Butterflies

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 64 – Four Clans, united

8-8

"No, Tsu, you're still staying with us. Yes, Fuu, you're going to share a room with Minori. Temari, you're under Kakashi's watch now, which means he can decide where you stay, I have no authority to argue with him. Konohamaru, you don't even live here, why are you begging for your own room?" Poor me. Poor, poor me. Always stuck with the job no one wants.

"Mom, no one is stopping you from spending time with Temari and her brothers, we're just dealing with sleeping arrangements. No, Gaara, you didn't do anything wrong, we're just trying to make sure we all have enough space to live comfortably. And Sarutobi Konohamaru, you do not 'deserve' half of Udon's room. Stop being a brat!"

I can't believe I had to take the day off from work to organize the troops for something so simple. Really, I shouldn't have to be here for this. At all. "'Kashi-nii, why aren't you packing up your old apartment and collecting your clan's hidden library? No one's going to do it for you, you know."

"Daddy, you should have left for work twenty minutes ago. Make sure you give mom a kiss though. No, I don't care if you claim you already did, do it again! Shika-nii, if you even look at that shogi board again, I will hurt you. Hikaru, you are not supposed to be picking up heavy things. Stop getting on my nerves! And no, Kanon, Chouji isn't sharing a room with you based on shared heritage. Guys are girls are not sharing a room unless they're married, or one of them is a clan head. Yes, I'm allowed to be a hypocrite, with all the stress you guys constantly put on me."

"Naru-nii, you shou… Right, clones. Sorry. Sasa-nee, I don't care what you think, if Naru-nii decides you're getting a room in his compound, then you're getting a room. Stop complaining about it. And no, Konohamaru, her getting a room and you getting a room are not the same thing."

"Udon, why are you still moping about? You're acting like you won't be here every afternoon after school lets out to train with Yuzuki, Sakiko and Katsuo. Moegi, stop hitting him! I don't care if that's the Uzumaki way of doing things! Do that crap in the Uzumaki compound!"

"Konohamaru, I swear if you say one more word about this you'll be spending the rest of the day crawling around on my ceiling! No, Naruto, that isn't funny! I said SHUT IT!"

"Haku, please don't leave me in that madness by myself!"

"Sorry, Aya-chan, but dad wants us to get the house liveable. That means we need to get some shopping done, and mom wants that done sooner rather than later." Haku says, offering a sympathetic look. I want to feel happy for her that Maki and Momochi-san asked her and Ao-chan to call them 'mom' and 'dad', but the fact remains that she's the only sane person around here! And she's leaving me!

"Traitor." I complain, fixing her with a dull glare. "No, Yuzuki, you're still sharing a room with Sakiko. Yes, Hanabi, you and Hina-nee are moving in with the Uzumakis. What do you mean that doesn't make sense? Who do you think wanted Hina-nee here to begin with? Didn't think of that she says. Hina-nee, stop blushing. You and I both know you figured that out months ago!"

Kami-sama, dealing with this many people at once is TIRING!

8-8

Well, that only took forever. So. Let's see if everyone is set up the way I want. Sakiko and Yuzuki are now the ONLY occupants of their room. 'Kashi-nii is moving into Yasu-nee's room – they're out 'buying furniture' they feel they need. Tsu is still staying in my room with me – I've gotten used to having her there. Hitomi now has a room to herself. Daddy and Mom are taking Naruto-nii's old room – why they insist on still living here is a mystery I don't plan on figuring out. And Shika-nii has his own room as well.

That means we ACTUALLY have three empty rooms! How'd we manage that!?

Momochi-san, Maki, Haku and Aomaru have their things packed and are either still out shopping, or setting up their house next door. Jiraiya set up a doorway between our compounds, in the little 'alley' next to the house so that no one will get killed for coming and going if someone is training.

The Uzumakis (all of them) are over in their compound. I don't even want to know who's (capable of) keeping order in that camp! Uzumakis know how to handle their own, or so I've been told. The Hyuuga sisters are with them, as is Fuu.

