Discliamer: I don't own Naruto and I make no profit writing about it. Nor do I own DxD or make profits on it.
(AN): Wew lad.
Inhaling a lungful of smoke, Shikamaru pursed his lips around the stub of his cigarette and bent over the pitted table that Sakura had spread a yellowed map over. "We're thinking that we can smash their lines here and here."
The Nara traced curving lines that advanced from Suna's hinterland; deep into the Land of Fire. "We want to move fast and hard, and reoccupy Konoha by the third day. At that point, the element of surprise will be gone."
Naruto studied the shaded areas of the map representing lost territory with a frown. Objectively he'd know it had to be bad, but it was different when he actually could see how much of his homeland had been lost. Only a shallow crescent along the southern shoreline between Kaze no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni was still in the hands of Konoha-nin.
"Sasuke and I should split up then." Naruto decided, glancing at the Uchiha for any traces of disagreement. "I don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm pretty sure they don't have anyone hanging around that could take either one of us. So it'll move faster if we each take a half."
"Tch, fine." Sasuke grunted, folding his arms over his chest with a faint creak of splitting gravedirt flesh.
The sound brought a disgusted grimace to Kiba's face, and the shaggy haired man made a quiet attempt to wheel away.
Shikamaru blinked in bemusement. "That's what I would've suggested." He demurred. Maybe twenty years had passed and made his memory a bit foggy, but he was pretty sure that the Naruto who'd died hadn't even been that tactically aware. Did the jinchuuriki mature in the afterlife, or was there some other factor at play transforming him from a living wrecking ball to a somewhat competent strategist?
"Look." Naruto huffed, stepping closer to the table and gently nudging Sakura out of the way. "If we follow the road system we're going to run into a few choke points. Nothing we can't handle." He reassured the room at large without removing his sharp gaze from the yellowed map. "But you might want to take the time to really occupy them so you can use them as supply lines to Konoha. It would stretch it out to four days, but we'd be better off."
"I agree." Sasuke offered, speaking up to contribute for the first time since the discussion began. Compared to Naruto he was much less enthusiastic about getting involved with the reconquest of Konoha, and it showed in his silence. "You don't have a guarantee on how long the war will run, and they have significantly more resources than you do. Give them time to retreat and fortify your lines. If you try to force them into battles of annihilation you'll make them desperate and run up the casualties on both sides."
Holding his palm up to forestall any further debate, Gaara offered his support. "We'll go with Naruto's plan. Our alliance doesn't have the numbers theirs does, and because we've kept Naruto's return and this invasion a secret we won't have reinforcements from our allies. We don't have the manpower to sustain heavy losses, so we need to focus on preserving our armies while achieving strategic objectives."
"So there's no reason to go crazy about it and try to kill as many people as possible." Naruto mumbled, shrugging off the sharp look his comment drew from Sakura.
He didn't give a damn if it was an unpopular opinion. Naruto understood the hunger for vengeance that his friends had, but that didn't mean he was going to support it. Sasuke had caused enough trouble with that particular urge the first time, and he had only been one guy. An entire village crazed for revenge would be an utter clusterfuck. The only way to build peace in the long run was to break the chain of hatred and step forward into the future together.
There was no point to taking back Konoha if it just led to more conflict and more killing. They needed open dialogue and a new system that would deal with the problems they'd had the first time they tried to build a world without war.
Thankfully, he had come up with a plan as soon as Sakura started talking about invasions. Taking back their homeland would be enough to show the world that he was really back and that the Southern Alliance had some actual bite.
At that point, Naruto just needed to get everyone around the table to hash out the peace details. It would be easy enough to get started, even if all the treaty haggling and paper pushing would make him want to dig his own eyes out with rusty spoons.
If there was one thing about Naruto that Sasuke had learned over the years, it was that his friend never knew when to quit and take a breather. The indomitable fire in the belly that Naruto possessed had led the man to some of his greatest victories, but it also made him neglect his own wellbeing when the pressure mounted.
