When Kurenai received word from Asuma that Hiashi wanted to talk, she didn't know what to expect. The man handed her custody of his daughter after audibly dismissing the girl as a failure in front of them both. He showed a hint of a soft side back during the joint attack by the Sand and the Sound, but that could've been because of Hinata's performance in battle despite being wounded. Then Hinata aided and abetted high treason with illicit coitus on top, which was absolutely indefensible.

Hiashi, to her surprise, sat by an empty tempura stand far from his clan's compound. "Kurenai," he greeted without turning to look at her.

She sat down next to him and raised an eyebrow at the bags under his deactivating eyes. "Why did you ask to merger here, Hiashi?"

"Merger?"

"You know, join together and hang out; though I guess this is barely one of those things."

He put a palm over his entire face. It wasn't at her strange slang but their entire situation. Far too much was happening and would happen soon. There was no saving or protecting his daughter from any of it. When she came to him practically threatening two unthinkable possibilities, he picked the lesser of the two occurring.

Kurenai looked at him for a few seconds to gauge what he was reacting to before burying her face in both her hands, elbows on the stand counter. She wasn't sure what to do either. Her team may as well have not existed at that point. Whether or not it would've felt better if it happened under her command than by freak chance was something she pondered. It was horrible.

"Do you know why I left Hinata in your care?" Hiashi put the hand down on the counter and looked directly at her.

She set them down too. "Not a clue, and I've been wondering why since."

"Because I have no idea how to guide her," he admitted. "She was my firstborn, and I nearly lost her so young to those Cloud filth. Then I lost her mother, who gave the world Hanabi as a parting gift." He closed his eyes. "I did not know how to nurture and protect her as anything but a father. Even then, I could not if she was going to become clan head. Hanabi knew nothing else, expected nothing else, and rose to the station I could not bring Hinata to."

"Thought I could do better."

Hiashi nodded. "You are a woman, and I, in spite all the years I have lived, still cannot understand your ways. Even now, I do not understand what she saw in Naruto Uzumaki."

"...He was there to protect her when no one else was." She glanced to the side, pondering how to put it. "He made exceptions for her and only her, listened when she cried out, and likely told her things he'd never tell anyone else. Sure, he's the strongest of her generation, but there's no one else like him who gives her special treatment." She almost laughed. "That's why he can say obscene things, look at other girls, and do what he did and not lose her love. He is the...man she loves most in this world as a result." Her eyes did not look away from his. "Even more than you."

"I know she has her grievances, and I hope she shares them with me one day or does not allow them to poison her." His stoic face bore a frown. "If she is even allowed to live that long." Groaning, he looked down at the stand counter. "It is a painful thing to feel so proud and so displeased."

"She was so quiet and always stuttering, but then she became a shinobi and told me Naruto acknowledged her." Kurenai smiled at the memory. "I knew there was someone she admired. I just didn't know who until their orientation day. That little bit of encouragement was all she needed for motivation, and I helped nourish it." Her smile shifted upside-down. "Perhaps too much. Maybe if I put my foot down after the preliminaries or you were in my place, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"On the contrary, I would have likely done the same: he drew out Hinata's best, his promise was great, and the Gentle Fist's reputation was besmirched in front of so much nobility. Tying him to the clan would save face as well as add his power to ours."

Kurenai hummed. "So, how is she?"

"...I let her leave the village with Anko Mitarashi."

"Anko?" She blinked. "You let her leave?" Her mouth gaped. "With her?"

Hiashi looked her dead in the eye again. "You're familiar with Mitarashi?" He nearly raised an eyebrow when she looked away.

"When she came back, I thought your clan wanted her head on a plate."

"Her restitution was hardly popular with anyone, and tensions died down after we realized there was nothing to be gained." He focused back on the counter. "She was the only one that could raise Hinata out of bed and could confide in." His eyes closed. "...I did not know what to do."

"Well… If it's any conciliation, Anko is powerful and knows Orochimaru best." She joined him in looking down at nothing. "I'm not sure if letting her go is any better than holding her until her execution either."

