The Healing Sekirei
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sekirei and make no many from this fanfic!
Chapter 3
The Next Day
Naruto awoke early that morning after a night of troubled sleep. He had agreed to see his former comrades as long as Miya allowed them to meet here as Maison Izumo rather than forcing him to go elsewhere. He wasn't sure how he felt after talking to Tsunade last night but ultimately he knew he didn't want to return to Konoha. There simply wasn't anything left there if Tsunade and Shizune had decided to stay here.
He had considered whether he would want to return to Konoha constantly over the past year. Ultimately he realized that being outside the elemental nations was a huge opportunity for him to do something else with his life. The loss of chakra had destroyed any chance he could continue as a shinobi and the list of other occupations was rather short in a shinobi village unless you came from a clan or had the skills required, usually skills learned from a very young age.
No, here had opportunities never presented to him before. He could return to school, if he wanted to go through that torture again, or take up writing and continue the Icha Icha series in honor of Jiraiya, something he had already begun and had a manuscript near completion actually. He planned to have his own book completed within the next year before starting a small publishing company and producing his sensei's original works before continuing with his own.
More importantly to the blonde, Uzume was here. The woman who had saved him from his own darkness. The woman he loved with all his heart. No, he'd rather stay here with her than drag her back to Konoha to face whatever unknown resentment or possible isolation his so called friends may press upon her. He knew that being an outsider would bring a huge set of challenges in Konoha, just consider what his own mother had gone through despite being from a closely allied clan, and had no wish to place those on the woman he loved.
He could feel Uzume stir through their bond even before he felt her rather ample bust press into his back and her arms wrap around his torso.
"Good Morning my Ashikabi!" she whispered in his ear with a small smirk and kiss to his neck. Naruto blushed at the intimate contact and could barely contain the moan that attempted to escape him as she sucked lightly at the junction of his shoulder and neck. Even after weeks of sleeping together he still wasn't entirely used to her playful conduct, but he would be lying if he didn't admit he enjoyed it all the same. He had never been more grateful to share a room with his beautiful Sekirei and knew Jiraiya was smiling down at his godson from on high.
"Good Morning Uzume, did you sleep well?" he asked when he could respond as he tried to hide his blush.
Uzume frowned, she noticed how tense he was, "Better than you I think. You know you don't have to see them if you don't want too."
Naruto nodded, "I know but I'd rather get it over with. Ko, Lee, and Hana never did anything to me, Sakura was my teammate and close friend for many years, and at one point I cared greatly for Hinata. I don't want to go back, I'm happy here with you and if granny and my sister are staying then I don't have much to go back too. I want to live in peace, raise a family, and just enjoy the rest of my life."
Uzume smiled at the conviction and hid the slight blush at the mention of raising a family together. She would have followed him back to his home village if he wanted but she knew he had very conflicting emotions about that. Konoha held some of the best and worst memories for him and she always privately thought he deserved better, a clean start was perfect in her mind.
With a final nod Naruto smiled and the two began their daily ritual of cleaning and clothing themselves for the day ahead. Tsunade and her entourage would arrive sometime around mid-morning after all and they wanted to be prepared. Miya had even agreed to remain nearby, having taken a shine to her blonde tenant, as moral support for them while Minato and his Sekirei had agreed to vacate the building for a bit to give them space, helped by the offer of a vacation to a local theme park by Naruto. They would be gone until the next day, giving the group plenty of time to talk and clear up everything.
The group from Konoha found Naruto seated at the table in the living room of the inn with a cup of coffee nearby. Uzume had taken her place to the left of Naruto with his hand held in hers while Miya sat on his right at the head of the table, much to both Naruto and Uzume's gratefulness. The older Sekirei had agreed to provide moral support and ensure the peace was kept in her home during the meeting but had made it clear she would not be speaking unless forced. This was their problem, not hers, and they needed to handle it.
Naruto smiled as Konohamaru rushed right over the table with tears in his eyes as he nearly knocked his brother down with his hug, "It's so good to see you boss!"