The patients, the Sand Trio, and the barrage of ever present out of uniform Anbu Operatives are in the Hatake compound, setting things up. It's a bit weird to not have Hana around to pick on me, but I'll manage.

I still have to check out the underground tunnels Jiraiya seems so proud of, but really, I'm just not in the mood right now.

Because now, I no longer have any excuses. I have Tayuya and Kin I need to collect. And I have to negotiate with the Anbu guards where Tayuya is going to sleep. So much fun stuff.

"Hey, mom. We have any more ice cream sandwiches?" I'm going to need a chocolate fix before dealing with this madness.

8-8

"Tayuya." I call as I enter her cell. She's laying on her bed, zoned out. She notices me though, and I know that little smirk means more than she wants it to.

"More sake to keep things friendly?" She sounds amused.

"Transferring you." I roll my eyes at her shock. "Come on, I haven't got all day."

She gets up, following me out into the hallway. She still isn't quite sure what to think though. 'Takara' removes her shackles, but doesn't immediately walk off this time.

"Right, just one more to collect." I motion for Tayuya to follow us. I still don't like that Kin is housed with her two male teammates, but I think they understand just what I'd do to them if they tried anything. "Tsuchi Kin. Follow me."

"… What about us?" The still unnamed idiot asks cautiously.

"You heard what I told Kin. Whether you listen is on you." I tell him coldly.

"Would it be alright if we were to come visit her when we get out?" 'Dosu' asks.

"Namiki compound, in the Shinobi Sector." I don't even wonder if they'll get out; it's none of my business.

'Takara' is already busy unshackling Kin when I close the cell door. When she's done, she locks the cell and leaves without a word. "Always a ray of sunshine." I shake my head, annoyed. "Anyway, I'm sure you both remember Tsu and 'Tomi. This is Asami, she's mostly here as an added precaution. Tayuya, Senju-san has agreed to your relocation, however, if you try anything that violates our agreement, Asami's orders are to kill you where you stand. Please don't give her reason to doubt your honour."

"That's cool with me." She shrugs, not caring.

"Good. Then I have a gift for you." I take out the nohkan I bought on the way over and offer it to her.

"Aw, honey, you shouldn't have." She grins from ear to ear. She takes it gently, playing a few notes to see if it's a flute she can get used to. "Not bad. Not as good as my old one, but not bad."

"You'll get a new one eventually, I'm sure. I just can't stand seeing a flautist not having a flute." I say, motioning for them to follow me and already walking towards the exit. "I've made a deal with Senju-san. No one's allowed to interview you but me, and there won't be any interviews until you've gotten a chance to settle in. So we're talking at least a week of not having to worry about useless junk."

"Sounds like heaven to me." She's grinning from ear to ear.

"I must warn you though… even though you won't be in my clan's den, you will be in the den of one of our closest allies. You will be constantly surrounded by people that I would give my life for. Please, mind your manners. Upsetting them without a reason will not make you any friends."

8-8

We make it to the Hatake compound without incident. Salamander –Anbu mask on, and armed to the teeth– opens the gate to welcome us the moment we arrive. "Something up?" I ask.

"Dragon says it's time to… discuss matters with the Sand Trio." She says. "He wants you to be there."

"Well, it looks like the party's going to start. Tayuya, mind what I said." I say, motioning for Kin to follow me. The redhead shrugs, obviously not caring.

"I am Salamander, you will follow me to your quarters." I ignore them, making my way around the house to the backyard, where I smell 'Kashi-nii and the Sand Trio. I sigh, hating that mom and Naruto-nii are here as well.

"Good, you're here. Temari, Kankuro, Gaara. The mission that delegate tried to give you is to assassinate three individuals. Hatake Kakashi, Namiki Aya and Uzumaki Naruto. Three clan heads." Temari winces, understanding just how horribly that works out for Sand.