So when Naruto's hands started faintly trembling, Sasuke knew he had to step in before the blond ran himself into the ground.
"Stop wasting time." The Uchiha declared, shifting his dim red gaze from one tired shinobi to the next. Exhaustion stamped itself into their faces with wrinkles and dark bags; the hours long discussion taking its toll after having continued through the night and into the early morning. "You've already decided on your deployments. Now you're just talking in circles."
Sakura clicked her tongue irritably setting one hand on her hip as she glared at her ex-squadmate. The lack of slavish adoration in her eyes still shocked Sasuke from time to time, but he supposed that two decades of warfare would change even that.
"Fine. Everyone head home and get some rest. We'll be moving at the end of the week. Until then, no one say anything about Naruto or Sasuke. If word gets out it'll be catastrophic for our plans."
A chorus of agreements escaped the crowd as they shuffled away in a fatigued mass, leaving the resurrected shinobi alone with the two Kage.
"We need to get back to the office as well." Gaara explained, mismatched gaze soft and wistful as he spoke to Naruto. "We'd like it if you two remained here. I understand the accommodations aren't ideal, but as Sakura said we can't afford to have word of your presence getting out quite yet. Until then Shikamaru will look after you. There are a couple of spare rooms here for you to use."
Glancing towards the short hallway tunneled into the back corner of the conference room, Naruto gave an exasperated sigh and nodded. "Fine, fine. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do." He didn't want to spend the next few days hiding in what was basically a cave, but it seemed he didn't have much of a choice.
After exchanging goodbyes with the blond and the taciturn Uchiha, the two Kages departed, leaving them alone for the first time in nearly twenty hours.
Naruto made it half a minute before exhaling all his breath in a ragged whoosh, sagging down and steadying himself against the nicked roundtable. "What the fuck." He cursed as anger mingled with despair. "I knew it was bad after they gave us the rundown, but to actually see them…"
All the emotions in Naruto's chest tangled up into a wretched ball that seemed to stick in his throat, choking out every breath he tried to take and making his head swim.
Near two decades in another world had dulled the pain of losing all his bonds and the life he'd built for himself. With difficulty, Naruto had come to terms with it all. A quick peek at a happy and safe Konoha was all he would have asked for, and he'd have been able to close the cover on his old life entirely.
Instead Naruto woke up and was forced to come face to face with the living ashes of his dreams, seeing the devastation marked in scars and the conspicuous absence of deceased comrades. He was surrounded by familiar strangers, and could only hope that if he managed to do it right this time that he'd feel less like an interloper and more like he'd actually come home.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Jerkin violently as he was torn from his spiraling thoughts, Naruto flipped the table and turned on the spot with a livid expression. "Don't do that. Fuck, what's wrong with you?"
Ophis blinked, tilting her head at the worn out jinchuuriki before glancing at Sasuke's amused smirk. "I felt speaking to you directly as soon as your human compatriots departed was ideal, since there is no need for them to know about me. Do you disagree?"
"Now I just know that you're pulling my leg." Naruto grumbled, shoving aside all the memories of Kiba's broken body and Lee's broken mind to focus solely on the Ouroboros Dragon. As long as he had something else to fixate on he didn't need to think about how his fingers were shaking in his pockets or the nauseous burn in his throat. "But fine, what's happening over there?"
Frowning at the mortal's demanding tone, Ophis primly dusted off her shoulder before settling her glittering grey stare on the whiskers adorning Naruto's cheeks. "I have contracted Rias Gremory to possess your body and act as a suitable substitute for you during your stay here. When you return your position in society will be undisturbed. The circumstances are not ideal, but I will facilitate your travels regardless, as per our agreement."
"Possession is a dangerous spell." Sasuke pointed out with a thin veneer of mildness over aggression. One word might be enough to move him to violence or sooth his protective temper.