Naruto smiled gently at how much his little brother had grown in the year he'd been gone, "It's good to see you too Ko. Man, you're looking more and more like the old man every time I see you!"
Konohamaru grinned at the compliment and nodded before being picked up by the scruff of his neck by an annoyed Tsunade, "Sit down Konohamaru so we can get this over with and stop taking up Miya's living room."
Grinning despite himself the young Sarutobi nodded and sat himself on Uzume's left while Shizune took Tsunades right, and Tsunade placing herself and across from the blonde haired young man. Hana and Hinata sitting beside the black haired young woman. The table was large enough to accept everyone around it despite being a bit snug.
"Alright, let's get this started. Naruto, I know you're no longer a shinobi under the Hoakge's command and we spoke about why myself and everyone is here but I want to say it again so everyone that wasn't here last night knows. We are here to entreat you to return to Konoha and offer apologizes and pay reparations for the unsanctioned and illegal attack on your person."
After seeing Naruto and everyone indicate they understood, "I would like to start by thanking Asama Miya, the Landlady of this wonderful inn, for allowing us to host our meetings here. We will respect her rules and sanctity of this home while we are here," she told them, the steel in her voice obvious, repeating her warning from the previous night not to attempt any violent acts and to accept whatever decision Naruto made.
Due to the small size of the living room it had been decided to separate the meeting into two parts. The first would involve Hana, Hinata, and Konomaru along with Tsunade and Shizune. The plan was to offer apologizes and show Naruto that Konoha could and would take action to protect him. Basically, butter him and Uzume up before going to the real reason they were here, get him to come back. Then Tsunade would return with Shizune, Konohamaru, Hinata, Lee, and Sakura the next day to appeal to Naruto's sense of friendship, family, and love for his homeland to return. Everyone had agreed it was a good plan and didn't involve trying to force the young man back to his birth village.
"To get to the heart of the matter I want to explain a few things before we start. When Konoha and the other shinobi villages were founded it was obviously going to be a difficult transition. Clans who had warred with one another for hundreds of years were suddenly finding themselves living next to one another. To avoid bloodshed my grandfather instituted some very strict laws condemning the attacks by one clan on another with increasing severity should a clan have dwindled to small numbers in the service of Konoha. He didn't want one clan to be able to take advantage of another's loss in the service of the village to wipe out an old enemy.
"Naruto, you are aware that your father's clan bled itself in the service of Konoha during the first shinobi world war and then again in the second leaving only your father, Namikaze Minato, as the sole survivor. Much the same your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, saw her clan wiped out for its defense of Konoha and for their actions we named them a clan of Konoha to protect any survivors we could find. Obviously, this makes you the heir to two very powerful clans including the bloodline of the Uzumaki.
"I know it may come as a surprise but the Uzumaki were the holders of a very rare chakra based bloodline limit. It increased their lifespans to nearly three times the normal, granted them immunity from poisons and disease, allowed for increased healing and durability, and caused their chakra to become immensely dense. This means they could use pure chakra manipulation on a scale never before seen and gave them a natural inclination for the sealing arts. Their chakra was so dense they were able to even use it to restrain the tailed beasts, a feat only ever seen in the wood release of my grandfather and the most advanced version of the sharingan.
"Because of this when Kurenai, Kiba and Neji attacked you some of the most severe penalties were enacted against their clans and persons. Konoha never sanctioned these attacks and would never have allowed them to do so if we had known what they were planning beforehand. Now, I believe it best to let each clan representative present themselves," she said and gestured to the wild looking girl sitting next to Shizune.
Hana had deep brown hair and tattoos under her eyes. Her eyes and facial features were wild and canine like and as she offered the blonde a smile Naruto couldn't help but smile back, he just got good vibes from the woman, "Hello, I know we met once or twice but I am Inuzuka Hana, Kiba's older sister. I apologize but my clan's never been very big on formalities. From what Lady Tsunade's told me you have only a cursory understanding of why this is so important, particularly to the Inuzuka clan, so I'd like to go into a bit more detail.
