Chapter 30

The Diplomacy of War

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

― Theodore Roosevelt

Hanzo contemplated on what to do as he read letters of protest or praise over his decision to bring The Queen to the palace.

"I have full right to have my heir and wife here, like any husband", he ranted interrupting the royal court session.

"That may be correct my lord, but she has other husbands, and she is the one with royal lineage, not you", cautioned the nobleman.

Hanzo was about to let his rage unleash on the man, until he heard palace arrival music, indicating a foreign messenger or diplomat had arrived. Four Men wearing hanfu formal attire and each man had a palanquin on their shoulder. The men lowered it, and Suzume stepped out of it.

She wore a hanfu but it was more of a masculine type as there were pants underneath. Her top was white with purple highlights throughout the top, then the outfit cascaded to black on the bottom with purple hems on the side and the bottom. Her face was adorned with light makeup only highlighting her lips and eyes. Finally, her hair was in a half-up, half-down style with a gold bineyo with a purple serpent.

"Your majesty", said Suzume bowing halfway, as she was no longer a citizen of Amekagure, but a diplomat for The Sound Village.

"Seems like Orochimaru likes to give his toys freedom", said Misaki out loud to the court.

Suzume smiled diplomatically at Misaki. "Lady Misaki, I come here as the Head diplomat of The Sound, not as your lady in waiting, I speak to Hanzo as a representative of Orochimaru-sama.", completely ignoring Misaki. Misaki noticed and was about to say something but Suzume spoke. "Do your concubines usually have a say in Government matters between countries", she asked innocently to Hanzo.

Hanzo took a large sigh as dealing with Orochimaru was a delicate matter. "No, but other countries don't usually send women here to represent them", he said sharply. "For obvious reasons"

"Forgive me, my Master, as he tends to buck at tradition", she replied with a slight chuckle. "He tends to favor people who are more knowledgeable and since this is my birth country he felt that I was the best option.", she clarified. She didn't want to tell him that she did in fact protest to send a male, but Orochimaru thought Amekagure's traditions were in his words nonsense. Additionally, the only other person worth sending was her father, but as he was old, it was taking him longer to recover from his imprisonment. He wasn't fit to make the long journey.

All of this, and apparently it was important to "see" her friend. "The key to a healthy adolescent is bonding with those their own age ", his voice rang through her head as she repeated the conversation in her head.

Suzume's head rose and out of her thoughts when a random man protested. "Orochimaru's fledging nation shouldn't even grace our presence, it is just an escape for a rouge-nin, he spits in the face with any relationship we may have to Konoha"

"I disagree", said Hanzo remembering his pact with Danzo. Hanzo knew that Danzo communicated with Orochimaru at some point for an unknown reason. "Orochimaru is part of the Legendary-Sanin, the shinobi that I named after they almost bested me in battle, they may be new, but it does not mean they are weak", his eyes seemed to sparkle at the remembrance of the epic battle, that was retold throughout the land. They created songs about it, it was in textbooks, but it would never capture the adrenaline and rush he felt that day.

Also, Hanzo wasn't stupid. If he didn't make an alliance with Orochimaru, then he would with the Akatsuki, a secondary power that was a thorn in his side. If he didn't make some type of arrangement already. He didn't forget that Itachi and Soraya were there for quite some time for unknown reasons.

Suzume sensed his change in mood and decided to capitalize on it. "I understand your traditions, as this is my birth home, but if it troubles you, when I'm here I have the same authority as Orochimaru, I will sign and/or deny terms with you as Orochimaru is here", she said.

Hanzo exhaled but relaxed. It was better to keep all the important pieces inside his home. And a smirk came across his face. "I understand what a diplomat is", he said taking a drink but he also nodded his head at the idea. It intrigued him. "I hope your stay in Amekagure would make you realize we are not that backwards"

Suzume smiled and bowed. She bowed again, but this time it was lower. "I do have a request, your majesty, as a former noble of your great house", her eyes gave him a flirtatious look. Hanzo seemed to like it and rose slightly in his chair.

