Congratulations to supporters, because this is officially a story.
"Madam, your car is here."
"Thank you, Aoba."
Yukinoshita Yukine. An influential politician, a prominent figure of authority, a stern wife and a dangerous foe to her rivals.
Born into a family where gold runs faster than water, she is raised in money. Though wealth and money may be her most notorious possessions, they come only next to her own strict and relentless personality. When she fights with her opponents above the table, she does so without mercy. She will not hesitate to expose her opponent's smallest flaw, ripping it wide open, before putting in more force into her onslaught.
Men, women; regardless of their positions in the world of politics, have fallen victim to her ruthless attacks. For this reason, she is hated, respected and feared in both the hearts and minds of people. They call her Chiba's Doberman because, without the slightest hint of doubt, her bite is way worse than her bark.
Still, she is a woman and a woman knows when and how to be one.
The media, a place where she often finds herself swimming around in, is one of her most favorite medium to manipulate. The average Japanese citizen spends more than half of their life dependent on technology, and the central hub where thousands, hundreds of thousands of people swarm into, is none other than the media. Live television, radio broadcasts, internet news, even the good old fashioned paper… if you hold onto these, you've successfully ruled the city.
This is also what makes Yukinoshita Yukine more terrifying in the eyes of her foes.
If she feels like it, she won't hesitate to use every single one of her assets to put them down.
Stepping into the sleek black, lightly armored limousine with the help of her chauffer, Yukine's driver – a middle aged man who has been driving her ever since she's a young teenager – tips his hat to offer his mistress a silent greeting. Naturally, his greeting goes un-responded, but not ignored. Yukine values loyalty and honor. Break those two then you are in a world of pain that no super computers on earth could even measure.
Her cold blue eyes are reflected upon the surface of her chauffer's shades. Aoba has been her assistant for more than six years. She has earned her trust and that is no exaggeration. Yukine may value loyalty and honor, but trust is a whole different thing.
"Madam, we will proceed immediately to the next meeting with the Diet members. After that, you will be doing your speech in front of a live broadcast in the prefectural government building." Her assistant reads off her schedule from the clipboard that she always has with her. "You have no scheduled events until evening, but it's advisable to prepare for an emergency meeting with the board members."
Lifting her head slightly, she opens her mouth to reply, "What of my husband, what will he be doing until evening?" her voice is as cold as her demeanor, but very composed, as to be expected from a woman of her caliber.
"Danna-sama is currently on a meeting the CEO of a foreign shipping company." Her assistant's reply does not miss a single beat. "He will be occupied until night."
The both of them being working individuals who are keen on expanding their business, she understands that her husband is as busy as her, if not more. Her husband is one of Chiba's prefectural diet members and he is also the CEO of their company. That raises the question of what her position in her family' business is. She considers herself to be her husband's aide, she is his wife after all, and a proper wife must always aid and be next to her husband in all circumstances. Yukinoshita Yukine attends the meetings that her husband could not. She makes the decisions that her husband could not. She says the words that her husband could not.
She does what her husband could never do.
Sometimes, some things require the touch of a woman in order for it to work and that is her job.
To make those things work.
Yukine knows her image. She knows how her rivals and enemies portray her; as a cold hearted, micromanaging bitch. She could only care less of what they think of her. If they see her as a cold hearted woman, then so be it. Sometimes, you need to be cold to solidify your ambitions.
"And also, Madam," Yukine turns her head slightly over to the direction of her secretary, "Haruno-ojousama will arrive at the airport at approximately four pm later. She asked for you to be there when they pick her up."
Raising an eyebrow, surprise colors Yukine's eyes. "Haruno did? Whatever for?"
In her stoic and professional demeanor, the secretary shakes her head, but she also manages to come off as sincere despite the lack of any on her visible expression. "Unknown, Madam. She simply requested for you to come when we pick her up. If you are worried about your schedule, not to worry, I have made it clear to make your schedule clear around that time."
Nodding her head, Yukine understands. "Alright. I will come."
"Understood, Madam."
Shifting her head to the original direction she's staring at, the faithful wife dozes off, one of the rare things that anyone have seen her do. She is constantly busy with a lot of things going on in her head. At moments like these, only now she can find some time to rest. She tries not to think of anything, but if there is anything that comes to mind, it's her youngest daughter. Yukino.
Yukino is a very difficult child. Even more difficult than Haruno. She knows that her relationship with her youngest daughter may not be the best relationship that a parent and child could have, but she truly loves her youngest daughter with all her heart. She, just like any mothers out there, simply wants the best for Yukino. When Yukino said that she wants to live apart from the family's main home, she felt a little bit upset, but she understands her daughter.
But she also knows that she cannot let this go on forever. She will make her daughter see the fault of her ways. The things she chooses to ignore.
Both as a mother and a woman.
"Ne, ne, but isn't it, like, totally annoying?"
"Yeah, yeah! He's, like, persistent to boot too… oh hey, Naruto-kun! Where are you going?"
Managing a small smile, he gives the girls a small wave. "I'm going to eat lunch." He lifts the plastic bag containing bread and chocolate milk that he bought from the school's canteen. "You two eating lunch too? See you later, then." He pauses. "And stay safe."
Leaving behind two swooning girls, Naruto turns left into a hallway. Looks like telling them to 'stay safe' is the right decision after all. They seem to like it.
He learned that using the right and appropriate words when talking to people might just be the key in having better conversations with other people. For example, girls like it when you show concern, but not too much, to them. He searched through several sources; overhearing his classmates' conversations, online sources (these are not reliable from what he's heard), and Shizuka. He's concluded that by showing concern, a way of trying to relate to people, he's managed to up his presence by a lot.
So, people like it when he tries to relate to them.
Smiling to himself, he enters to room with the uncharacteristic yet refreshing smile plastered on his face. It's nothing big, but nothing small either. It suits him.
And of course, it's caught the attention of one Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Naruto-kun?"