"Much like our ninken partners we place loyalty above all other traits. Loyalty to the clan, the pack, and the village is never to abandoned and defended at all costs. Kiba's actions has brought immense shame to our entire clan beyond the laws he broke. Never before has an Inuzuka attacked a fellow Konoha shinobi or civilian in such a manner and for one to do so will be remembered by our clan for many generations as an abject lesson of how not to be an Inuzuka.
"For his actions Kiba has lost his status as clan heir and found himself placed at the bottom of our pack. Our clan has prepared the required monetary compensation required under the law and we have ensured it was made in gold bullion since we were unsure if you would wish to return to Konoha or not.
"On a personal note my mother, Inuzuka Tsume, wanted me to tell you that she cannot express her remorse for my brother's actions. There are few things worthy of greater disgust to the Inuzuka than what my brother has done. The clan would like to offer you two gifts to ensure you understand how serious we take this breach of friendship."
Hana reached into a small container she had carried with her and removed a small red furred pup that yawned loudly as she looked around the room, "This is a ninken from our clan. Her name is Sora and we would like you to have her as a companion for the rest of your days. As a ninken she will live nearly as long as you do and will be highly intelligent. Ninken make great companions and guards for a family and partners in battle, as I am sure you've seen. I hope you know there are very, very few my clan would gift a ninken too. To the Inuzuka a ninken is family."
Naruto stared at the pup with wide eyes, even he understood how important ninken were to Hana's clan and couldn't believe they were willing to part with one because of what Kiba had done. Uzume had stars in her eyes as she looked at the little pup and wanted nothing more than to play with the small, sleepy puppy.
Hana smiled, "I'll be happy to show you how to care for her as well," she told him as a light blush entered her cheeks and she coughed delicately before taking a deep breath, "Also, my mother Tsume, with the agreement of my clan, would like to offer myself as a bride to ensure no further enmity exists between our clans. I know you are already seeing someone and that the custom has fallen out of practice but our clan has always a been a bit more… old fashioned. We take what happened very seriously and want to be certain there will be no future enmity between our clans."
Tsunade pinched her nose at the final offer. She knew one of the clans might do that despite not telling the Hokage. She figured it might be the case for the Inuzuka to make such an offer. Blood, loyalty, and family were of the utmost importance to them and the best way to be certain the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans would never hold a grudge would be to make them family. On the bright side they would have no ulterior motives than the obvious.
Thank god Naruto and I got to speak privately last night! She thought to herself only imagining his response if he had been surprised by the offer or how Uzume may have reacted! Tsunade had immediately liked the girl but it had taken nearly an hour to drill into both their heads they needed to act extremely respectful and remain quiet during the first meeting to avoid potentially insulting the clans represented. This was delicate and Naruto's ability to understand delicate situations was the prime example of a bull in a china shop.
Naruto smiled at the slightly older woman, "Thank you Hana, and please pass my thanks on to your mother. I am shocked beyond belief that your clan would part with one of their ninken. I understand how important they are to you and Sora will be treated as family for as long as I am privileged to be partnered with her.
"I once counted Kiba as a friend and was shocked and angry when he attacked me. I don't know why he did what he did but I hope he had a good reason. However, I don't hold the Inuzuka clan to blame for his actions. I will gladly accept your apology.
"Um, lastly, I admit I am not sure how to respond to the offer of marriage. I think it would be best if we discussed that in private together later perhaps?" he finished up a bit lamely.
Tsunade had mentioned one of the clans may offer a marriage and he would need to be careful in his response. It wouldn't be a good idea to insult the clan by immediately rejecting the offer nor to accept. The best solution was a private conversation where they could speak more openly.
"Thank you Naruto, I know I speak for my clan when I say we want to remain close friends of you and your clans for many generations. I also think a more private conversation to discuss the marriage offer would be nice," Hana told him doing her best to hide the nervousness she felt. While she wasn't against the marriage she really didn't know the blonde outside what her brother had told her and a few rumors.