"Aya, unseal their things." 'Kashi-nii demands. I shrug, not caring. I unseal the three fans for Temari – the two that Sand idiot tried to give her and the one I scalped during the invasion. I also unseal the four puppets for Kankuro. They don't like where this is going. "Honour demands you to take the mission. And yet honour demands you never execute it. We are tired of not knowing which side of the coin you three follow. So here are your weapons and your targets. What will you do?"

I pick up Temari's fan, walk over to her and gently offer it to her. Kankuro can grab his puppets on his own, so I'm not getting involved in that. "Choose, Temari." I demand, meeting her gaze, unconcerned.

Temari takes her fan, hugging it. Then she looks to me. "I will not speak for my brothers. I only speak for myself." She begins, strapping her fan into her obi against her back for safe keeping. "I will not raise arms against Konoha, let alone against you three. Besides, Yoshino-san would never forgive me if I did."

Temari and I share a look, both of us smiling.

"The blonde has decided. What of the brunet and the redhead." 'Kashi-nii isn't letting up at all.

"Che." Kankuro does his thing, connecting almost invisible chakra-based stings with his puppets one by one and bringing them to him. "I appreciate the toys to entertain me, but Temari's right. Besides the fact that you three could easily kill me, there's my vow to not fight you. So unless this is meant to be a friendly spar, I say we call it a day and get some lunch." He says, meaning it. And he makes a good point too. We could easily kill him, especially 'Kashi-nii.

All eyes turn to Gaara.

"I will not fight you." He says simply.

"Why?" 'Kashi-nii asks.

"Because I care for you three more than every person currently in Sand combined. I will not fight you."

"Hey, check it out! They gave me the firefighter model! And Salamander! Aw, man! I'm going to love tinkering on you babies!" Kankuro's obviously excited. "You guys? I could really use some tools to figure out what these babies can do!"

"Naruto? Aya?"

"Works for me." We say together, shrugging like we don't care. Then we smirk at each other. Yup, we still got it.

"Good. Then let's go see what Yasu-chan's cooking. She's been teasing me all morning that I'm going to love it, but won't say more than that."

8-8

"Soft boiled saury and miso soup with eggplant. Love, you spoil me." 'Kashi-nii coos, kissing his bride-to-be on her cheek – mask included.

"Someone has to." She says, smiling warmly. "Besides, I'm sure you've all had a trying morning. Getting four compounds sorted and all the madness that goes with it? I'm not sure how you managed."

"Yes. Oh how did they ever manage." I intone dryly. Everyone laughs, but no one comments.

"Naruto… I haven't seen any of the Uzumaki since you left, would you mind calling them for me? I'm afraid lunch will get cold before they a… Nevermind." Yeah, we can hear Moegi and Minori arguing about who has the nicer room. And apparently Moegi and Hanabi are sharing a room – I did not know that.

The Yukis aren't far behind either, they're just A LOT QUIETER about it. I shake my head, wondering how I ever got used to so many Uzumakis in a confined space for so long.

8-8

"Thank you for coming." Senju-san welcomes us in her office. I shrug. It's kind of weird not being here to begin with, but everyone needs a day off sometimes.

Beside me are Naru-nii, Shika-nii, Hina-nee and Aburame-san.

"I've reviewed the reports, I've spoken to the proctors, and I've discussed this with my advisors." True, she also asked me repeatedly who I think should get promoted. "You five have shown considerable leadership skills, the ability to adapt, and the ability to perform under pressure. For these reasons, and the skills you have shown, I would like to congratulate you. You are hereby promoted to chuunin." She unseals five flak jackets, tossing one to each of us.

"I trust each of you will uphold your new rank with honour and dignity. And that you will continue to make your clans and Konoha proud." I can't fight the goofy grin hard enough.

My clan. To make my clan proud of me.

"Everyone but Naruto and Aya is dismissed."

