It was the morning, and they were standing in the bodyguard stand. After eating a quick breakfast, it was time for the negotiations. It turned out that the last member from Kumo was Mabui. Both Kage were sitting on either side of the table.
Shikaku and Darui were standing behind their Kage, occasionally whispering into their ears. Others were further back in the stand. Naruto kept stealing glances at B. Naruto knew as a bodyguard, he had an image to protect.
He had to come as calm, collected, and fearless. He couldn't risk his intentions coming out wrong. Naruto tried reaching out to him with his chakra, but B was on defense in his position as a bodyguard and also with an Uchiha in their team who could put them under genjutsu if caught off guard.
Naruto still tried his best to keep at it and but there were no results. Finally, there was a lunch break. Minato and Shikaku looked exhausted. From the looks of it, they would be at it for a few more days. Naruto didn't really care about the details.
He kept an ear out in case there was anything of importance to Danzo, but so far, they were still at basic terms. Naruto gave them both some energy pills made as a collaboration between Tsunade and Orochimaru.
It was supposed to act similar to caffeine but with longer-lasting effects. It was first made for shinobi on sensitive missions or emergencies when they needed to stay awake. After some initial trial and error, they reached the current prototype.
It was still not to their standard, but it helped with drowsiness for 6 hours. They wanted to get it to 8 or hopefully 12 before mass production. Naruto grabbed some of the pills just for such occasions. There was also not enough research on side effects, but it was suitable for short-term use.
The lunch break came to an end, and they all went back to their positions. The rest of the day went just as uneventful. There were a few heated moments from the Raikage, but it never went into any action with mediation from Mifune and others.
Finally, it was time for them to return to their quarters for the day. Shisui and Kakashi decided to go to sleep early since there wasn't anything for them to do. Naruto was on the first shift. He provided Shikaku and Minato with tea and snacks as they went through documents and strategies for the day.
Naruto was still trying to get the attention of B, but the Jinchuuriki was stubborn. Naruto checked on the security seals a few more times and then decided to work on his seals. He was trying to make a chakra recognition seal.
It was similar to a barrier but more complicated. It would allow authorized access to designated areas but, at the same time, keep a record of entry and exit from the site. Naruto was trying to implement it as a system for authorized records rooms.
He was hoping to add it to the village barrier in the future to monitor all shinobi entry and exit from the village, but for now, his goal was small. The problem came from having a physical record. It was hard to have the seal write something.
A seal is not sentient, so in order to have a seal write something, the first thing was to make a concept of the alphabet you wanted to use. For Naruto's case, it would be a variation of times and dates then Naruto had to actually connect all of these to the actual concept of time.
So that the concept of time is the same for seal and the real world, then he had to make formulas for turnings, such as turnings every 60 minutes to 1 hour and zero minutes. Days of the week, month, and every other detail.
Then, of course, there was the part of programming all the symbols for date and time so the seal could write them and, lastly, the actual writing. Naruto still had so much to do that he didn't even want to think about the writing part.
How and where the seal would write, and how to make sure there was enough space to write. All of these details had to be done in such a way that was both energy-efficient and space efficient. Naruto couldn't have the records room seals charged every day or take more space than the actual room.
There were so many challenges to designing it, but Naruto was up to the task. It was a challenge and enjoyable. He could also always ask for his father's help since space and time were his specialties, but for the time being, Naruto was on his own.
Naruto focused back on his work while keeping his senses around in case there was an emergency. Thankfully nothing happened during his watch, and he woke Kakashi. Naruto handed him a cup of steaming tea to help him get through his shift, and he went to bed.
Naruto knew that the reason he kept getting the first shift was that Kakashi and Shisui wanted to be considerate. It was easier to stay awake with the hopes of a long sleep after a whole day of work. It would also mean Naruto would be the least tired in the morning since he got the best sleep.
Kakashi was a veteran, and sleeping in 2 parts didn't really have a toll on him, and Shisui was also an adult with long ANBU experience. Overall they both agreed to have Naruto on first shifts and no matter how much Naruto tried to argue, they didn't accept, so Naruto accepted his faith.
The next few days went much the same. Naruto couldn't find any opportunities to get close to B, and negotiations were ongoing. The only bright side was that they were working through things smoothly, and by the next day, the negotiations would come to a complete agreement.
Naruto was still waiting for his opportunity. He would use a clone to slip out tonight and see if he can do something. Of course, he needed someone to back him up if something went wrong, so he dragged Shisui away after lunch.
"Shisui-nii, I need you to cover for me," Naruto said as they headed to a secluded corner, out of sight and hearing range of others.
A chill went down Shisui's spine. "What?" he whispered and yelled. Naruto frantically looked around to make sure they didn't attract any attention before going on.
"Tone it down, Shisui; I don't want everyone to hear us." Naruto chastised. Shisui gave him an apologetic look.
"Look, there is something important I must do. I have to talk to someone, and I will switch out with a clone. I can't tell you what since if I get caught, I will escape, and I don't want you to get interrogated and lie."