Uzume gave her fellow brunette a level look that promised a long conversation later for the Inuzuka woman but otherwise remained silent. Like Naruto she had been instructed on what best to do should this situation arise. While she normally would be screaming at the wild looking girl to keep her hands off her Ashikabi she also had beaten into her head that she represented Naruto as his Sekirei and giving offense in such a formal setting could lead to serious consequences back in Konoha for him and any children they might have. So Uzume would hold her peace until later. Besides, it gave her time to really consider the idea of a second woman in their relationship, one that caused a slight blush to enter her cheeks.
I've spent way too much time around Kazehana… she thought to herself.
Tsunade nodded and gestured for the pale eyed Hyuga girl to go ahead next.
Hinata nodded, knowing now was not the time to bring up her own feelings. Taking a deep breath, the shy Hyuga heiress nodded to her Hokage before pushing her personal feelings aside. This wasn't about her and Naruto right now, this was about clan business and that had to be handled delicately and with grace and nobility befitting her clan. Or so her father had told her.
"The Hyuga clan wishes to express our deepest apologizes for the actions of Hyuga Neji. The clan has stripped him of his position as heir to the leadership of the branch family and prepared the required payment by law in gold as we were unaware if you would be returning to the village. We understand that as a civilian, even if the heir and potential clan leader to two great clans, you have the right to remain here outside the elemental nations. We wish you to know that the Hyuga clan will support you in either way your decision falls.
"As a personal note, my father and head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi, wishes me to pass on his deepest regrets for my cousin's actions. While we have always respected your clans and have had good relations in the past my father was a close friend to your father and mother. As a good friend of both your father and mother and has asked me to give you this," Hinata said as she took out a small book and offered it to the blonde, "I know he spent a lot of time putting it together but it's full of pictures of your parents from when they were young up until the night they passed."
Naruto couldn't have been more stunned if he was told Kurama had been turned into a chibi and decided to come live with him rather than remain a giant fox demon! As he accepted the bound volume and opened it. He had never seen a picture of his parents, well, other than his father's face on the Hokage monument. Now he held something worth more than all the money in the world to an orphan. Pictures of his parents were before him, them as children, as genin, young adults, and at other moments in their life were laid out before him. It tore his heart into pieces as he softly touched the pages, afraid if they might vanish under his touch. Tears began to pool in his eyes as he slowly closed the book to protect it from his tears as he did his best to hold back the tide of emotion.
Uzume could feel the emotional storm within her Ashikabi and gently rested her hand over his, offering him her emotional support. While she did not like the Hyuga girl for her part in her Ashikabi's pain to bring such a treasure to his destined one made Uzume grateful for the actions of the pale eyed clan.
Hinata smiled softly despite the obvious comfort the brunette was offering the blonde young man, "I want you to know my clan takes this matter with great seriousness. The Uzumaki and Namikaze clans were always honorable in their actions and we can do no less than offer our deepest apologizes for the actions of a single member. We as a clan hope you won't hold his transgressions against us all and to have strong relations in the future should you return to the village."
The shy Hyuga girl finished her statements softly. She hoped they could convince the blonde to return even if they were never able to return to their previous relationship. He truly did brighten the day no matter where he was.
Naruto took a moment to compose himself, the book resting in his lap, "Hinata, please pass on my utter gratitude to Hiashi. I know this could not have been easy for him to make and it means more to me than all the wealth of the world. Also know that I hold no ill will toward your clan for Neji's actions. I can only assume he felt he was protecting you in some way and we often do not act with the most common sense when it comes to protecting loved ones. I accept the apology of the Hyuga clan and hope to continue good relations in the future."
The contingent from Konoha smiled slightly at that taking his words to mean that he was willing to return to Konoha. Tsunade smiled at the gesture by the Hyuga, even she had not expected Hiashi to take such an extreme step but she was actually grateful to the stoic man. As she gestured for Konohamaru to speak Naruto coughed politely.
"Ko, I know you're probably going to offer something because Kurenai was involved given the genjutsu she cast. I assume you're claiming her as part of the Sarutobi clan," Naruto said as he smiled at the young man as he nodded, "But you forget little brother, even if we're not bound by blood, we're still family. Your grandfather was mine and your Uncle was mine. Your family has watched over me since before I could remember, there are no debts between us. Family fights sometimes and I won't have my family coming here with an apology when one was never needed to begin with."