"Hey, Shika. Let Ino know will ya? She'll know what this means." Naru-nii says, waving the others out. I nod to Hitomi, who knows I mean to wait outside with Hina-nee.

Tsu doesn't budge though. Shocking, I know. You'd think me defenceless or something.

Once the door is closed, Senju-san casts a privacy jutsu. "Dragon. The floor's yours." Senju-san says, motioning towards the wall to her left.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Fox, Wolf. It's time for the two of you to pick your specialization." Dragon announces, acting like we didn't know she was there the whole time.

"What are our options?"

"Infiltration, demolition, espionage, counter-intelligence, assassination." Hmm, no 'and' or 'or'. There might be more options.

"Demolition for me." Fox-nii is quick to make up his mind. I'm not so sure.

"What falls under counter-intelligence?" I ask, uncertain.

"Just what it sounds like. Finding out what they know, and messing with it. Whether by forging documents, skewing intelligence reports, feeding them lies, or making their intelligence simply disappear."

"Not my style. Infiltration and espionage take too long. And assassination… hmm, that might be something for me, but I'm more focused on defence. Sorry, Dragon. None of those options work for me."

"I figured you'd say that." Dragon seems to be smiling. "That leaves one other choice. Bodyguard."

"Oh, gee. Didn't see that coming." I drone.

"If it makes you feel better… you are preapproved because of your obvious experience in the field." No, that's not making me feel better at all. "Fox will still have to go through some rigorous training and tests before he'll be approved, but Frog offered to train him personally."

"Works for me. Can I double up and add infiltration and espionage too?" Fox-nii, you're an idiot.

"…" Dragon and Senju-san share a look. "It's plausible. But that would take years of specialized trainings." Dragon says that a little too carefully. Let me guess. Jiraiya would be his trainer?

"Works for me." Fox-nii doesn't even see the trap coming.

"Alright, I'll see if I can arrange a proper trainer for this." Dragon says coolly. I roll my eyes. Like this wasn't discussed in advance? The Third told me about it, for crying out loud!

Whatever. "Alright. Dismissed." Fox-nii is gone before I can blink, leaving the door open so Hitomi can join us once again. She closes the door behind her.

"When will they leave?" I ask, not planning on beating around the bush.

"Who?"

"Naruto and Jiraiya." The two of them share a look. "The Third already told me. When do they leave?"

"Six months, maybe less." Senju-san says.

"Good. I'll try to make the most of my time with him then. Oh, and Senju-san, you have a bad habit of leaving your window open. Jiraiya's been standing there since I got here."

"I know that. He'd never miss Naruto getting promoted." Senju-san says, smiling. "Oh, and Aya. Why haven't you gone digging in the Hokage Library yet?"

"Because I'm not ready to. I'm still busy studying my own library and learning and/or creating new sound release jutsu. I'll only need to nose around in there when I'm fresh out of new and interesting things out here. See you two at dinner. And don't be late, Yasu-nee will want to make a big deal out of us getting promoted."

8-8

"A Four Clans meeting, already?" I tease as Momochi-san, Naru-nii, 'Kashi-nii and I sit down in my office. I need to get another two-seater couch, because obviously my office is the most comfortable for these meetings.

"Yeah. I've got something pretty important I wanted to talk to you guys about." Momochi-san begins, pulling down his mask for some reason.

"Alright, shoot." I say getting comfortable.

"I've been asked to take a team of genins. Trouble is, we've got bigger things to focus on." Momochi-san lays it out.

"Test them, and if you don't feel they are worth your time, fail them." 'Kashi-nii says simply. "If they are worth your time, they'll be worth juggling with everything else going on."

"It's not that simple. This isn't a fresh genin team. This is three ragtag survivors from other teams, jumbled together. They've each been a genin for a year and a half, more or less, and they can't stand each other."

"What about your Anbu training?" I ask, worried.

"Exactly. Because I'm not a full member, the council pushed for this and Dragon couldn't shoot them down." He sounds supremely annoyed. "Don't worry though, Shikaku already gave me a list of names of those that pushed this on me. So I'll know just who I want to annoy during meetings from now on."