Both of them kept silent. They said their piece. Neither could truly blame the other and they blamed themselves. As much as they wished it wasn't, their daughter's actions were of her own accord. Everything fell into her hands, and she chose love above all else, even if it may have cost her that. It was her deepest desire, same as her lover.

Five days. That was how long Hinata had gone without rest, proper nutrition, and hydration. It was pain and discomfort beyond anything she ever experienced. A little after the third day, she began falling into unconsciousness: microsleeping. Sometimes she sputtered gibberish or nonsense. Despite her blindness, she saw things that weren't there as well as heard them.

Anko smiled when she went limp once more. "Bad girl." She licked her lips and clapped her hands.

Several seconds later, another Anko stepped into the room with a bucket of icy water. "I love this so much."

"Same." She stepped back, careful to not be in splashing distance. The snakes, realizing their master's intent, slithered off their captive. "Now."

Hinata moved the moment she felt the cold water crash over her skin, deliberately missing the metal forehead protector. The memory of what it meant was shocked into her fading mind, figuratively and literally. Like a blind rat, she skittered straight into a wall. It wasn't enough to knock her back into unconsciousness, though that wouldn't have saved her anyway, but it kept her from moving. Excruciating agony engulfed her. Perfectly channeled lightning carried by the impurities in the lake water danced along her nerves to create pain without doing any real damage.

"Did I say you could sleep!?" Anko cackled, giving her time to at least catch a breath, before throwing another subdued spark at her. "Does it hurt!?" The girl's unconstrained convulsions were like an exotic dance to her. "Come on, you little slut!"

While it was all a blur to Hinata, it was the absolute worst. Regular shocks were less painful yet still painful. She could not escape nor endure. Nothing was in her control, and there was nothing she could do to take any back, as her oh so loving companion ensured. Her arms and legs were bound by serpents with one coiling around her body before she even knew it. That realization broke her into tears.

"Oooh." Shuddering, Anko licked her lips at her crying.

"P-P-Please stop!" She sobbed. "I-I-I'll do anything!"

She leaned her head over her shoulder and brushed her lips by her ear. "Anything?" Her tone was more than suggestive.

Hinata stiffened. "P-P-Please don't! I… I want to be only N-Naruto's!"

"But you said you'd do anything." She pouted. "Did you lie to me?" Sparks audibly flew off her fingers inches away from her skin, making her bawl.

"I-I'll be yours!"

Anko backed off, cheeks a vibrant pink. "W-Would…" She shook her head free of embarrassment. "Would you kill your little sister?"

"H-Hanabi?!" The snake coiling around her licked at her shoulder blade. "Y-Yes!"

"Kurenai?"

"…Y-Yes."

"The Inuzuka kid?"

"Yes!"

Holding back laughter, Anko grinned. "Try not to sound too excited now! What about Hiashi?"

"Y-Y-Yes!"

"And me?" She covered her mouth before the girl physically agonized over the question.

It was an impossibility: her chakra was depleted, she was physically exhausted, her mind was a mess, and Anko was a jonin. She already beat her by keeping her in that predicament to begin with. To say no would be disobedience and to say yes would risk angering her. Neither was the right choice.

Anko cooed as she wailed in despair. "I never knew I meant so much to you!" Her eyes narrowed. "What about Naruto?"

Hinata went limp. "...K-Kill me. Please, kill me!" She struggled against her living bindings. "Kill me! Kill me! I'm begging you!" Realizing her one way out, she opened her mouth as wide as she could.

"Easy!" Anko shoved her fingers between her teeth, not that they had the strength required to bite through anything at that point "We still need y–" She blushed at her tongue eagerly licking her fingers as if apologizing. "Fucking hell…" Caressing her scalp with her other hand, she shushed her. "I could never make you do that, and we still need the both of you, alright?" She took her repeated licking as understanding. "We're done now; you did good, so you can sleep as long as you want." Her fingers were unsurprisingly wet when she took them out.

A wide, joyous smile spread across Hinata's face as the snakes slithered off of her. "I… I can sleep?" More tears soaked into the fabric of Naruto's forehead protector. "Thank you!" Relieved laughs left her lips. "...Thank you." She fell limp seconds after into sweet blackness.