Pulling out his chair, sitting on it, he then turns to the black haired girl to address her call. "Yes, Yukino-san?"
Blinking, Yukino lets his words repeat inside her head. Yukino-san? He's calling her by her first name? Feeling that her cheeks are starting to heat up, she vehemently shakes her head to get rid of the sensation, something rather odd being seen from her.
"I-It's nothing." Stuttering? Why is she stuttering? Recomposing herself, she maintains her usual façade. "It seems that you are in… a slightly chipper mood. Might I ask why?"
She swears that his smile expands by half an inch. "I think that I've gotten the hang of socializing with people."
Yukino does not know why, but seeing him smile, it makes her smile a little bit too. Just a little bit though.
"Oh, it seems that we have made progress far faster than I had initially predicted." Her tone is light, playful, even if she is immersed in her book. "Are you that eager to leave this club, Naruto-kun?"
He notes the playful teasing in her voice, but still, he cannot help to ask, "…does that means we're not going to talk again if I leave this club?"
"Huh?"
Yukino realizes that she's uttered the word outright. Mentally scolding herself, she takes her eyes off her books, expression troubled. "N-No, what I was trying to say is that the progress you've made on your own is fast, and I haven't even helped you with anything major."
"Oh." The blonde hums, his blue eyes expressing how thoughtful he is. "But we can still talk like this even if I were to leave, right?"
"Yes, of course." Yukino answers in almost an instant. "I do not see anything wrong with that."
The first thing she notices about Naruto is that there are slight… changes about him. His register is no longer as formal as it was before and she has to say, it suits someone like him. He lacks the reserved tone that he has with him the other day, but when he speaks, he still sounds strangely stoic and flat. He could still use some more work on trying to convey emotion, but the smiling, smirk and occasional blinking he does do wonders.
"But do try to be mindful of your surroundings, Naruto-kun. People might take it the wrong way if you're seen talking to me outside of club activities."
"Hm?" the blonde lets out a confused hum. "Why is that?"
Taking her eyes off her book, Yukino begins elaborating. "People tend to misunderstand each other. I've said it to you before yesterday but that misunderstanding can turn into something sinister when it is fueled with inferiority, leading into jealousy." She says informatively.
"Are you saying that…" Naruto's face contorts to confusion laced with cluelessness. "People will get jealous if they see me talking to you?"
Nodding, Yukino then says. "It also works vice versa." Yes, she is sure of that. Even, no, especially in her classroom, where the majority of the students are females, the topic of conversation amongst them will somehow have the blonde in it.
"I…" the blonde struggles to think, his eyes flickering back and forth from the ceiling and floor, before it finally settles to his shoes, "…don't understand."
Yukino does not say anything about that. She is perfectly aware of why the blonde is talked about so very much within the school. It's not every year that Soubu receives a foreign student and even if they are to receive one, she doubts that the student will understand Japanese as well as Naruto does. And there is also that rumor about him arriving with bloodied bandages on his person during the first time he got here, also the fact that he does well in his academics and him having a military background.
Speaking of military backgrounds, Yukino did a little bit of research about it to sate her curiosities.
Naruto has said to her that he was born in the United States, but he spent most of his early childhood years in the Middle East. Though she only did so much research about it, the United States does not allow people to enlist within the military if they are younger than 17 years of age, so it would be unlikely for Naruto be affiliated with the U.S armed forces. She researched about military forces in the Middle East and they also, more or less, have the same age requirement. It doesn't add up, but she doesn't feel like Naruto's lying to her when he confirmed his backgrounds to her. The topic itself, while interesting, is of no immense importance to her, so she will put it on hold.
Naruto sees the black haired girl sighing. Looks like she's thinking of something serious. By the way, as they were speaking, he's finished his bread and milk. He likes having a light lunch, because eating too much during lunch will make him sluggish. This is remedied by eating a full meal during dinner. Speaking of dinner, he really need to start cooking his own meals… he might have money, but eating out all the time doesn't seem very smart, financially speaking.
Shoving in the plastic wrap and milk carton into the plastic bag, he looks at the clock hanged on the wall inside the room. It's almost time for class.
"Well, I guess I'll take my leave, Yukino-san." Naruto stands from his seat, carrying the plastic bag. "It's almost time for class, so you should too."
From her seat, Yukino closes her book, nodding. "Indeed."
"Hey, come on Hayato, just today? Please…?"
"I can't do it today, I'm off to go to club meeting."
"Can't you just skip it for today? They got this special promo on ice cream that I really want to try out today…"
"Sorry Yumiko, but, the meeting we'll be discussing some very important things…"
That is pretty much how Hayato's group conversation goes.
Naruto grows to realize how importance social hierarchy is in school. Using Hayato as an example, he is something what girls would call a one hundred percent guy. He's blessed with good looks, charismatic personality, wealth from what he's heard about his family and some more. It gets him thinking, what if an ordinary person seeks to become as popular as Hayama Hayato? Do they even have a chance? Or is it impossible? How popular you are in school determines the people you'll find yourself talking too…
…at least that's what he thought during his first year at high school.
It seems that Shizuka omitted the fact that Yukino is one of the most famous students in school. He just found out about it when he passed through the third year's section of the school. Yukino is the most honored student in school, her scores rank the highest amongst the second years. And if the third years are talking about you with such respect, there is no way that you are not famous. So, is him being in a club together with such a high-spec girl something that could be considered lucky?
He'll buy that. Luck has always played an important role in his life, after all.
During his stay in the rebel militia base at an early point on his life, they would always force the kids – him included – to do minesweeping. Minesweeping is pretty much an easy way to get you killed next to being used as target practice by the militia. They'd force children to walk through military bases' territory, testing out the fields for mines. He'd seen body parts of six year olds being flung into the air from a mine explosion and it's not something that he will forget any time soon, if not ever.
One time, he was unfortunate enough to be the one in charge of minesweeping.