"The joys of being clan head." I grin, fully understanding him. "Hmm. How about you put them through your training. If they can't handle it, tell them to request a new sensei."

"Namiki, you know what kind of training I do. That'd be suicide for them."

"Exactly." I agree fully. "If they can't keep up, and I doubt they will, they'll have to ask for a transfer. Meaning, no longer your problem. On top of that, you won't fall behind in your own training. Win-win."

"Sis, that's just evil." Naru-nii says, grinning ear to ear.

"I never pretended to be an angel." I counter easily. "Is that something you can live with?" I aim that at Momochi-san.

"Yeah." He nods, liking my suggestion more the more he thinks about it. "Even if they don't quit, they'd become some of the best shinobi around. That means bragging rights." I snort, amused.

"He has a point. I mean, I get to brag that I trained three legends in the making." 'Kashi-nii says, eye-smiling.

"I think mom has those rights too."

"That she does. Anyway, since we're here, I wanted to discuss something. Imouto-chan, you have a nose for interesting situations. I want to start investing. I have information on a few things that caught my eye, I want you to take a look."

8-8

So much for having a day off. I'm just putting my time into other things. And frankly, work is never this stressful. From 'Kashi-nii's eight suggestions of what to invest in, I found only two I trust. One being a clothing store that wants to expand, the owner just doesn't have the capital herself and needs an investor. The other being a restaurant that claims it's gotten quite popular, but can't seem to manage its books properly.

That means I'm on the road, going to interview both places to see which looks like a solid investment, and which is complete crap.

With my usual shadows in tow, I enter 'Susu's' and walk straight up to the cashier. The store is filled with customers of all ages, and goods to entice each at least a little. No one seems to be emptyhanded. Hmm, not a bad place to start. "Good afternoon. I'm Namiki Aya. I was hoping to speak with the owner, if she's in?"

"Oi, Susu-san! Got a Namiki Aya to see you!" The girl isn't very customer friendly, at all. Hmm.

We're lead into the back, in a cramped office that just makes my skin crawl. It also seems to double as storage, and a changing room, seeing as one of the employees is half naked as we walk in.

"Please have a seat. Sorry that it's so cramped in here, but… Well we're trying to get the funds to expand." 'Susu' is kind and welcoming if nothing else. "What can I do for you, Namiki-san?"

"Actually, I'm here about finding out what I can do for you. A source told me that you are looking for an investor to expand your business." I say, my face held completely blank to give nothing away. She looks ecstatic, almost to the point of creaming her pants. "That doesn't mean I'm just going to hand over money, however. I'd need to see your proposal, your books to see if your store is a solid investment, and I will of course need to discuss what's in it for me. I'm not into charity work, after all."

"Of course, of course." She thinks about that, still obviously overwhelmed. "How about this. Give me a few days and I'll have that ready for you. I'll have a presentation prepared of exactly what my vision is, and you can decide for yourself what you think?"

I can work with that. Professional and organized. "That sounds agreeable. When and where?"

"Hmm. If you leave your number with me, I'll contact you and we can set something up?"

"That won't work out. I'm always busy, out and about." I explain seriously. "How about this, the Hokage Tower. I work as the Fifth's secretary. You can either call there, or come by personally."

"… I thought you looked familiar. You're the one everyone's talking about! Her new bodyguard." She shakes off her shock. "Alright, I will contact you there. Thank you, really." I nod, seeing myself out.

8-8

Next stop is the restaurant, but I have my doubts about this place from the get-go. The one meant to welcome us is rude, the waitress is –at best– incompetent, and the menu is just…

Yeah, adding the books that I already know aren't in order? This sounds like a money trap. Nope. We don't even order, we just leave.

8-8

So that restaurant was a total bust. What other options do we have? Real estate? Nodding to myself, I head into the Civilian Sector and we head straight for a realtor. The man looks at me a little funny, but he seems excited to see a Hyuuga with me.