Tsunade couldn't have been more proud at her godson's words. He truly carried the will of fire within him and it was Konoha's loss that he could never be Hokage. The heartfelt words made even Miya smile at her blonde tenant. It was obvious how much he cared for the young man and to dismiss the acts of family as just that, acts of family, spoke volumes of his love and character.
"Big brother… thank you," Konohamaru said with tears shining in his eyes, "I know if grandpa was alive he would be proud to call us both his grandsons."
Naruto smiled and nodded as Uzume gently squeezed his hand and offered him a light kiss on the cheek, much to the blush at the public display by the pale eyed Hyuga, and the slight grin of the other females.
Tsunade took a deep breath as she realized they had already taken up nearly two hours of the landlady's time, "I'm glad we were able to get through the formal apologies smoothly. If you don't mind Miya, I think it would be best if Shizune, Hinata, and Konohamaru returned to the hotel while Hana and I remain to discuss the marriage offer?"
Miya nodded her acceptance of the two Konoha shinobi remaining behind to discuss the rather delicate matter. Konohamaru obviously had wanted to remain to catch up with Naruto but with a promise that the two would get a chance to spend time together later he offered his brother quick fist bump before following Shizune and Hinata out the door.
Hinata for her part had been more than a bit upset internally at the offer by the Inuzuke clan. She knew her own clan did not see Neji's actions as wrong beyond the letter of the law and it was only her father's prior relationship with Minato and Kushina that had pushed the matter to the level of seriousness they had expressed. However as much as she wished to remain and attempt to influence the possible outcome of the meeting Hinata knew, at least for the moment, she had to act the part of the Hyuga clan representative. Tomorrow she could be herself and express her feelings.
Konohamaru likewise wanted to remain behind to spend time with his big brother but was promised a personal tour by Uzume and Naruto later that afternoon followed by dinner so he happily accepted that instead.
Once the other Konoha shinobi had left Hana let out a breath, "Phew, glad their gone! We can relax now right? I mean, no offense, but all the high level diplomacy and political stuff really isn't my style," Hana said with a laugh.
Uzume burst out laughing, "I'm so glad someone else feels that way! I'm not sure how much longer I could keep my mouth shut!"
Hana grinned at the other girl as Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose as she realized how alike the two of them were and a sense of dread began to fill her, "Ok, I get it, none of you like political games. But yeah, since it's just us I don't see a reason to continue acting all proper. I don't suppose you would mind letting us have a bit of Sake would you Miya?"
Miya smiled sweetly at the blonde Hokage before responding, "I'm sorry Lady Tsunade but alcoholic beverages such as that are strictly prohibited here at Maison Izumo."
Uzume coughed slightly before muttering, "Unless your Kazehana…"
Tsunade sighed again expecting the answer, "Very well, ugh, ok. So, what's really up with the marriage offer Hana? I know the Inuzuka feel pretty much dishonored as a whole by what that idiot brother of yours did but even I wasn't expecting them go that far."
Hana chuckled before nervously rubbing the back of her head, "Basically mom saw that Naruto here already has one girl he's obviously crazy about but according to tradition each clan is supposed to remain separate so if he came back to Konoha he'd need a second wife right? Or, I guess, a wife for each clan. Anyway, like you said, she takes this really seriously and knowing what a precarious position Naruto and his bloodlines are in wanted to find a way to offer protection whether it was in Konoha or if he decided to stay here.
"When we discussed it we knew the civilian rep's on the council would immediately start pushing for some random civilian girl to marry blondie and try to take over the clan. This was the best way to ensure that didn't happen and make sure there were no ill feelings between our clans in the future. All in all, the marriage offer was the best solution she could find without stepping on too many toes."
"Huh, that's pretty smart. Tsume always surprises me, she may not come across as the most cunning shinobi but she's probably spot on with this," Tsunade said as she considered it.
"But doesn't that remove your ability to choose a husband for yourself? And if Kiba was removed a clan heir then who would take over the clan? It doesn't seem fair to me," Naruto asked.