Though it was obvious that the place was a minefield, they still sent him out there to test the fields. However, due to some sick sense of humor from the Devil, or was it God's mysterious grace, he survived. He made it to the other side without triggering any of the explosives. The militia, from that point onwards, made him their favorite minesweeper, but not after sacrificing the life of… twenty or so war orphans.
Yeah… luck.
"Heh."
He shouldn't be laughing at a memory like that, he knows, but the more he thinks about it, the more unbelievable that experience is. Not dying where others die. Was it truly luck?
"Hey, haven't you heard? There's this new business that sprouts out of nowhere that deals with corporate and private security."
"Eh? What's this again, Itou? You're such a geek when it comes to these kinds of things…"
"No, no, hear me out! See, they're a foreign business and it seems that they're trying to expand their market in Japan."
Naruto, who is about to lift his bag in order to go attend club activities, finds himself sitting on his chair again.
"So, what's the deal with this private security business?"
"Well, private security company usually provides armed security services, usually for important private clients and all that."
"And? What does this got to do with you getting all giddy?"
"I don't know man, but, isn't it kind'a unnecessary for them to set up a branch here? I mean, Japan's a peaceful place…"
"Yeah, but you said that only important people use them, right? Maybe they're eager to entertain customers from those types only."
"Hmm… you have a point."
A sense of foreboding envelops Naruto's mind. The ex-mercenary feels that he might have just applied too much pressure on his grip on the edge of his table. Maybe he is just overthinking things? But with the call that he has received the other day, he cannot help but come to such conclusions. He needs to search into this matter soon… or he could just ignore it and let things unravel itself on its own.
Either way, something tells him that Japan will not be as peaceful as it did one year ago.
Standing up, he finally sets out to his club.
But he is interrupted.
"Uh, hey, Naruto?"
A female voice, one that he is familiar with, calls out to him. With his bag slung on his shoulder, he tilts his head so that he can see and confirm the identity of his caller. It's Yumiko. She and her gang, and Yui who is there too for some reason, are all looking at him. Hayama waves at him, showing Naruto his trademarked smile.
"We're about to go and grab some ice cream, Hayato can't though, since he has a club meeting. Wanna come?" Yumiko asks, her green eyes fixed to his blue orbs.
Shaking his head lightly, the blonde makes an apologetic look. Yumiko is slightly surprised, she rarely sees this kind of look from him. "Sorry, Miura-san, but I have club activities as well. Maybe next time?" he offers.
Shrugging, Yumiko answers, "Alright. See you then."
"A-Ano…!" everyone turns their attention to Yui, whose face flushes a light shade of red from all the attention she is receiving. "Eh… I think that I won't come too, Yumiko… I… eh… kinda want to…" and the rest is nothing but incoherent mutterings.
Yumiko is slightly frustrated at her pink haired friend. She knows of Yui's crush at the blonde foreigner, it's no secret within their circle, except maybe to Tobe because, well, he's Tobe. She's observed how their interactions went and it's very frustrating. Yui is too shy to do anything to Naruto and Naruto is… he's too Naruto to do anything. Sighing, Yumiko sends Yui a look.
"Alright, fine. But you're making it up to me tomorrow."
Yui's face brightens immediately; she envelops the taller girl in a huge hug. "Thank you so much Yumiko! Thank you so much!"
Feeling her overall body being crushed by the pressure of Yui's hug. Seriously, how can a girl this… well, she's not small, but she's still short… anyway, how can a girl like Yui have so much strength like this?
"Alright, alright! Yui!" she taps her pink haired friend on the back, voice strained because she's getting the air choked out of her. "Y-You're choking me!"
"Uwawawa! Sorry Yumiko!"
The rest laughs, seeing the interactions between the two. After finally freed from the hug, Yumiko leans in closer to Yui. "You better go now, Yui. He's getting away." Yumiko whispers quietly, so that only the two of them could hear what she's saying.
"Wha-?! R-Right!"
The group watches as their pink haired classmate leave the room hurriedly, eager to catch a certain whisker faced blonde. Of course, only Yumiko and the only other girl in the group know about the last part. Yumiko watches the doorframe where Yui's form has disappeared into with a small smile on her face. Yui has always been supportive about her feelings towards Hayato, so it's only natural that she should do the same thing to Yui's.
"Go get'im tiger."
"Uh… Naruto… isn't that Yukinon over there?"
Naruto looks up to see what the pink haired girl beside him is seeing. Indeed, it is Yukino. But what makes it worth noting is the fact that she's peeking inside the club room like a shady individual would do. But that's the problem; Yukino – being the club leader of the Service Club which occupies the room that she's currently peeking into – has no reason to act shady in the first place. She, technically, owns the room; so why is she peeking inside as if she's trying to see what she's not supposed to see.
Walking up towards the suspicious-like black haired girl, Naruto and Yui finally calls out to her.
"Yukino-san, what are you doing?"
Startled, as suggested by the small flinch she does, Yukino turns around and sighs in relief. She motions for the two to come closer to take a look with her. "There's a suspicious person inside the room, Yuigahama-san, Naruto-kun." She makes some space so that the two newcomers could peek inside and see what she is talking about.
The two take a peek inside the room and are greeted by a sight that they will not forget.
There are papers scattered everywhere on the room, but mostly the floors. But what takes the cake is the person standing near the windows, a trench coat wearing, chubby individual with hair dyed the same color metal. Naruto muses over the fact that this person is wearing a trench coat, despite it not being cold outside, but what amuses him is the hair. Why would anyone dye their hair the same color as old people's hair?
Somewhere in Eastern Europe, a certain masked man sneezes.
The identity of the trench coat wearing individual still remains a mystery, because neither of the three is making the effort of approaching the person. Naruto, after several minutes of musing, finally slides open the door, alerting the grey haired boy of their presence. In a manner of style that Naruto is not used to seeing, the trench coat garbed and bespectacled boy flaps his coat grandiosely, it's obvious that he is aiming for flair.