"Welcome, Hyuuga-sama. Would you like some tea?"

"Aya, this one has no brains. We might as well just move on now." Hitomi is not impressed. At all.

"Maybe, but we don't need him to be smart, we need him to be able to sell properties." I say. She doesn't respond in any way I can sense. "I'll make this quick. I am looking into the possibility of buying several properties for commercial use. Can you help me, yes or no?"

Obviously caught off guard, the man shakes his head. I think he's about to short circuit. "I… see… Yes, we have plenty of properties for sale, yes. What exactly are you looking for?"

"Something either in the Commercial or Civilian Sector. I'm looking into two possibilities, either residential or commercial, both to be put up for rent. The property needs not be in tip top condition, however it needs to not make me cringe the second I see it. And no matter how you look at it, I need to decide today. So I'd advise you to stop gawking at me and figure out how you can sell as many properties as you can."

"Tea it is. Please have a seat ladies." The man turns on a dime and strolls deeper into the office to collect himself. I take a seat, but I'm not too surprised when neither of my shadows do. The man comes back not five minutes later with tea and immediately excuses himself again to get some files for me to peruse.

When he returns, he offers me file after file on properties for sale. Two are for eateries, obviously. Several offices. And dozens of homes. I think about that, wondering. The shinobi from the invasion perhaps? I'm not sure.

I look at the two restaurants a little closer… finding one of them to be the same restaurant I looked at from earlier. I shake my head, showing it to my shadows. Neither seems too impressed.

"I'll want to look at this place." I say, setting that one aside. I might even drive the buying price down, simply because I know they're trying to run a scam. One of the offices isn't too interesting, but it catches my eye for some reason. I place it on top the restaurant, simply because it couldn't hurt to have a look. I also select four of the residences that catch my eye for one reason or another.

"Alright, ladies. We'll start with the office, since it's closest."

8-8

The office turns out to be in a decent enough state. One of the residences gets tossed out immediately, simply because it's a rat trap waiting to fall apart – oh the advantages of my sense of smell and Hitomi's Byakugan – and the restaurant is… a fix-it-upper, but the price is fair considering what they're offering.

We start haggling over the price immediately, and I point out that I have friends in T&I that would love to look into a plausible scam, seeing as I have sources saying they are looking for investors when they are also looking to sell. Surprisingly, the already fair price drops thirty percent.

So, with that in my pocket, we head back to the realtor's. "I must say, Namiki-san, you're an aggressive negotiator." The man says nervously.

"Meh. I'm interested in all five properties. However, other than the restaurant where we already worked out an agreeable arrangement, the prices are not what I'm willing to offer." I say, my face completely blank.

"I thought as much. Very well, write down your offers and I'll discuss it with the sellers." He says, offering me a pen and paper.

"Those residences don't have a seller, do they." I my still blank gaze is starting to unnerve him a little.

"What makes you say that?" He's nervous, obviously not having expected that.

"I bought a property a few weeks ago, and I was able to get a far better deal because the previous owners had died in the invasion and it was in fact paid off. I'm willing to bet that is the case now as well, but you wouldn't dare advertise such a thing to civilians. After all, they are a bit squeamish about death." I lay it out.

"… You are well informed. Yes, that is at least partly true for the residences. However the office is another matter entirely." He tries. I shrug, not caring too much.

"This is what I'm willing to offer for the residences. Each." I write down the number and offer the paper to him.

He shakes his head disapprovingly. "I'm sorry, you'd have to at least double that."

"Oh? Tell me, who would receive this money that you are asking me to double?" I ask, studying the man for any signs of a desire to lie.

"Well," He takes the three files. "This one is for the orphan that can no longer afford the mortgage. This one for the widow who can't afford the mortgage, and the last, no one. So I can easily agree to the offer there."

"Hmm." I nod, accepting his reasoning. "Very well. I will meet you half way on the other two and up the offer fifty percent."