"I will sustain her existence the same way I've sustained yours." Leaving Sasuke to mull over that bland reassurance, Ophis directed her next words at Naruto. "Since I suspect you would prefer to handle the situation here without my interference, I will leave it in your hands. Expect my return with a method of communication in the coming days."
And then Ophis vanished in a puff of oily mist.
"Bitch." Naruto muttered, running a hand through his hair and exhaling irritably. "I'm starting to get real fuckin' pissed off at the way everyone seems to want to yank our chains lately. Do this, do that, remember this, bah!"
Quirking one eyebrow up as Naruto began to work himself into a spitting fury, Sasuke reached out and flicked the whiskered blond on the ear. "Go to bed, moron. You're not achieving anything getting all worked up." He'd remain on guard out in the meeting room, needing neither food nor rest to sustain his undead flesh.
"You're going to be the next one on my shit list if you keep that up."
"Naruto is going to be a problem."
Rolling up the latest report on the economic decline of Suna with calloused hands, Gaara threw it aside and rolled over to face his wife. "Perhaps." The Kazekage allowed, fingering idly at the threadbare futon beneath them. "He's slightly different, but death kept him young. Hopefully experiencing more of the real world will cure him of his idealism."
Decades ago labelling Naruto a mere idealist would have been outright heresy for Gaara, who had worshipped his fellow jinchuuriki like that blond was his own personal prophet. But years of war had made him hard and bitter, and the eyes that he looked out at the world with were jaded. He'd make allowances for nostalgia, but that would only make him bend so far to accommodate Naruto.
Sakura snorted, sprawling on her back and settling her hands behind her head. "I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for that. I grew up with him and I remember just how stupidly stubborn he is. He chased after Sasuke for years, not to mention how he basically forced people to acknowledge him rather than the fox. We admired it back then, but now it could get pretty damn inconvenient. I don't think anything is going to make him wake up to how the world really works."
"Then put it out of your mind." Gaara suggested, letting his eyes flutter shut as he struggled to relax and find a few hours of sleep. "Even if he disagrees with us, it's not in his nature to betray us and side with our enemies. At worst, we'll take back Konoha and then he'll unintentionally intimidate everyone into a watchful peace. We can rebuild without fear of invasion as long as he's alive, and if you don't name him your successor or pick a new Hokage that would abdicate to him, we can keep him isolated from the levers of power. He's a dreamer, not a builder, so he'll never be a serious opponent during peacetime politics."
"Fair enough." Sakura mumbled back, not entirely appeased but willing to drop it for now and let her husband get to sleep. Rationally, she knew Gaara was right. If Naruto was truly so clever and manipulative, he would have been the Rokudaime rather than Kakashi. Age wasn't a true impediment for charismatic visionaries, as the Sandaime and Yondaime had proven, and a crafty Naruto could have leaned on his war hero status to take the hat.
But Sakura couldn't quite shake the feeling that Naruto was not the same boy she'd buried all those years ago. The Naruto she'd just finished a meeting with was softer spoken, visibly watchful, and displayed a strategic insight she'd never seen in the 'old' Naruto.
Some might dismiss her feelings as paranoia, but Sakura had learned the hard way that it was paranoia that truly kept a shinobi alive. If Konoha had been more suspicious of her so-called allies, they wouldn't have all been caught with their pants down by the declaration of war.
So maybe it was just her hard-wired anxiety talking, but no matter what happened; Sakura would be ready. If Naruto listened and learnt from their experiences, then that was fine. And if he didn't, then she'd do whatever had to be done for the sake of Konoha.
Shifting into Naruto's body felt all kinds of wrong.
When Rias had first began feeding her energy into the ensorcelled black gemstone pendant Ophis had given her, she'd expected a bit of disorientation as her mind travelled between bodies. A dizzy spell, a bit of darkness, and then she'd open her eyes having completed the shift.