"The clone will be reinforced so it can survive for 48 hours. You just have to make sure it doesn't take too much damage, and I will handle the rest." Naruto said pleadingly.
"No. No. No. Naruto, you can't do things like that. It is too risky. If anyone finds out, you will get charged with treason." Shisui said, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezing.
"Come on, Shisui. You have to trust me. I have to do this." Naruto said. His voice was sad and small.
Shisui stared at him for a few moments before sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine, but if you don't give me an update in less than 24 hours, I will come after you." He said firmly.
"Shisui, come on. I told you the clone will last for two days…." Naruto started.
"No. That's the deal. Take it or leave it." Shisui said.
"Fine," Naruto said.
They headed back to join others before lunchtime ended. Naruto excused himself to the bathroom and summoned his smallest fox. He gave him a note to deliver to B. The fox was going to leave it in front of their door since Naruto didn't want to cause distrust by breaking into their rooms.
Naruto was standing on the roof. The message he sent with his summon was short and straightforward. I only asked B to meet on the roof alone, and it was from Kurama and his host. Naruto also let enough chakra from both of them out to let B sense them if he decided to come.
Naruto knew that he got the message since right after reading it, he started letting attempts of Naruto to reach his chakra to get through. At first, he was on guard and defensive, but after a little he let their chakras interact.
He then cut him out again, and now Naruto was waiting on the roof. Naruto could feel him coming out of their quarters toward the meeting place. No one was following him, which was a good sign, but their chakras were on guard as if waiting to follow at a moment's notice.
Naruto was wearing a simple tight shirt and pants. He wasn't carrying any weapons, and he wanted B to be able to tell. Of course, he had his seals, but he didn't want a fight. B finally got close. He was observing him from nearby.
Finally, he came to the roof Naruto was standing on. He still analyzed Naruto as he got closer. Finally, they were at an acceptable distance. "Yo…." B said.
Naruto didn't feel so good. After a detailed conversation with B, enough for him to allow Naruto to show him his memories, B agreed to get back his memories. It was a complex process for Naruto and took a toll on him.
B only complained of a headache and stayed with Naruto for a bit to make sure he was ok. They talked a bit about the past and recent years and Naruto's plans. They didn't have time to get into details but shared the essential information as much as they could.
Naruto had a privacy seal around them, so they weren't worried about being overheard. Finally, B had to go back, but he gave Naruto a quick hug and told him to be careful. He then went back while Naruto waited a while longer to get better.
His coils were burning, and he was in a lot of pain. He unsealed a poison he got from Orochimaru that rendered the person unable to feel pain. Pain is an integral part of being a shinobi. It could be a massive indicator of being injured when fighting, so it was dangerous not to be able to feel pain.
However, Naruto's body was on fire, and it was getting worse. He had difficulty breathing, and now that B was gone, he didn't have to hide it. He knew that if B was aware, he would stay, but Naruto didn't want him to get into trouble.
With shaky hands, Naruto drew out a dose. He used a special senbon that had a hollow inside to hold poison. Naruto brought the toxin to a vein since it would be the fastest way to take effect. After the injection, he stayed still for a few minutes for the pain to finally die down.
His body still felt too hot, but his nerves weren't shooting in pain. He slowly made his way back to their rooms. It was near the end of the shift for his clone, so Naruto quickly changed places with him and changed his clothes.
Everyone was asleep, which was good. Naruto didn't want to deal with anyone now. He quickly made some tea and snacks for Kakashi and Shisui's shifts and got ready for sleep. Everything went without any problems.
The next day when the treaty was signed. The two Kage had reached a good working deal. It was beneficial for both villages in many aspects. Some of the simple terms were only for trading routes for supplies and passage for shinobi.
There were more complicated clauses that ensured what would happen in specific situations. For example, if the two groups of shinobi came across each other, they should ignore each other. However, if their missions required confrontation, they would act within the parameters of their missions.
There were many clauses for different protocols. But the one that was interesting for Naruto was for the trades. There would be a sale to Kumo for seals within reason, and in return, they would sell them swords and weapons.
Kumo was one of the best when it came to Kenjutsu and the quality of weaponsmiths. However, they never had great seal masters. While they were competent like most other villages, there weren't as versatile as Konoha seal masters.
They weren't nearly as proficient when it came to customizations. They could make seals but not change every detail to their needs. So instead, Naruto provided a complete list of all the seals Konoha was willing to sell with the help of Shikaku.
There were many seals in the list, but primarily for customization reasons. Kumo could also request customized seals when it was acceptable for both parties. In return, they were doing the same for weapons.
Naruto already felt the headache from enforcing so many new rules, but it was beneficial to both sides. Naruto was just happy it was over. He had to inject himself again in the morning since its effects only lasted for 8 hours, and he was still in a lot of pain.
He needed to get back to the village to get the treatment. There was residual chakra stuck in his coils which was burning them. Kurama had to completely cut his chakra back not to further damage them, but for now, Naruto had to make do.
After a formal farewell, they were all on their way.