"Speak", he waved his hand for her to carry on. "Orochimaru demands that I not be physically harmed or touched by you or any of your guard or military, or it will be seen as an act of war, regardless of any duty I carry"

Hanzo tapped his fingers to his lips in thought. "Understood", he said. "But we will see if you have someone to attend to, as your friend will have her first taste of war soon", he chuckled. Suzume nodded as she already knew what he was referring to. This time she could help Soraya. Nevertheless, The Sound had everything to gain.

Itachi and Kisame sat in front of the head of the Village, Yugara. He was accompanied by Mei, dressed in a Aoi Dai that was intentionally sensual. Parts of it were opaque and left nothing to the imagination. Something that was not usually worn for the first wife of any Kage. Therefore, it was beneath her standing. Nevertheless, Kisame knew exactly what Yugara was doing, he was taunting him. Mei was the Kage's trophy, and not Kisame's.

"Greeting, Lord Yugara", Itachi finally spoke. "We came here to discuss-"

"I know what you came for, Uchiha", the jinchuriki of the Three-Tailed Beast sat back in his throne and put his fingers to lips. "Hanzo has already come here, frankly I think it will give bad precedent to support a political group of another sovereign nation, especially those that undermine our prices for missions"

Itachi nodded at that statement. He could see how economics would play a part in this discussion and was glad that he was allowed to bargain on some points. "The Akatsuki only wish to spread peace and not war, but we take necessary steps to fund that cause", he replied.

"Your peace is meaningless, war will always happen, the best way to obtain peace is through order, and everyone must respect that order", said Yugara looking at his nails.

Itachi knew exactly where this conversation was headed. But remained silent for a moment and contemplated his next words. "Lord Yugara, it was you that conquered these islands, with the help of your notable Harem, some disruptions are necessary to achieve a larger goal"

Yagura seemed to contemplate Itachi's words. "Yes, Konan and The Akatsuki helped make Amekagure a more stable region after The War, even profitable dare I say, it's why I made an agreement with Hanzo", said Yagura. "Specifically", he added.

"That's why we came here", said Kisame. "Specifically", he added "To politely ask for The Mist not to interfere with Amekagure internal affairs", said Kisame in a very elegant manner. Mei gave him a look indicating that she was impressed at this. Itachi was also impressed but didn't show it. Nevertheless, it was probably a warning from Kisame as well.

"You dare speak as a Rouge-Nin of the Mist, Kisame, and come here to mock me with that sword", accused Yugara.

"This sword chose me and I won it against you, funny how this is usually the sword of the Kage", he jeered, tapping the sword on his shoulder.

"I think that duel was draw, was it not, the village couldn't have the two most powerful shinobi be killed in the middle of war, maybe if you had a little bit more diplomacy, and invested in a harem of your own, instead of being monogamous, the Council would have voted in your favor", Yagura smiled as he started to see a rise from Kisame.

"We do not have time for past squabbles, we have things to attend to-

"Yes", Yagura interrupted Itachi. "Your bride is under Hanzo's rule now?", Yagura teased. "The Mist has their ears even in the most secret of villages, like yours". He took a bite of a fruit that he demanded from Mei.

Itachi's eyes darkened at the mention of Soraya. All the feelings of anxiety over her safety and his anger of Yagura being a potential threat to everyone's safety was starting to get to him. His facade briefly left and his Sharingan was ablaze.

" Seems like I hit a trigger, good if I can eliminate the Uchiha nothing will stop me from taking over Amekagure and making it a seat, to further my plans of conquest, now just to make him even more enraged.", he thought to himself with a gleeful wicked smile. "You know Uchiha, you should get that girl of yours bonded, I heard she is a little spicy devil, women like that are prone to rebel, but with that cursed mark they have sworn loyalty to you", he got up from his chair and walked towards Mei. "Take Mei for example" her chest started to go up and down at a heightened pace. "Kneel", he commanded.