Shaking her head, Anko dispelled her shadow clones. The influx of experiences nearly knocked her unconscious but she hung on. It was nothing compared to the girl's experience nor her own all those years ago. Really, she was feeling quite a rush from it all. Years passed since she got to properly torture someone, much less someone of Hinata's 'quality,' and it was reminding her why she did such awful things: she enjoyed them.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" She went to the bathroom, filled the tub with warm water, stripped down, and undid her hair band. She trekked back to Hinata and picked her up. When she laid in the bath, she did so with her after adding her makeshift blindfold to the pile of clothes. "Ibiki likes to think he's a sick fuck, but no one in the T&I would ever do something even close to this." She gently scrubbed her body with her hands. Holding her close, she held her chin, as if appraising her. "I wonder how long you'll look this innocent."

One step remained.

Naruto didn't know whether to feel irritated or better. They were on their way back to The Land of Rice through hills and mountains. He and Orochimaru were transformed into orange-haired travelers to compliment their new addition. Said addition did not absorb the flesh of the fallen, preferring to stay in his child form. A debatably cute Little Jugo in rags was latched to his chest. It almost made him stop his fire chakra training, almost.

"How the hell does your body work?" Naruto shook his head at a shrug before turning to Orochimaru, who also shrugged. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Body Modification Jutsu work through normal chakra and are limited to that. Jugo has never once experienced what it's like to not have natural energies mixed with his physical and mental. He will probably never gain true mental stability because of it: his body itself is unstable. How does a cup maintain balance when it's constantly filled with rushing water?"

Little Jugo nuzzled Naruto's chest. "Something keeps it in place."

"It's figurative, but I suppose it works in this case."

Naruto looked down at him. "So you made your own jutsu?" He clucked his tongue at another shrug. "You just do it naturally, huh."

"If one where a true sage, it may be possible they can mimic him." Orochimaru hummed. "I can only come to conclusions based on what I can observe: Jugo absorbs natural energy in passing and can manipulate his body to an unprecedented degree, one beyond even my ability." A murmur in his throat went unheard. "While it's indisputable his sage chakra helps, I do not know if his body modification is a result of it because I have never encountered a true sage."

"How do you become one?"

The question was unanswered. All they heard were Naruto's odd breathing and their own footsteps before they came across some large tavern spot on the mountainside with a sign saying they had a hot spring. Several Cloud ninja were there, not that they cared. Most of the people there were civilians or travelers.

Jugo whined at his carrier trying to remove him. "No," he spat like the child he resembled.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto turned his head up to the sky and finally blew a stream of fire into the air. "Keep acting like a brat, and you'll know what that feels like." Jugo shaking made him wince. "Sorry." He patted the top of his head bringing his shaking to a stop. "Really, I am."

A dark-skinned shinobi flickered in their way alongside a few others of varying skin tones. "Who are y–" He twitched at them carrying on forward, as if they didn't exist. "Hey!" His eyes narrowed at the red still splattered on Jugo. "What the..."

Naruto stopped, driving Orochimaru to; blinked, and tilted his head. "Why are you brown?" It was an innocent question. When he encountered Kidomaru, he assumed he was just a freak of nature, and he was too busy brooding on their journey to Orochimaru's northern hideout to really pay attention to other passerby.

"This is The Land of Li–" The Cloud ninja dropped into a stance alongside the rest. "You're a foreign ninja."

"Figured that out all by yourself, genius?"

He twitched as some of his comrades laughed. "You're coming wi–" With a hand swipe, they all froze.

Losing his transformation, Naruto, bloody and almost naked, turned to the watching and horrified civilians. "Absorb those Cloud assholes." He looked down at the 'child.' "Now, Jugo." The weight dropping from his chest was a relief.

The shinobi twitched as their upper halves slid off their lower, like two unevenly stacked blocks. "Wha–"

"What are the hand signs and method for the Fireball Jutsu?"

"Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, and tiger; take a deep breath and infuse the air in your lungs with fire chakra before breathing out," Orochimaru elaborated. "You can blow it like a continuous flame or out all at once in a concentrated ball."