"I ask of thee." The boy starts speaking, his voice serious. "Art thou a member of this club?"
Naruto blinks several times. He turns to Yukino and Yui and he sees them hiding behind the door, wary of the boy. Naruto turns his attention to the chubbier boy, finally answering his question.
But his sly personality takes over.
[Yes, I am a member of this club. Who might you be?]
There are many things that he has learned from being a foreigner who lives in Japan, one of the most common and obvious one is that folks here do not expect you to know Japanese. His master also mentioned something about it sometimes in the past, and how much of a blessing it would be if you act like a stupid, ignorant gaijin when the situation calls for it. And right now, the situation is just perfect. The look on the trench coat wearing boy's face shifts from serious bravado into something that goes along the lines of nervousness and paranoia. Gone is the confident, grandiose pose that he's struck, replaced by a fidgeting and averting of eyes.
To make things even uncomfortable for the glasses boy, he was not speaking in English. English is a common language that most Japanese people know, but Russian? The same cannot be said, unfortunately.
"Eh… uh… e-eto…" the boy fidgets around, sweating profusely from the pores of his skin. "Uh… aii donu spiik ingirisu…"
Yeah, definitely worth the tease.
Shaking his head, while holding back a chuckle, Naruto smiles. "Sorry, I can understand Japanese." He sees the boy visibly relaxes once he's speaking in Zaimokuza's native tongue. "May I ask what are you doing here?" He looks around. "And are these your papers scattered around the room?"
Zaimokuza might be relaxed knowing that Naruto could in fact speak Japanese, but being the loner and unsociable person he is, he cannot help but feel nervous when talking to Naruto. "I-Indeed, those are mine papers! A-Ahem." The glasses wearing boy coughs to his gloved fists. "Is this not the service club?"
Naruto nods. "Yes, this is the service club." He pauses. "Are you here for a request?"
"Umu! You are correct!" and the grand way of speaking returns. "I am here for a request and… eh…" momentarily, the fidgeting returns. "A-Are those two girls hiding behind the door members too? W-Why are they hiding?"
Should he tell him the truth? Naruto's aware that he might just hurt the guy, but he sees no point in lying. "Oh, them? They thought you're someone suspicious." The blonde says in the most nonchalant voice that a person has ever spoken.
"UGH!" Zaimokuza recoils as if he's been shot by a bullet, clutching his chest over where his heart is at with a pained expression his face. He would've toppled to the ground if it isn't for his feet maintaining balance. "S-Such honesty…! Y-You do not hold back do you, my foreign comrade?"
Comrade?
"Uh… speaking of which, who are you?" Naruto asks while bending down to pick up some of the scattered papers. "And are these… yours?"
"Umu! They are indeed mine." Zaimokuza confirms, after having recovered from Naruto's comment. "And to answer your first question, I am the Blade Master General, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru!" he strikes a heroic pose, one that Naruto, Yukino and Yui finds very awkward. "And, as I have said before, I am here for a formal request." He pauses and then he finally looks sheepish. "Uh… can you help me gather the rest of the papers, please?"
After several minutes of paper gathering, rearranging said papers and confirming the person's identity of being a legitimate student of this school; Naruto, Yui and Yukino gathers to listen to what Zaimokuza has to say. None of the three recognize the boy, fortunately, so his sudden presence in the club room is throwing the usual dynamics off the window.
"So… you are Zaikimo… I mean, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru-kun, right?"
"W-What was that slip just now…?" the glasses wearing boy mutters weakly. He coughs, recomposing himself. "I-Indeed… I-I am Zaimokuza Yoshiteru…" for someone who is here to ask for a formal request, he sure doesn't look the part. With all the 'avoiding eye contact' gestures that he's been doing the moment he's talking to Yukino, it's hard to say if this person is the person as the one before.
Yui does not say anything, simply because she does not know who this person is. Something about the boy still unsettles her… maybe it's because of the fact that he's wearing a hundred percent leather trench coat despite it not being cold outside.
Naruto, on the other hand, is occupied with the papers that he's helped gather from before. Yukino too is aware of the papers that were scattered all around the club room earlier and she intends to reprimand the coat wearing boy, but it seems that she will have to hold that off for a second.
"Right." Yukino nods. "So, what is it that you want to request, Zaimokuza-kun?"
Loosening the collar of his shirt, Zaimokuza struggles to speak. He's been eyeing the floor or anywhere else that isn't Yukino's general direction. "U-Uh… I've heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that the residents of this place are obligated to fulfill my wish…" he trails off, voice slowly disappearing into the ether, before eventually mustering up more courage to speak. "U-Uh… is that true?"
Humming, Yukino brushes a strand of hair from her face, answering the boy. "That is somewhat true. We are not here to fulfill your wish as you have falsely claimed, but we will try to help you in any way we can." Her eyes travel towards the stack of papers that are currently being read by the resident blonde. "I assume that whatever it is that you need helping with involve those papers?"
Nodding, Zaimokuza can only do so meekly. "T-That is indeed true…"
Yukino feels a burst of annoyance popping inside of her head. The way this person is avoiding her while talking to her is irritating her. "Please look at me when you are speaking, Zaimokuza-kun, you are being rude."
The grey haired boy lets out a very girlish shriek as his whole form flinch from hearing the scolding tone from the girl. "Eeeek!" he is sweating even more now. "U-Uh…"
"And please do speak properly, I refuse to speak to people who are incompetent in speaking."
"Gaaaah!"
Yukino's words are like whips to Zaimokuza, each letters carrying their own unique and devastating impact. After several seconds of recovering from the onslaught, the bespectacled boy speaks again. "T-Those papers are story drafts f-for a light novel that I am planning to write and… I… wanted insight from people in order to improve what I've… wrote…"
Yukino takes a moment to think. Just an opinion of some story? This should pose no trouble.