Mei's neck started to burn hot as she started to refuse. "You son of a bitch", she gritted out as one hand went to her neck. She started to resist "AHHHHH", she started to scream and went down on her knees. She breathed in deeply to try to slow down her heart rate, as she didn't want to add stress to her growing baby. Meanwhile, a deathly glare of pure hate was sent to Yagura.

"Fiesty Bitch, but it keeps them in their place when necessary", he laughed in her face and returned to Itachi's activated Sharingan. Itachi deactivated them as they were depleting his energy and started to flick the red bracelet on his wrist.

"Hmm, you called her a bitch.", Itachi laughed. "You know back in Konoha when I heard that term, it was usually from the Inuzuka clan, and they meant it as total affection for the ones they loved, and when they mate, they usually mate for life. They are known to be aggressive fighters but when you see them with their mate they are so tender."

"Is there a point to this-"

"Don't interrupt me", said Itachi the intensity in the room started to shift. Yagura still held his insolent aura, but Itachi got his attention. "The Uchiha got the inspiration for their bond mark from them, but unlike the Inuzuka we can force it on a partner against their will, as you did, I saw it time and time again", he further explained.

"Hmm seems like me and the Uchiha have something in common", Yagura chuckled. "Your long-winded speech is tiring"

"I wasn't finished, so please pay attention", said Itachi starting to approach the Kage.

"How dare you-", Yagura's body was frozen and couldn't move. Itachi's eyes glowed red and black as his Sharingan returned.

"I wasn't done with my explanation", he said calmly peering down at Yagura's short frame. Yagura avoided his eyes looking at his chest. "There is always a fail-safe for a forbidden jutsu, especially when it's forced, someone stronger and/or smarter than the caster, can render it useless, through means I don't care to explain to a shit like you, or someone can challenge the caster to win the individual."

Kisame's interest started to peak at the statement.

"Kisame are you just going to stand there gawking or are you going to ask Mei, your Kage, what she wants?", yelled Itachi.

"Get this fucking mark off me, I want Kisame on my own terms", Mei interjected, not letting a man decide her fate.

"How dare you-", Yagura went for an attack, but he made the mistake of looking into Itachi's eyes. Itachi put him in a genjustu to further talk with Mei.

"I have conditions Mei, 1) Akatsuki members are safe in The Mist and are allowed to take refuge here, 2) That The Mist remains neutral to any nefarious affairs against the Akatsuki, 3) I will have ownership of the Three-Tailed Beast, in return,", he paused. "I will aid you when I can in any battle."

"You want the bijuu, that is the only weapon in our arsenal..."

"The Bijuu is a handicap at best, I saw you almost defeat Yagura in his full form, and he is one of the jinchuriki that has full control of his bijuu. But I promise you The Akatsuki will aid you in any way that is necessary" he said. "Especially Kisame", he added under his breath. He knew that his statement was a half-truth at best. The Bijuu were powerful beasts with unimaginable power, however, how the power was used was up to the potential of the chosen jinchuriki.

Mei perched her lips together, she didn't have much of a choice. Getting her seat back as Kage was first priority she would deal with the fallout of this decision; if there even was one. "Fine, do you have any more conditions Uchiha",

"That you be a noble Kage, let The Mist Thrive under your reign, and you anyone that is loyal to Yagura and his terror, that your Harem gives them hell", Mei's face went into a smirk.

"Shall we seal it with a kiss", the filartious remark was an unspoken agreement to the terms. If the Akatsuki were any threat she'd eliminate them.

"Not necessary", he chuckled under his cloak as Kisame gave him a dirty look. "Bro's before hoes" , Masaru's voice rang through his head as he remembered Masaru trying to teach him slang. "An unbreakable vow will do", he held out his hand.