Naruto muttered the seals to himself as he went through the sequence several times. "Alright." He took a deep breath, went through the hand signs, infused the air in his lungs with fire chakra, and stepped toward the tavern.

Jugo, back to his normal age and completely naked, walked in front of him and held out his arms to cover the innocent as much as he could. "No one else needs to die." His reddish-orange eyes bore neither judgment, anger, nor disgust but understanding.

With a grimace, Naruto spat a huge uneven ball of blazing fire over the mountainside. "Let's wash off, get some clothes, and leave."

"I was beginning to feel really dirty." Jugo followed after him, paying the civilians no mind.

Orochimaru just sat down. It wasn't like they were in any hurry. Even if more Cloud ninja showed up, they wouldn't be anything the three of them couldn't handle. He needed some time alone to think too. Naruto bonding with Jugo wasn't his intention, but it was now something he needed to account for. The attention he would receive for taking one of the jinchuriki under his care meant facilities outside The Land of Rice would have a harder time staying undetected. Jugo was too valuable a specimen to lose, and he wanted to see how well Naruto compared to Kimimaro.

The unlikely duo went straight to the hot springs. Naruto, having some strange subconscious desire to constantly establish his dominance, went to the female section. What few inside that didn't immediately run when they saw their bloody, naked forms protested, so he breathed fire into the air to let them know what would happen if they tried to forcefully vacate them. Jugo tagged along much like the child he literally was minutes ago. When they were done, they stole whatever suitable clothing they could find, none of them orange to Naruto's disgust, before leaving with Orochimaru.

A middle-aged man stared at one of them in complete disbelief when he could. "That's…" He retired from his life as a Cloud chunin years ago, but it was impossible for him forget the looks of a man who faced their two most powerful shinobi ever at the same time on multiple occasions. "The…" Six shinobi, all of them years older than the boy, were dead in an instant. "Yellow Flash."

"Brown girls have brown tits and pussies instead of pink." A look of genuine wonder on his face, Naruto locked eyes with Jugo. "Isn't that weird?"

Their journey continued and was unlikely to end soon. Orochimaru had many hideouts composing his 'Hidden Sound Village.' All manner of secrets, oddities, and test subjects were hidden in them. In all likelihood, the Leaf would begin scouting the lesser countries for them soon if they weren't already. The Land of Rice was his base of operation for a reason: when ninja went rogue, they went there. Infiltrating a major village filled with ninja was one thing, and running about a land filled with rogues all wary of their respective villages was another. A civilian populace that developed a natural hatred of strangers due to the banditry made it perfect. Going undercover in The Land of Rice was near impossible. If a newcomer presenting themselves as a rogue ninja wasn't on any of the bingo books, they were dead. Jonin that could walk around without fear would signal to all neighboring villages something was afoot. The Rice Daimyo owing much of his prosperous reign to his assistance was only the cherry on top.

Guy, Lee, and Tenten immediately began training once all recovered. What didn't quite surprise them was Kiba Inuzuka showing up and prostrating himself alongside his dog to join them. Lee and Guy embraced him In tears without a second thought, which made Tenten shake her head even though she approved. They set them both up with weights and gave both a few training exercises, one of them modified for dogs, to perform.

Exhausted, Kiba lay in the grass with an equally exhausted Akamaru on his chest. "I still don't get…how this is supposed to help me…open the first two gates."

"Pain and exhaustion are technically all in your brain," Guy, zooming to his side, said. "Your body naturally produces pleasurable chemicals to offset pain and exhaustion, which causes things like Runner's High, but the Gate of Opening and the Gate of Healing, other than allowing you to use 20% more of your chakra, cause your brain to stop registering either." He patted his weighted legs, making the boy groan. "Going any further risks great damage but also gives great power."

"Not sure...it's worth it."

He frowned and sneaked a glance at a practicing Lee. "...Neither am I. Although, a shinobi's life is nothing but sacrifice. The Eight Inner Gates are much like our lives: significant improvements before we dim out, shining our brightest."

"Still…" Kiba shot him a look while Akamaru whined. "'Just try not to feel exhausted?'"

"You are literally turning off parts of your brain: I cannot describe it to you in a way that would help, and there's a reason why unlocking any of the Gates is a difficult task."