But as the black haired girl is about to ask for the draft from the blonde, said blonde hands it over to Zaimokuza wordlessly.
"Naruto…?" Yui asks, staring at the silent blonde.
The blonde himself is quiet. His expression shows nothing, not even contemplation. However, inside his head, thoughts are running like runners on a marathon. He's just read what Zaimokuza has written and has memorized most of the stuffs that he's written. Though his knowledge of such medium is limited, he does not have to know much in order to spot the mistakes, blunders and overall poorly written structures on the paper.
Yui watches as her blonde friend shows no reaction or whatsoever to her calling, it makes the club room's atmosphere tense, almost as if any single movement that Naruto might make is just enough to make the entire room explode. Yukino is more or less feeling the same kind of tension too, but for an entirely different reason. She is able to detect the fact that the blonde is in fact currently thinking, but what she's amazed with is how unreadable his expression is in deep thought. He shows neither intention nor reaction, as if he's contained everything inside his head to prevent any leakage of expression.
After what seems to be five minutes of silence, Naruto finally speaks.
"Zaimokuza…san." The blonde starts.
"Y-Yes?!" squeaks the chubby boy.
"There are two different sets of actions that people would do when they make mistakes." He raises a finger. "One: they think about it long and hard, find ways to make sure that it doesn't happen again and ultimately improving themselves so that they could rise above them." another finger. "Or two: they only learn of their mistakes, think long and hard about it and then labeling it as one of their worst traits."
The words that have come out of Naruto's mouth are perfectly articulated, fluent and precise; with a perfect register to carry out the tone.
"If I tell you what I really think about your paper, which one of the two will you do?"
Zaimokuza finds himself speechless. He is unable to answer the blonde's question, as if the words are getting stuck in his throat. "Uh… I… eh…" only uncertainty lingers in his tone, his head clouded with hesitation. After several seconds of waiting from Naruto's end, Zaimokuza finally answers. "Eh… the first one… I guess?"
The blonde smiles, a small but potent smile.
"Good. Then I will not hold back."
Ten minutes have passed, and it was the most intense ten minutes that both Yui and Yukino has ever experienced in their life.
Zaimokuza is now officially on the ground, pale as death with his soul threatening to escape from his mouth. Naruto has chewed him for ten minutes straight about how bad his writing is. He did not hold back nor did he hesitate to voice what is in his thoughts. Supposedly, it should've been more appropriate if Yukino was the one who delivered the criticism, but she was unable to do anything as she was too busy listening to the words that spewed out of the blonde's mouth like machine gun rounds as they bore metaphorical holes on Zaimokuza's being. She'll be honest, Naruto – when he was chewing out Zaimokuza – reminds her of her mother. And that terrifies her just a little bit. Though there are truths in his words, she's seen the work herself, merciless is one of the adjective appropriate to be used when describing Naruto's critic at Zaimokuza's work.
Yui, unlike Yukino, is taking it in a much different spectrum. She's so used to seeing the blonde in his stoic, listless, sometimes sly and teasing personalities. So seeing him harshly breaking down another person's work and effort right before her very eyes is very… shocking, scary even. She's never seen the boy being so vocal at voicing something, even during class, and she's always looking at him! N-Not that she's implying anything by that, but that but seeing Naruto laying down cold, hard facts about Zaimokuza's… poor output makes her uneasy. Looking at the target of Naruto's onslaught, she cannot help but feel sincere pity for the boy.
"…and that is why I think that your output is not fit to be published any time soon." The ex-PMC concludes his… critic in his trademarked stoic voice. He blinks, just realizing that Zaimokuza is now kneeling on the ground with… eighty percent of his complexion gone. "Zaimokuza-san, are you listening?"
"I-I think that you've done enough, Naruto!" Yui immediately interrupts. Though she's a clue at how bad the boy's work is, no man on earth deserves to be torn apart in such manners.
"Indeed, Naruto-kun." Yukino agrees with Yui, probably with the same reason. "Let me take over from here."
Shrugging, the blonde sits down, he visibly relaxes into his chair.
"Zaimokuza-kun, while what Naruto-kun has said is indeed true, there is still some hope for you."
That got a reaction from the pale boy, though nothing more than a slight twitch.
"Though it still has more ways to go before it could even be considered a proper form of narrative, I do recommend counseling such things with your literature teacher or your languages teacher. They will know what to do and give you better insights." Naruto nods along to that suggestion.
"Y-Yeeees… thank you very muuuuuuch…" the boy is nothing but a husk of his former shell now.
Both girls turn towards Naruto.
"What did I do?"
The nights in Chiba can be rather chilly if you're not used to the cold. Breezy winds are the only things that you'll have to worry about at this time of the year, so it's not strange if you're seen wearing more than a layer of clothing. Longer sleeves, socks, maybe even a muffler for those who are sensitive to the cold…
…but the cold never really bother him.
Walking, he dons a simple red t-shirt with no particular designs of whatsoever. A pair of black cargo pants and his desert tan boots are all he needs to complete the set. His short hair gives him less resistance to the wind, so it's safe to say that he won't have to worry about hair getting all over his eyes. A G-Shock wristwatch is strapped to his left wrist, while an olive paracord bracelet to his right.
It's exactly 1750 hours and in ten minutes, he should reach his destination.
This Kage person… he knows nothing about him, but not vice versa, unfortunately. This Kage person might have records, both official and unofficial, about him dating back to his younger years and involvement in the Middle East and the recent skirmishes he's been participating in in the Slavic region. Those are the least of his worries, in fact, he's not worried at all… he'll just have to hope that his worries won't surface any time soon.
Pushing the door, he enters a small little café at the corner of a street. Upon entering, the scent of coffee immediately invades his senses, causing him to scrunch his face in repulse. He reviews the text message he got from Kage a day ago.
'Schwarzwaldspitze café. Corner table. Sleeping.'
