her mind Kari might have shot the man a grateful smile. As it was she leapt from the window and into the snow before sprinting towards the looming rock that may very well be signing their death warrants at noon if it refused to yield to their best efforts.
Kari was aware- vaguely- of the rest of the crew piling out behind her but she paid them no mind, her blue eyes squinting against the reflection of the sun on the fresh morning snow. Almost as if her gaze had somehow summoned him, she was able to make out a figure near the entrance to the tunnel but something seemed off about it.
It took a second to realize the figure was cast mostly in a silhouette because there was light coming from the other side-
There was light from the other side of the mountain!
Juugo stepped more fully away from the mouth of the tunnel, mist streaming away from the heat of his exposed body, and Kari could have sworn his eyes shone yellow for the barest of seconds before she was greeted by the warm brown she had come to associate with him.
"Did anyone grab my things?" He asked in the same clear, quiet voice they had heard from him over the past few weeks but this time it filled Kari's chest with a relieved warmth so comforting she nearly lost her ability to stand.
He was here and he was okay, she didn't think any of the crew could ask for more.
Judging by the light that still spilled out from the tunnel, however, it would seem that he'd managed to deliver that to them too.
Would he ever cease to amaze them?
"So….." Kakashi flipped the page of his book, leaning against the wall in Naruto's office. "Leaving Konoha, huh?" His single exposed eye flickered up from the book to rest on his Sensei's son whose own attention remained set on his work.
"Mmmhmm." The young Daimyo agreed, signing off on a request and setting it in the appropriate pile to be returned to Nami no Kuni.
"And you weren't going to tell me?"
This time Naruto did look up, one purple eye meeting Kakashi's black, and he slowly raised a single eyebrow. "It doesn't look like I needed to, does it?"
A frown tugged at the Jounin's lips and he blinked slowly in though. "No," he eventually surrendered the point. " I guess it still reached me just fine."
Silence descended, interrupted only by the scratching of Naruto's pen and the slow spin of his ceiling fan.
"What side?"
"Hmm?" Kakashi's brow rose though it was mostly covered by his headband.
Naruto placed the next paper in one of the many piles to little his desk and turned his attention more completely to his "Sensei" before repeating himself. "Which side told you?"
"It's going around ANBU circles," He admitted without really answering. "But a Wolf recently came to my apartment to retrieve the latest Icha-Icha I had borrowed from your library. Apparently they're packing up all the things in this base, so it really wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on."
"And you asked them." Accursed Naruto, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"They told me." Was Kakashi's only defense to that, offering a lazy shrug in accompaniment.
"Of course they did," Naruto scoffed with a light shake of his head, turning back to his work. "You're Inu-Oji. "
Kakashi didn't really have a response for that, opting for another shrug of his shoulders. The pages in his- well, Naruto's, this was what the Wolf had come to retrieve from his apartment- book turned thrice before he broke the freshly fallen silence.
"So if you're leaving what's happening to us?" He didn't really care what Naruto's plans were for people like Anko beyond a mild curiosity but they were technically all in a very similar boat and Kakashi did care about Kakashi. It was one of the few things on his list of things he cared about. Right above Icha-Icha and right below being a pain in the ass.
"What do you think?" Answering a question with a question wasn't exactly fair, as far as Kakashi was concerned, but it did give the opportunity for Kakashi to make his own suggestion.
"I'll head down to the Shinobi Offices and formally retire from Konoha this afternoon, then."
Naruto's purple eyes lifted from his work and gave him a flat look.
"No?"
"No."
Kakashi's shoulders sagged and he gave a resigned sigh. "It was worth a shot, I guess."
"You knew the answer to your question before you asked it, Kakashi."
"Yeah, I had a feeling." Naruto's Icha-Icha was slipped into Kakashi's back pouch and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Did you want reports, agents, or did you actually have tasks for us while we're here?"
"If I need something you'll know. In the meantime just sit tight, maybe consider training your team or something to pass the time."
"...Is that an order or….."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto gave an amused snort. "No, Kakashi, it's not an order. Neglect your team as you wish."
"Ah, good." The Jounin wiped his brow with the back of his hand in mock-relief. "I was worried there for a second."
"You would be." Naruto reached for the next stack of papers that required his attention. "Was there anything else you needed clarification on?"
"No, not really." Even saying that he seemed in no hurry to move from his position leaning against the wall, prompting Naruto to raise a brow again in silent question.
"Is there a reason you're still here if there's nothing else you needed?" He eventually asked.
Kakashi shrugged. "I could give you a couple reasons. You know, making sure you don't overwork yourself, standing guard for the Wolves, backup for when Anko comes with the same question and has to be informed she'll be staying in Konoha…..Take your pick."
"Ah, yes...Anko." Naruto paused in his work, setting his pen down on the desk and frowning in thought. "Her position in KIT is all but priceless….even so…."
"Hmm?" It was Kakashi's turn to raise a brow. "What are you thinking?"
"Even if we lose such a valuable in at KIT, it might just be easier to take her with me."
A frown tugged deeply at Kakashi's lips behind his mask. Pretty unfair that she would be able to go while he was stuck in Konoha but he couldn't say he didn't understand the train of thought that had brought Naruto to that conclusion.
While it was a rare thing to see due to just how few people she actually became close to, Anko was rather clingy and there was no individual she seemed to cling to more than Naruto himself. It was hard enough to keep her showing up to KIT for her job while Naruto was in Konoha, Kakashi had no trouble believing that convincing her to stay behind would be nearly impossible and leaving without telling her would just result in her going rogue and following them anyway.