Hana smiled brightly, "Honestly, I've never been interested in any of the guys back home. Most of them think being an Inuzuka girl means you want an alpha male and do everything possible to show off. Hell, some of them think if they beat us in a fight we'll swoon for'em. Pretty dumb actually. Truth is we want the same things as every other girl and trust me, ending up with a guy like you would be far from the worst option for a clan heir like me. As far as being clan heir, honestly, I have no interested in leading the clan and was planning to leave it to Kiba once he was mature enough. My mom and I talked about it though and a cousin would simply take over. He's a good guy, strong leader, nothing amazing but would be stable for the clan. Likely if Kiba doesn't get himself castrated his kids will be in line for clan head after that.
"And, I guess on a more personal side of things, I've always had a bit of an adventurous side. Living outside the elemental nations would just be exciting!" she said with a wild grin and gleam to her eyes. Naruto had forgotten Hana was close friends with Anko, and now it made sense why. Uzume could definitely grow to like this girl while Naruto was still trying to catch up on everything she'd just said.
Uzume kept glancing between the shinobi trying to follow the conversation as best she could, "Um, sorry for not understanding entirely, but why is it so important that Naruto return to your village? I mean, I get the whole 'bloodline' thing being important but would you guys usually make such a fuss to get someone back?"
Tsunade considered the question, particularly since she hadn't really had a chance to go over it all with Uzume the night before. Trying to explain her plan and all it entailed had taken up most of their time.
"It's about political power along with fighting techniques, correct?" Miya said, speaking for the first time during the meeting, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Tsunade nodded, "Yes, Naruto is a War Hero from where we come from. Any village in the elemental nations would jump at the chance to have him reestablish his clans there. It would bring a lot of doubt on Konoha's ability to complete missions and concern about how they treat their hero's if Naruto was to go elsewhere. Not to mention the massive amount of knowledge and powerful techniques his clans have access too. As a military village the potential losses would be huge, both economic and military."
Hana nodded, her mother and she having already having this discussion, "And, if we're being completely honest, the idea of a three clan alliance between the Uzumaki, Namikaze, and Inuzuka hadn't failed to cross my mother's mind. Our skills would complement each other very well with Inuzuka raw power, Namikaze speed, and Uzumaki fuinjutsu and planning. We could easily be recognized alongside the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akamichi clans in a few generations for our teamwork."
Naruto nodded, his mind having caught up from processing all of the information, "True, but I think we've gotten off topic. What if I want to remain here Hana, would you really be happy staying somewhere like Shinto Teito?"
Hana hmmmed to herself for a moment as she laid back, her eyes staring at the ceiling as her arms fell behind her to carry the weight of her body, unconsciously pushing her modest bust into a more prominent view, before responding, "That is always a potential reality and one I am willing to accept, if not happy too. I'd be sad to never return to Konoha but as I said I'm a thrill seeker. Being able to explore the world outside the elemental nations would be a blast! And I would hope you'd let any children we have be given the option to go back and settle in Konoha."
Naruto nodded in understanding, "Honestly, I hadn't thought about that. I guess most of my planning was revolving around getting my legs working again and then finding a place for Uzume and I to settle down. But now that you mention it, traveling the world does sound like a lot of fun."
Hana nodded before looking at Uzume curiously, "Uh, by the way, not that I don't appreciate it but I've been surprised at your lack of response to all of this? I mean, I figured you'd be up in arms about Naruto having a potential second wife?" she asked curiously.
Uzume shrugged, "I guess you could say the thought he might win-uh-get a second girl was something I expected as a possibility. In my culture it's not unheard of, although it is a bit uncommon. I just didn't expect it to be from this situation."
Hana raised an eyebrow at the slight slip before mentally shrugging it off, figuring the girl would explain later. She was entitled to her secrets, they had only just met after all.
Naruto sighed as he rubbing his head trying to figure out what to do, "Ok, let me ask this first. What do you want Hana? I mean, I don't want to insult the Inuzuka, I know how much this means to them, but if you won't be happy I won't force anything on you. Political ramifications be damned!"