Brief, concise and to the point.
He's inside the café, all he has to do now is to find the corner table and… sleeping?
'Ah.'
Approaching the corner table, now he knows what 'sleeping' means. Sleeping means what it literally means, sleeping. As in, someone sleeping. A person. Yes, a person is currently sleeping, face planted on the table, with a cup of now cold tea on the table in front of him. Naruto hesitates for a moment, contemplating the situation. After a second, he decides to sit down on the opposite sofa seat.
The man in front of him is… not a man. No. In fact, he's around his age… yeah, that's right. The person sleeping with his face planted on the table opposite to him is also a teenager like him. Naruto could sit here and wait for him to wake up, but he's not about to do. So, he tapped the table three times, waking the man up.
"Ugh… guh… huh?" the man, with drool trickling down the corner of his lips, blink sleepily at him. "Urh… so you're here." he yawns, wiping the cracks that have formed around his eyes. "Well, let's start talking shall we, I doubt that you like getting your time wasted as much as I do…"
The… pineapple haired man dressed in grey shirt and windbreaker is exactly as he sounds like at the phone, lazy.
"Oh, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kage." The black haired boy pauses. "But since that you'll be seeing me a lot from now on, you can call me Shikamaru. Nara Shikamaru."
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto looks confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Suppressing a sigh, and failing in doing so, Shikamaru takes a moment to massage his temples. "Look here, blondie. Do you know how famous you are? Or should I say infamous you are?"
Without changing his expression, Naruto motions him to elaborate.
"See here: your reputation precedes you. A lot." Shikamaru pauses, narrow eyes staring at the blonde. "Tell me, have you been hearing anything from your former mentor in the past one year?"
Naruto narrows his eyes. "What does that have to do with our conversation?" the blonde asks, careful to not let his impatience leak out.
"I'm not gonna go and sugarcoat anything." Shikamaru leans in the table, whispering,
"Kakashi is in trouble."
Naruto's eyes widen like saucer plates. Without thinking, he grabs the pineapple haired boy by the collar, pulling their face closer by several inches. Naruto's cold blue eyes bore into Shikamaru's listless but calculative brown orbs. "Explain."
"Then let me go." Despite the position he's in, Shikamaru manages to maintain a calm composure. And Naruto lets go, letting the other boy lean back on his seat. "Sheesh… this was my newest jacket too… anyway, yes, you heard me right Kakashi is in danger." Shikamaru can feel the sheer danger radiating from Naruto. "And you are the only one who can help him."
Naruto does not say anything.
"Seven months ago, he and his team were in charge of protecting and securing a secret facility within the Chechen region. I wasn't able to get the exact location, but it's somewhere where things go bad rather easily. Not much is known about the facility itself, but from all the sources I have and could gather, they all pretty much hints of some sort of military grade hardware or equipment. Now you might be wondering, how can your former master, a man known to be one of the most dangerous people on the planet, be bested and got himself in danger? Well, the answer's simple, he got betrayed."
"Leafcorp…" imagine a tiger growling as it is about to pounce on its prey. The word comes out of Naruto's mouth just like that, it even makes Shikamaru uneasy.
"R-Right, Leafcorp." Coughing, Shikamaru gets the topic back on track. "We do not know why Leafcorp betrayed your former master and his men just like that, as doing so would not only be detrimental to them but dangerous too – knowing what kind of person your former master is – and in addition to that, they'll lose one of their prized and the most respected figure in the organization. But I did a little digging, as it turns out, Leafcorp's been rubbing dirt all over your former master's reputation. Right now, they're telling their other operative that Kakashi was the one who turned against the organization, killed his own men and took whatever's kept inside the facility for himself."
Naruto's blood is boiling. He has never felt so angry in his life.
"Currently, Kakashi's whereabouts are unknown, and we want it to stay that way." Shikamaru notices the subtle changes that are happening to Naruto. The edge of the table that the blonde has been gripping on is almost shattered. "But by now you're probably wondering, who am I? Why am I telling you this? For whom am I working?"
Naruto merely lets his gaze meet the other boy's.
"I… won't lie to you." Shikamaru says grimly. "Me telling you all of this is to bait you into doing what we want you to do for us, in other words, we're somewhat using you, but you figured that out already, right?" chuckling, no humor is intended. "The things that I've told you are all truths and Leafcorp is up to things that me and my people do not like. That brings us to the next and last question."
Instead of speaking, Shikamaru pulls out something from the pocket of his windbreaker, something metallic and polished, gleaming underneath the dim lights of the café. It is a badge… but it's not federal related or police related at all. There is a design carved onto the metal trinket, a design that shows two swords crossing with their tip pointed downwards with a shield over them similarly to what a skull and crossbones would look like on a pirate's flag, five stars above the shield on the upper corner of the badge and a banner design with Latin words that spells out 'SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM' etched into it.
"What am I looking at?"
"I am from Para Bellum." Shikamaru says. "And we… we would like you to help us in exchange for information about Kakashi."
"What is it that you want me to do?"
"We want you to help us stop Leafcorp for good."
Naruto does not speak for a while. "What makes you think that I can't do that myself?"
"What makes you think that we do not know that you are not capable of doing it yourself?" The pineapple haired boy counters without missing a beat. "We know that you're good at what you do. Too good, in fact. I've read your reports myself and I wasn't able to sleep for two whole days after reading half the shit you've done in the Middle East and Eastern Europe." Shikamaru shivers, as if to prove his point.
"But this… this is different now. We're not in the fields out there anymore. We're not in a place where the only ones there are the enemy and us. We're in a place where there are countless of innocent lives, ignorant to what's happening behind the scene. You can't just shoot all your troubles away anymore. You need to play it smart, discreet and sometimes, clean."
Closing his eyes, Naruto recomposes himself. His posture visibly relaxes and he is no longer gripping the hell out of the table anymore. The blonde eyes the boy in front of him, doing so openly. So far, he cannot detect any lie from the boy. But it's obvious that he's not telling him everything.