"I see", she grabbed his hand and their chakra swirled around their hands. "You clever boy"

After it was done, his other hand went to her neck. Blue fire illuminated in his hand and he chanted for a brief moment and then it lept on her mark and she screamed out in brief pain and went to her knees. It felt like fire running through her veins and chakra system, but she could feel the removal of any hold that Yagura had. Itachi looked at her neck and all that was left was a burn scar where the mark originally was located.

"Mistress Mei!", one of the concubines below her in rank caught her as she went down. She noticed Yagura's mark was gone on her as well.

She looked around and saw all of the members Of The Mist Harem enter the throne room along with a clone of Itachi's. The clone went away with a puff of smoke. Itachi had a bead of sweat rolling down his eyebrow as breaking the Forbidden Mark took more chakra than he expected.

"He's breaking through my genjutsu" Mei was surprised that Itachi was still standing, the chakra needed for Yagura to be trapped in a genjutsu only for a second was unimaginable. A loud solid wind blasted through the room. Yagura came out of his trance and a reddish-orange chakra surrounded him. His reddish chakra formed three tails. Yagura wasn't fully in his beast mode yet, but even Itachi could feel the full power in the beast inside him.

"Kisame it's up to you know", his voice straining.

" You must allow The Mist to win on their own, or they will rely on The Akatsuki and Amekagure indefinitely ", the warning from Soraya ran through his mind. Even if he wanted to he couldn't help now, he had to save the rest of his energy to trap the bijuu. Hopefully, he drained Yagura's chakra just enough for them to have a slight edge.

"Can't let Kisame have all the fun, this fucker owes me his death as well", a heavy mist appeared and Zabuza's form emerged from the heavy dense fog. "And I will protect my Kage with my life", referring to Mei.

Itachi bent down and placed his hand on Mei's growing belly. He chanted a protection jutsu and a greyish-blue light left his hand. "A gift from Soraya and my mother, she knew that you would want to join in this fight" He pulled her up. "The justsu will protect your child if an enemy targets the fetus, and if you should die, put you in a stasis until the baby is delivered, a jutsu developed by Uchiha women, however, Soraya enhanced it so you can use all of your abilities without harming the fetus"

"Her name is Kasumi", she pushed Itachi out of the way.

"You dare name that bastard child", yelled Yagura finally snapping out of the genjutsu placed by Itachi. A staff appeared in his hand with a green flower, he went for an attack on Itachi but was stopped by Mei.

"Your fight is with me, and The Mist", she said. Acidic mud escaped her lips like bullets and Yagura barely dodged them. A slight hiss was heard as it started melting the ground where his feet lay. "Your tyrannical reign will end"

Kisame came in with massive speed and tried to land a blow on Yagura, but was blocked by his staff. The impact of both weapons caused a massive wind and reverberations were felt throughout the throne room. Zabuza then came in with his giant sword, but Yagura dodged it and returned a blow to Zabuza's forearm. A crack was heard but Zabuza didn't flinch. He spun his sword to his other hand and went for another attack.

Yagura did a backflip and landed on his feet. He then tapped his staff on the ground and water started to emit from the cracks, before hot boiling water exploded from below them. Mei redirected the heated water with her own chakra back to Yagura, so Zabuza and Kisame didn't get severely burned. Mei breathed out hot steam from her mouth towards Yagura. He wasn't able to fully dodge and a large boil formed on his leg. Kisame took the initiative to swing his sentient sword, which Yagura was able to maneuver around.

Yagura screamed in pain and created some distance. In the distance, screams could be heard all over the palace. Mostly from men. A female screamed a war call and the harem rippled a callback. Yagura growled in pure rage. From the sound, he could tell that his guards and followers were losing, and The Harem was not merciful.

"You dare bring bloodshed on your own country", said Yagura. Mei scoffed at him.