Instead, she felt like she was falling, sinking through thick black oil that choked out every bubble of air from her lungs. And in the last moment, when Rias was sure she'd break from the combination of pain and fear, she passed through to the other side and jolted into awareness.
Sucking in a gasp, Rias opened her eyes.
The sight of her own body slumped over in a fluffy scarlet armchair greeted her, pallor colouring aristocratic cheekbones an unhealthy grey and darkening pink lips to a sickly blue.
"Akeno." Rias rasped, flinching at the pained sting that Naruto's vocal chords gave. Several days without use had stiffened up all the muscles in his body, and a little pain was to be expected. She wasn't disturbed by the masculine timbre that accompanied her words. She wasn't.
"You're back with us?" Cloth rustled as Akeno strode into Rias' line of vision and settled a hand on one skirt-clad hip. "Does it all seem to be in working order? No shakiness or numbness?"
Heaving Naruto's body to its feet, Rias rolled her shoulders and stretched out the kinks. "No." she decided, cracking fingers that felt just a little too thick and calloused. "Everything is stiff, but that's just to be expected after laying around for a few days with no activity. I don't feel like my control itself is subpar."
As the words rolled off Naruto's tongue, Rias found the movements of her lips growing less stilted with every syllable. Even with a new metaphorical driver, the muscles of her nephew's body had their own memory. Giving herself over to instinct made everything easier, but it increased the disturbing feeling that she wasn't truly in control of herself.
Irrationally, it reminded Rias of the horror stories she'd read where the protagonist ended up a prisoner in their own body.
"That's good." Akeno made a face, calling into question just how sincere that sentiment really was.
Sure, possession was nothing more or less than what they'd agreed to. But soul magic was taboo for a reason, and knowing there was someone else behind Naruto's azure eyes probably gave the Thunder Priestess visceral chills. "Well, there's no time to waste then. You and Ravel are going to be practicing a mock dinner in an hour, so you should get ready. I'll hide your body with Sasuke's."
Tousling crimson strands that felt distressingly short, Rias grimaced. It wasn't that she disliked Ravel by any means, but playing the blonde's lover was quite a few steps out of her comfort zone. Playing Akeno's lover on her own time was difficult enough, even if it had become shockingly easy once the initial hump was crossed. Adding another layer of emotional deception would be draining. "Alright, but first I want to try something."
Rias turned inward, brushing aside the dark siren call of the gemstone necklace around Naruto's neck that was paired with her own. As comforting as returning to her own body would be, she couldn't afford to be weak now. She'd already agreed to walk down this path, and she intended to see it through to the end.
Seizing control of the flowing red energy that seethed through Naruto's every cell, Rias pulled and shaped. Enchantment surged forth, bucking against an unfamiliar master and searing with raw heat. There was so much power that rose up at her command, and Rias couldn't help but marvel at just how strong her nephew had become.
And then the Ruin Princess let go, sparking red lightning from the tips of blunted fingernails that crackled into the small forks of a handheld electric storm. Blood and ashes it hurt. The pain was so sudden and sharp that Rias couldn't help but wonder why Naruto's body seemed unharmed. Of course, it was his magic, and forcing it to answer to her would never come without cost.
But despite the psychic pain Rias could command it, and for the sake of their ruse that was all she needed.
(AN): 3100 words. There was a question about Kiba's legs that I'll cover in-story.
Lemons – I've decided that I'll just write all the smut, and then cut those scenes out for the chapters posted to ffnet. So if the chapter is shorter than the 'minimum' for that fic it's because I cut out smut scenes. Chapters in full with smut can be read on Ao3. I'm not writing a few thousand extra words for smut chapters just to meet the minimum. If you don't like smut, you'll just have to deal with short chapters from time to time.
Ophis Bonds – will get explained in further detail later. But her willingness to hand them out now is because I'm trying to get away from Sasuke as the center of everything. Ophis will now have camaraderie with more than just Sasuke.