His master is in danger, but he should not worry… his master is a smart man, he knows what to do in a situation like this. He's his mentor after all and the mentor will always be better than the student. But… Kakashi is still human, there's no telling when his luck, skill and guts will run out. Judging from what Shikamaru has said to him, Kakashi is currently off the radar, which means that Leafcorp is having trouble tracking him down. This can also mean one thing: Leafcorp will come after him too. And he prefers for that to not happen any time soon. He is not left with much of a choice here. Either face this, swinging around blindly in the dark and rely on his battle honed instincts, or work together with an unknown group that could potentially leave him vulnerable and play the role of their dog for a while to get what he wants.
Closing his eyes, Naruto immerses himself in deep thought. After a while, he opens them again.
"Let us set several things straight here, Shikamaru." Naruto begins. And Shikamaru gulps. How can those eyes be so scary? "You and your people do not get to order me around, I choose my missions. Second, should I suspect any suspicious activities from your end, I will immediately set out on a manhunt for your people, starting from you. And third, if you dare to involve the people around me into this mess…"
Shikamaru is pushed back to the cushion of his seat, sweat pouring down his back.
"…let's just say that Leafcorp would be the next thing on my list of 'Things I need to eradicate' with Para Bellum being the first on that list. Can we agree to those terms, Nara Shikamaru-san?"
Nodding sluggishly, the other boy could only utter weakly. "Y-Yes…"
Naruto nods. "Good. I want you to send me details of my first assignment and if I decided to accept it, I will inform you." standing up, he walks out of his seat. Leaving behind several small changes, Naruto then gives Shikamaru one last look. "That's for your drink. Sorry I wasted it."
After saying that, he leaves the café, exiting through the front door. As soon as he's out of the area, Shikamaru takes out his phone, presses a number and brings it close to his ear.
"I talked to him. He was scary as hell… man… yeah, he accepted, but he'll be the one calling the shots. What do you expect me to do? Buy him coffee and convince him with cake? Yeah… yeah… alright… I'll send his first assignment tomorrow." He cuts the line, sighing, "troublesome."
This is going to be a rough week.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Yukinoshita-dono, let us begin with a little bit of introduction shall we?"
Throughout her life, she has met many types of people. Bad people, sly people, violent people, cruel people, selfish people, manipulative people, scheming people and many more… but she has yet to meet someone with genuine goodness. And the person before her is none other than the Branch Director himself. A man who appears to know what he is doing and seasoned from years of experience in his field of work.
"My name is Namikaze Minato, and I govern over Leafcorp's activities in Japan."
A blonde haired man that does not look Japanese at all greets her with a polite, practiced and formal bow. He has a smile fixed to his that reminded Yukine of one of her business partners whom she is close with. "First and foremost, I would like to thank you for attending this meeting… even though there's no one else here with us."
That confirms it. This man reminds her of the Hayama's.
"Your pleasure is shared, Namikaze-dono." Yukine does a small curt bow, fitting the image of a traditional woman like her. She takes a seat on one of the sofa inside the large meeting room. Her assistant, Aoba, is standing by her side like a statue. "I must say, we did not expect your kind to appear in Japan."
Minato lets out a good natured laugh. "Indeed, we get that many times whenever we set up new offices in several other countries. After all, there're only a handful of businesses like us out there." He muses, chuckling lightly. "In any case, I assume that you are aware of Leafcorp's objective and mission?"
"My assistant has provided me with the necessary information regarding your organization, Namikaze-dono, but I have to say, I never have the opportunity to meet many people with the same aim that your company has." In other words, she is not entirely familiar with private-security companies.
"I see, then, let us make this first meeting all the more memorable, shall we?" Minato's smile never leaves his face, his blue eyes radiating with so much warmth that it appears to be practiced. "As the invitation I've sent you said, the reason I called you here is to discuss things that will benefit the both of us. You see, since we are new in the Japanese market, we are not able to expand our influence with the locals yet."
With a clap of his hands, the light in the room dims down, before turning the room completely dark. A projector descends from a panel on the ceiling, turns on and projects an image of men dressed in construction uniforms with harness and all of the necessary equipment to do a large scale project.
"Leafcorp is not so big when it comes to construction, but what we lack in building; we excel in shipping as well as transport. Logistics, basically." The blonde man explains in a pleasing and likeable tone that is fitting of his image. "Currently, our current branch office will not be able to hold all of the necessary storage that we are planning to send here, so we are thinking of having the Yukinoshita Group to build a storage facility for us."
Yukine reacts to his words. "A facility? And isn't it easier to find out that already exists in Japan?" the woman's tone is inquiring, she desires to learn of the reason for such a request. "And might I ask what is it that you are storing? I cannot say that I have a clear idea as I am not completely sure of why would a business that offers private security would require a storage unit… something as big as a facility, I might add?"
Chuckling, Minato nods in understanding. "I understand your curiosity, Yukinoshita-dono, but I am not allowed to share such a sensitive information with outsiders. However, I can at least tell you that the things that we store have gone through multiple legal check-ups, analysis and review from the Japanese government. I can share with you the official papers, if you'd like."
This man does not seem like he's lying, since there is no point in lying about something so big. Nodding, Yukine takes the man's reassurance.
"In addition to the facility, we would like to offer a contract for the Yukinoshita Group." The man says with a firm tone, but it never loses its warmness.
"What kind of contract?" Yukine has no time to drawl and hover around the topic. Offering a contract means that this man will be involving her family's business directly, and it is not something that she should skim over carelessly.
"Leafcorp would be more than happy to handle all of your business's logistics, transport and even shipping needs." Minato starts. "We will also offer some of our manpower, technologies and even non-sensitive data. But I am afraid that I cannot guarantee the best performance, but we are willing to try and help." Then, as an effect, he finally drops the final package. "Leafcorp will cover any expenses that comes from our side, so your business will not have to worry about managing your finances even further."