"We all know your body count will still be higher", said Mei. "The pain you caused will be felt for generations and I'm putting an end to it". She ran towards him, as soon as she was close a fog appeared. Yagura wasn't able to move. She formed a ball of lava and made contact with him.

Yagura couldn't escape the attack and took the full brunt of the attack. However, in his current form, the usual fatal attack did minimal damage. Before he could recover, Kisame came with multiple slashes with his swords and a water bomb. Zabuza grabbed Mei out of the way before the full brunt of the explosion could be felt, and used his massive sword to slash Yagura across his back.

"Don't kill him", said Itachi "I need him alive"

"Easier said than done kid!", exclaimed Zabuza. Zabuza went after Yagura slash after slash. Yagura's small frame dodged each powerful blow. Mei kicked him from the side and summoned a water chain around his neck.

"Water prison", Kisame yelled. A water bubble formed around Yagura and he was trapped inside. He held his breath but Mei pulled the water chain tighter, making him breathe and suck in the water. Yagura started to choke and gasp for air. He reverted in his full beast mode and wasn't able to break the strong water barrier that he was trapped in. Kisame laughed as he knew the stronger his opponent resisted in this water prison the stronger the barrier became. After 20 minutes of struggle, which Kisame knew was pure torture bubbles of air escaped Yagura's mouth, marking him unconscious.

Itachi waited on the sidelines. Mei, Zabuza and Kisame were breathing heavily, putting their all in the battle, and the screams of men finally settled. He waited a few more minutes to make sure Yagura was severely weakened before walking forward.

"Release him", he demanded. Kisame nodded, he released the jutsu and Yagura fell down on the cold wet ground with a thud. Itachi had his normal black eyes while the fighting commenced as he didn't want to drain all of his chakra. He rolled over Yagura over with his foot and aggressively kicked his stomach. A mixture of water and blood spurted out of Yagura's mouth, and he woke up fully drained.

"Please", he begged. Itachi bent down and his Sharingan became ablaze again.

"Mei, you should assist your harem now", he said. "They now belong to you", he chuckled. "You shouldn't be held responsible for losing the bijuu." He motioned for Zabuza and Kisame to assist her. He already calculated that if they were seen as an aid, they would still be considered rouge-nin, but they could enter The Mist more freely.

Mei nodded but not before giving a big kiss to Kisame, which he returned. "Okay, lovebirds, let's finish the show", said Zabuza in a manner that clarified that he was disgusted with the display of affection.

"Also, do not come in here unless you want to die", Itachi warned.

"I hate men that harm women they are supposed to love and respect", he said. "Women are very complex strong, but delicate beings, they give life, nurture, and the backbone of our species", whispered Itachi. "I'm glad that this is going to be painful for you", the way Itachi verbalized the last statement sent more than a chill through Yagura's spine. Nonetheless, he wouldn't show the fear that ran threw his veins, choosing an act of defiance instead.

Yagura spit blood at Itachi as that was all his body could muster. "Good talk", Itachi said wiping the blood off his face. The ring that would encapsulate the beast that was given to him by Obito was in his pocket. He gripped it, then released and it settled in his pocket. He wouldn't use Obito's gift.

He didn't know what the fake Madara was planning, but collecting bijuu and killing their holders seemed more than ominous. He glanced at his wrist where he wore the red bracelet from Soraya. She added enchanted beads for this exact occasion, finding a jutsu that would entrap the bijuu with both of their chakras. Meaning, they were the only ones who could release it. A secret between them both.

Itachi began chanting, and a mix of his and Soraya's chakra ignited the room. The flowers that were placed among various areas began to die, and the water began to dry in turn into gas. Itachi yelled out in pain as most of his chakra was escaping his body. He bent down and began finishing the seals needed for the entrapment of The Three-tailed beast.