Naruto's eyes burned with an inner passion. He always hated when others were forced into situations not of their own choosing. To him, it was wrong in every sense and he would never allow a girl as nice as Hana to be forced into a marriage just for the sake of political gain.
Hana blushed slightly at his forwardness and smiled, "I'm ok with it. I mean, I won't profess some unsung love or anything since I don't know you that well yet, but I feel confident to say I'd be happy. As I said, I don't find any of the guys in the village or in my clan interesting at all. Even with the situation being what it is I don't mind the idea of being married to you. You're very kind, you'd support me in my interests, and wouldn't expect me to be some kind of housewife. All-in-all it would be a much better situation than possibly being stuck with some Hyuga or a stuck up noble."
Naruto nodded as Miya frowned at the idea of a young woman giving up her chance to find love so easily, "Excuse me, but don't you want the chance to find your destined one? I mean no offense but this seems rather… cold."
Hana shook her head as Tsunade responded, "I know to someone not used to out customs this may seem a bit barbaric in nature, but I assure you this was very common up until my grandfather started the shinobi village system maybe 80 years ago. Even today close alliances are maintained through intermarriage between clans.
"A good example is the Yamanaka, Akamichi, and Nara clans from our village. Each clan is heavily intertwined through marriage and continue to marry regularly. While it's not well known there is actually a clause in their alliance that requires at least one marriage per generation to keep the blood ties close. I admit, it doesn't happen nearly as often anymore but for a more traditional and conservative clan such as the Inuzuka it would make sense."
Miya continued to frown but decided to stay out of it. These weren't her people and despite her internal moral compass telling her it was wrong she also understood that Hana was being given a choice and that it was not her place to judge them. After all many would find the idea of an Ashikabi winging multiple Sekirei to be barbaric let alone some of the things that went with the bond.
Naruto sighed, "Ok then, so what are the consequences if we don't go along with the marriage?"
Hana grinned, "Probably not much since it's my clan. If you were dealing with the Hyuga or Uchiha you'd be stuck with a whole shit storm of political garbage since they'd take it as a snub. My mom wouldn't and most of my clan probably would be fine with it but they'd still be slightly miffed."
Uzume frowned slightly as she considered everything. She wasn't against a second woman in Naruto's life. Sure she enjoyed having him all to herself but being a Sekirei she knew there was always a chance that he may wing another of her kind. This wasn't very different to that but there were quite a few benefits from the sounds of it to accepting. Well, that and this Hana girl was rather adorable and seemed like she'd be a fun drinking partner.
"Naruto, maybe you should accept? I mean, if Hana doesn't mind staying here, I wouldn't mind," she told her Ashikabi who raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"I get the feeling I just had the decision taken out of my hands," he said with a chuckle while Hana grinned at her fellow brunette and Tsunade let out a loud laugh.
"I do think you should know that right now I don't intend to return to Konoha. Would you need to return to gather anything if I were to accept?" Naruto asked.
Hana gave him a smile for his consideration, "I'd send a message to let mom know you'd accepted and if you were not coming back. I brought anything of real importance with me except my ninken. She'd likely come with a few clan representatives for the wedding and bring my ninken back with me along with any clothing or personal items she thinks I should have. Now that I know the way the journey would likely take less time but it would still be a couple months to set up the wedding and figure out who was coming. In all honesty, it would probably be a small group."
Naruto nodded before looking Uzume in the eye and searching their bond to figure out how she really felt. He saw the slight nod by his Sekirei before he received a big smile and he grinned back, "Ok then, I guess I'll be accepting the contract if you're sure you want to go through with it Hana."
Hana nodded as Uzume gave her a quick grin, "Sooooo Hana, wanna get drunk together?" she asked as she leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table to support herself.
Hana blinked once. Twice. And upon the third time grinned back, "Sounds like fun to me. Anko, Kurenai, and I would go out all the time together after all. I get the feeling this is the start a beautiful relationship."
Miya sighed as she foresaw some very drunk adventures by the female shinobi and Sekirei. And here Uzume had finally started maturing.