Yukine does not expect that the conversation would turn out like this. When she arrives here, she expects to meet some half-baked director who has no idea what he is doing, but here she is, sitting down and offered one of the most ridiculously and overwhelmingly generous offers that she has ever received in her entire career. Shock overtakes her features, but with the slight effort of her facial muscle, she is able to hide it.
"This is… this is surprising, Namikaze-dono, I won't lie to you." she isn't lying because she is seriously surprised. "And what do you want in exchange from us?"
"We would like the Yukinoshita Group to be our partner in future projects that require construction or building purposes. That is all, really."
Okay, now she is surprised. "You must be jesting, Namikaze-dono. A mere partnership for all of those offers? We might as well be ripping you off." At least that's more straightforward. "What will you gain from this?"
Minato hums, before pulling out a wireless remote from his shirt's pocket. "Not a lot, admittedly, but it will certainly help us with the tight schedule that we have." The projected image switches to cargo ships carrying a bountiful amount of cargo containers. The containers have Leafcorp's emblem or logo, which is a strange yet simple swirl like design with a triangle sticking out on the left bottom side of the spiral, one end of the spiral is extended into a notch. They say that symmetry in logos signifies how balanced, well organized, structured and communicated a corporate identity could be. Leafcorp's design is anything but symmetrical.
However, from the offer that she has been offered by Minato, she is beginning to think otherwise.
"We are occupied with a lot of things that require our attention, right now, this branch office has existed for the duration of three months and throughout that time period, we have been testing out our waters." The screen switches again, showing corporate titles that Yukine is familiar with. "We have been offering our security and logistic services to these companies and fortunately, we are making good results with them. We have predicted the need to expand and open up more offices as well as facilities in order to cope with future demands, clients and partners. However, as I have said before, construction is not something that Leafcorp is particularly good at."
So far, his reasoning has been reasonable. In order to keep up with the traffic of people, partnerships and clients that will be waiting in the future, Leafcorp would need to open up more offices to handle clients in other parts of Japan. But she has to admit, after only three months of starting and they have gone this far into the prediction stage, what manner of marketing have they done? She is more than impressed at this point. However, she cannot let fascination cloud her way of thinking. After all, this is a little bit suspicious.
The offer that Minato offered her earlier will, let's be honest, only benefit her. She is aware of Leafcorp's multinational and foreign influences on huge countries like Russia, the United States and some parts of the Middle East; so far, they have no significant records of delving their hands into Asian countries. She will have to take Minato's earlier words of 'testing out [their] waters' rather literally. But it is intriguing as to why Leafcorp is not relying on foreign assets to deal with all of its construction needs. While she is aware of how taxing – quite literally – painful, bothersome and risk-inducing it can be to involve assets that are foreign to the country that they currently operating in, it is still much easier to rely on existing resources rather than coming up with the means of finding more assets.
But… now that she thinks about it, it is indeed smarter to involve local businesses as it would benefit Leafcorp in the long run if they are planning to operate in Japan permanently. They might have to spend a lot of money first, but all of their overall cost will be cut from the lack of unnecessary and taxing – again, literally – shipping that they have to be done. Japan's government does impose a rather large sum of money for shipping taxes. After thinking about this, it makes Minato's offer a little bit more reasonable. Being new to the Japanese market, his organization is willing to lose a few things in exchange for all the good things to come. They are willing to work extra, in hopes that they will gain more in the future and they will.
How can she reject such a beneficial proposal?
A good partnership with Leafcorp who, despite being primarily known for being a private security company, deals with shipping, it will open up many opportunities for her family's business. Their business have been relying on Japanese registered freighter ships to deal with shipping and transport, with the recent updates on tax bills and other proposed piece of legislations, more of their expenses end up used to cover shipping and transport. The thing about partnership is that her family's business could use Leafcorp's shipping assets for itself. This offer is starting to tempt her.
"Of course, Yukinoshita-dono, I will not pressure you for an answer immediately." Minato says, bringing Yukine from her thoughts. "I am aware that you need to discuss of such things with your husband as it requires a lot careful thinking." He claps his hands, and on cue, the lights are back on and the projector ascends back to the ceiling, the panel closing. "We will be waiting for your decision whenever you think you are ready." Standing up from his seat, Minato gives a deep and formal bow. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Yukinoshita-dono."
After several exchange of pleasantries and goodbyes, Minato watches as Yukinoshita Yukine's vehicle departs from the basement parking area and into the city. He overlooks the direction where the car has disappeared into with his cerulean blue eyes fixed to the road. The smile never leaves his face, as if it's been personally etched there by God Himself.
Sighing, the blonde Branch Director sits down on the cushioned and leather covered swivel chair behind his desk. He's no longer in the meeting room, instead, he is now in his personal office. The smile fades away from his face, replaced by a look of exhausted and tired expression. The blonde man leans back, the back rest of his chair articulating to allow him to fully lean according to comfort.
He dislikes lying.
Lying, for him, must be done only when it is necessary.
What he said to Yukine was no lie. Leafcorp is more than willing to offer her company those offers in exchange for a partnership.
But what the mouth does not speak, the mouth does not deceive.
He did not lie to Yukine. But not sharing information is not lying.
Ignorance is bliss… but lying is a sin…
"…right, Naruto-kun?"
The blonde haired man swivels his chair to face the window and the dark evening sky and looks up, catching a glimpse of the moon before it is hidden by the clouds. Unlike the moon which is now hidden behind the clouds, his smile returns, finding its place back on his face.
To those who support and wanted to see this becoming a full story, congratulations, because you will be seeing more of this story. To those who does not want to see this become a full story, I am sorry to say, but I am continuing this anyway.
Now, I'll be focusing more on [I'm just an immortal living my life as a youthful teenager]. So, wait for that too.