Yagura's mouth opened and an execurating scream came from him. His body began to convulse and wither from side to side. The tough small man was now crying and pleading for help. A dark monstrous light escaped him with three tails and glowing eyes. It growled and snarled at Itachi. He had to dodge a claw and continued chanting. The wind in the room picked up, but Itachi could not close his eyes. He stopped the beast with the Sharingan, it froze in place. The beast and him stared at each other, both trying to overpower each other. Sweat rolled down Itachi's face. This had been his longest battle in a while and he could feel himself growing weak.

Itachi felt a warm light flow through his wrist and it enveloped his body. It felt like a light hug. He knew it was Soraya's chakra and it gave him the extra energy needed to finish the job. He stood up and said the final words. The beast howled and his giant spiritual body started to enter the bracelet. It felt like a burning sensation to Itachi. The beast was soon gone and the kanji for three appeared on one of the beads of the bracelet.

Itachi collapsed on the ground, he took the bracelet off and put it in his pocket, and put Obito's ring on his finger. He stared at the ceiling, his breathing was so labored that he knew that he was going to die.

Suddenly, he felt an oxygen mask on his face, he turned his head in alarm and saw a familiar blonde woman.

"Tsunade", he said through his mask. His lungs filled with the familiar medicine that he was accustomed to for all these years.

"Take your treatment without any fuss", she commanded smiling down at him. "A certain lady said that you may need me, seemed to go out of her way for someone that is currently held prisoner", chuckled Tsunade. "Luckily there is a gambling tournament nearby"

Itachi was still shocked that she was still here. But she couldn't be caught helping him like this. As soon as the thought crossed his mind she took off the mask and quickly packed up. "This wasn't the full treatment, you need to find me in five days, do you understand?", she questioned. Itachi nodded and she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Itachi stood up and found a wall to support his weight. He looked at the ring and clenched the bracelet in his pocket. He put it on the same wrist where the ring was worn.

"I see you carry a sentimental value of that girl", he heard Obito come through the door.

"The mission was a success", reported Itachi to the masked man. Not bothering to answer or elaborate on his comment. Obito smirked behind his mask as Itachi's avoidance told him everything he needed to know.

"I can tell", observed Obito looking around the lifeless room and the dead Kage. He grabbed Itachi's hand with the ring and sensed the three-tailed beast's entrapment. What he didn't know was that he felt it through the bracelet, not the ring. "Good job, cousin", said Obito. "But you might want to hasten your return"

Itachi furrowed his eyebrows. He was in no condition to travel a great distance in haste no matter how much he wanted to, he had to see Tsunade. He was preventing himself from wheezing for appearance's sake, but his lungs were in pain as he could barely breathe. "Why", he asked breathlessly.

"War is upon Amekgaure and Hanzo plans to put Soraya in harm's way", explained Obito. "Against an entire squadron, by herself, well with minimal support to save face", Itachi smiled and began to limp away.

"Soraya is a survivor", retorted Itachi ending the conversation. Naturally, Itachi was worried as he always was when she was in a battle. But that pushed him to train her harder in all areas. "She may surprise us all", he said with finality leaving the throne room.

Author Notes:

I love how Itachi has pure confidence in Soraya. Just a random fact about Kakashi and Itachi in this storyline, they don't want to see another loved one die, so they basically train the Rui's to be stronger than them, and train them harder exactly because they are women. Also, their clan has been purged before. If you go back to the first time Itachi taught Soraya, he did not go easy on her, never does, and she was even training when she was deathly ill.

Anyway, I came up with the idea of The Harem because in canon The Mist is kinda like The Spartans to me, just meant to breed warriors, so it made sense that they would acquire women in such a way that was violent, to breed the best soldiers. And of course, with any powerful group like that, you need something to keep them in check. It wouldn't make sense for a place like The Bloody Mist to value delicate women, but it wouldn't be beneficial either for them to be independent, especially under a tyrannical government.

Next chapter is a fluff chapter. No pain...exactly. Well, it's fluff in Naruto fashion. As fluff as you gonna get it with a motley crew of orphans.