"Maybe Kurenai could anchor her here?" The Jounin suggested weakly. They both knew it wouldn't work.
"She's been anchored by Hana, Kurenai, and...Yugao." he paused slightly at the last name before pushing onwards. "And I'm almost uncomfortably certain she would sell them into a life of slavery should I ask it of her."
"...She would at least hesitate, though. Maybe ask you if there was something else she could do instead?" he'd like to believe so, at least, but there were some times Anko was just as zealous as his children so it was entirely possible she would do it immediately and without question. "She could even ask you to be the one buying them, so she knows they're with someone she could trust."
"Kakashi." Naruto's voice was grave. "I could have her sell them to Orochimaru to do with as he pleases. She would do it."
Kakashi couldn't say he was wrong and grimaced at the realization. Even now Anko absolutely loathed her former master and anything tied to it and would only tolerate the presence of his forces for Naruto's sake.
She would do anything for him.
That was a worrying amount of control for anyone to have over her, honestly, though Kakashi could console himself with the knowledge that Naruto's influence over Orochimaru was just as strong.
Well, maybe not "console" but the fact that he had so much influence over her paled in comparison to that.
"...At least we know she's loyal?"
A laugh escaped the young Daimyo, sort and...almost bitter...a fact that confused Kakashi quite a bit. "Yes, we know that she will follow any of my commands without question. She's completely loyal to my word-"
Purple eyes stared out into space for a few seconds, lost in thought.
"But does that loyalty extend to my will?"
"...Come again?"
"Anko's loyalty will see that she follows my words and that she won't do anything to harm me or my children but that also means she won't go against me when it's in my best interests. I need more than blind obedience, Kakashi, I need leaders with the same vision I have. She is my Fang, my loyal Fang, but I think it's unlikely she will ever rise to something greater."
Kakashi didn't really know of any positions within the Wolves greater than what was practically his Honor Guard wit the exception of his left and right hands Sai and Mai respectively. Kakashi was vaguely aware that there had been some friction between Naruto and Mai as of late, had Naruto hoped he may have been able to use Anko as a replacement hand?
No.
No, that wasn't right. Kakashi was aware that his brows were probably furrowing as he mulled over this but he was too engrossed in his thoughts to care. He had just said that Anko wouldn't work because she would act independently for the good of Naruto- no- for the good of the Wolves. That was the real focus here. Naruto's will was anything that would see his children safe and happy, nothing else mattered to the young man.
If that was the case, did he approve of whatever was going on between him and Mai? He wanted leaders, people with the same goals but who might see other ways to bring them about.
It struck him with sudden clarity, almost completely unrelated to Anko at all.
Mai was Naruto's replacement. He was trying to groom an heir.
Of course, that also meant that Anko wouldn't be rising in status should it come to be. She was loyal to Naruto and Naruto alone. Even assuming she stayed among the Wolves it was highly unlikely that she would become Mai's Honor Guard and the positions of hands were already being filled by Sai and Hanabi.
Kakashi blinked in surprise at the realization. Mai already had all the people in place she would need to support her.
Naruto was ready for her to be able to replace him right now if it became necessary.
"Ah, perhaps I've once again said too much." Naruto's voice broke him from his thoughts.
"Mai-"
"Yes."
"Ah." Silence returned to fill the room for a few sweet seconds before Kakahsi spoke up again. "Well, in that case, maybe we should see if we can get someone else into KIT? Someone like Kurenai might be a good choice."
Naruto gave him an amused look, a smile tugging at his lips.
"...You already have someone, don't you?"
The smile became a light frown. "They're pretty far down, but yes, we have someone in KIT already."
"Wolf?" Most of the Wolves had lives before Naruto gathered them together and many had managed to maintain a public image with their civilian identities but it would be quite impressive to do the same while working for Konoha's Intelligence Team.
"Inuzuka."
"Ah." Yeah, that made a bit more sense.
"And a Hyuuga."
"...Ah?" That made...slightly less….sense. It was rare for Hyuuga to be on anything beyond tracking teams or security detail due to their bloodline ability.
"Teammates." Was Naruto's answer. "They both joined KIT after losing their Aburame to bad intel."
"Aaaaah." He had heard about that, actually. Couldn't recall their names but he did remember something like that happening. The fact that they were an Inuzuka and a Hyuuga hadn't even seemed important at the time but that certainly worked out for Naruto who had influence over both clans. "Well, I guess that means it's okay to take her with you."
"They're nowhere near as highly ranking as she is and I don't know if Anko will cause more damage with us or in the tantrum she throws when we leave her behind."
A fair point, really. An upset Anko was a violent destructive Anko. Well, more so than usual, anyway.
"Maybe we could convince Ibiki to work for us if we promise to keep Anko far away?"
Naruto opened his mouth to comment before pausing. "That...might actually work." Just the fact that he was legitimately considering it as a viable option was actually concerning but he tried to ignore that feeling. "At the same time, I am under the impression that Ibiki likes to keep threats where he can see them."
"I think it's kind of fifty-fifty with him when it comes to Anko. He likes knowing where she is and what she's up to but at the same times she drives him absolutely crazy."
"...You think he might be willing to exchange reports on Anko while she's away for reports on Konoha?"
"For the sake of Konoha security?" Kakashi asked without waiting for an answer. "I would hope not. In reality? It's probably worth a shot."
Naruto shook his head. Gods above, how the hell had Konoha ever lasted this long when Shinobi were so terribly wrong in the head?"
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