"Namiki-san, I wouldn't even contact them for that kind of offer."

"I understand. In that case. Just the restaurant, the office and the one residence." I say, shrugging.

"…" He wasn't expecting that. "Very well, I'll make the offer. We can close the deal on the other three though. I'll have the papers drawn up. How can I contact you?"

"Hokage Tower. I'm the Fifth's secretary." I tell him. We shake on it.

8-8

"You're scary. You know that, right?" Tsu is shaking her head as the latest realtor is discussing something with one of his colleagues.

"What? If they can't handle bartering they should close the business." I counter. I've finally gotten the price on that store down to something I find is acceptable. If they don't like it, fine; I'll walk.

The man comes back almost ten minutes later. "Namiki-san, you drive a hard bargain… but you've got a deal." We shake on it. "I'll draw up the paperwork in the next few days. How can I contact you?"

"Hokage Tower. I'm the Fifth's secretary." I should just get that on a business card, or something. It would save so much time.

He nods. "I'll be in touch."

8-8

With today's successes, pending successes, and failures in my pocket, I head home and call Kashi-nii, Naru-nii and Momochi-san into my office once again. I lay it all out for them. The restaurant, the office, the store for sale, the presentation for that clothing store, the one residence I'm guaranteed, and the two still pending.

"Jeez, sis. Kakashi gives you bait and you come home with a whale!" Naruto-nii just has to exaggerate.

"Hey, I've been thinking about investing for a long time. So when I found out that I've got company in this, of course I'm going to want to deal with this now that I've got the time. So anyway, that's what I've got for you. Who's in?"

"I say we deal with this in a four way split." Momochi-san offers. "Maki has the time and has some experience with this, so we can have her manage the properties for us. We each listen to what this 'Susu' has to say, and we can decide together if it's worth the investment."

"Actually, the presentation is just a formality. The store has full of customers and the wares are catered to their desires. The owner knows what she's doing, even if her personnel are… lacking. I'm almost certain she'll wow us with her presentation." I explain seriously. "But I think you're onto something. We should pool our resources for the sake of the Four Clans."

"I'm for it." 'Kashi-nii's in.

"Oh yeah! This will be the best thing ever! Maybe I can talk to Akari-chan about giving Maki a hand? Maybe even set up some seals around the properties to make sure our investments are safe. Couldn't hurt."

"That's not a bad idea." Momochi-san is thinking about that. "I like it. Kakashi, if you get any more leads worth looking into?"

"I'll be sure to pass the information on. I would really appreciate it of Imouto-chan looked through them though. I mean, really. One day and you've already gotten all this done?"

"Yes, yes. Aya is amazing. Can we focus please?" I roll my eyes. "If Maki and Akari are going to run this for us, then we're going to need to set up a proper office for them. That means getting a separate line set up, business cards so that we can deal with investments easier, we'll also need a location away from our compounds to set up meetings. Maybe we can… use the office I told you about? We don't need them to go there every day, most of the work can be done right here, but we could certainly use it as a meeting location?"

"Hmm. That might work. Set up some couches, some low tables, and cater the meeting to the message we want to get across?" 'Kashi-nii thinks about that. "That would definitely work. And if Asami can set up the security system there? We'd be able to host private meetings for other clans as well. That's always a lucrative business venture, seeing as they tend to aim for a secure location where neither they nor their associates have the upper hand."

"Alright. Naru-nii, if you could ask Asami about that?"

"Sure. She's kind of been… bugging me about us revealing who we are though…"

"How so?" I ask, a bit worried.

"… I dunno. She's just been… all over the place lately. And I keep getting the impression she can't stand people calling her a Sarutobi anymore."

…

"I'll talk to her."

8-8

End Chapter 64

8-8

A/N: Not much to say for the moment. Well, other than that there's going to be a... bit of an interesting twist coming up. That Sand delegate was never dealt with... what could that situation lead to?