The man and dog duo took a moment to catch their breath. "…I don't know if this will be enough."

"No one ever does, but it's better than doing and having nothing." He sat down next to him. "I've never caught up to my Eternal Rival Kakashi. Even when he stopped training, I couldn't reach him. That doesn't mean pursuing him is meaningless." He patted his head. "Some things aren't meant to be reached or are closer than you ever realize. Don't take setbacks or losses too personally."

"Speed and strength." Kiba reminisced about his first real fight after the academy. "Skill: precision, timing, and instincts." He hummed as he pet Akamaru. "Maybe I'm after the wrong thing."

"Without physical ability to back skill, there's not much you can do if your opponent is leagues stronger and faster than you. Weight classes exist for a reason. That's not to say skill can't overcome either though."

"Power is something you become… What the hell did he mean by that?"

Guy stood and posed with a thumbs up. "Training of course!"

Kiba would've rolled his eyes if he had the energy. "No…" Drifting off, his face scrunched. "Well, yeah. I don't think that's what he meant though."

There were many different interpretations of power. While not quite strength, it was associated with the term. Chakra, jutsu, and kekkei genkai helped muddle the meaning among shinobi. Most ninja rightfully associated it with the ability to kill, but the highest position among them were reserved for more than the likes of Kakashi or Guy, who were debatably deadlier than their current Hokage. Few realized even that was challenged by the likes of Danzo. It was indescribable.

After sleeping for only Anko knew how long, Hinata woke up in a haze to find herself laying on top of her in a sleeping bag, both of them naked. She was terrified but doing anything could've provoked hostilities. Like a child waking up from a night terror, she was shushed and held until her shaking stopped. Anko even fed her like one with zenzai and cinnamon rolls, her favorite foods, from an open pack nearby. Sweet nothings and compliments replaced her insults and taunts. Instead of shocks, caresses massaged her body. She was even carried to the bathroom when she needed to go. Bliss replaced agony.

"It's weird, right?" Anko's tone was the exact opposite of her usual harsh. "Like how you felt after sex?" She giggled at her blushing nod. "You're going to be feeling like this for a while."

Hinata buried her pink face in her collar. "...I don't understand."

She patted the top of her head. "You don't need to." Her free arm swept over the small of her back. "Just relax."

"I...already am."

"Then I guess we can talk." She nuzzled the side of her head. "What's on your mind?"

"Your questions… Do you really want me to kill them?"

Anko put her lips by her ear. "It was just a test, and you passed."

"I really don't understand."

"Like I said, you don't need to." She gently pulled her into a hug. "You were a good girl." Resting her head by her shoulder, she pouted. "I'm kind of jealous of you."

"...Why?"

She, knowing there wasn't a good chance she'd ever tell anyone, shrugged. "Because you had sex with Naruto." She didn't react to Hinata's questioning look. "I know doing that would've been awful, but that boy was so wrapped around my finger a part of me wanted to just so I could see how happy he'd be afterward." Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "But sex doesn't make men stay, as you probably figured out for yourself."

"I… I thought it would make him."

"Sex before commitment never works." She frowned. "I'm sorry."

"I wanted to anyway." Hinata whined. "He never had eyes for me as a woman." She smiled. "But he did when I stripped down so he could finally see."

Anko almost glanced down. "Yeah, that was a shock for me too: you're bigger than I was at your age and Kurenai." Her looking up made her look down with a questioning hum.

"How… Why…" She drifted off, not quite sure what she was asking.

"Well… Let's just say Asuma and Kurenai didn't used to be an official thing." She giggled at her reddening face. "And when I came back, he was still off doing his best impression of a woman by trying to piss off daddy, so we were both feeling lonely." Tilting her head, she blinked. "She was mad at me, like everyone else, but that kind of helped."

Hinata murmured. "Oh…"

She stared for a second before squinting. "Don't flatter yourself, princess. A little skinship never hurt anyone, much less between girls." Her hold tightened a little, adding a bit more security to her comfort. "You're Naruto's, remember? I'm going to wrap you up and give you to him."

"...So I can bring him back."

"Exactly." Anko grimaced. "To paraphrase a piece of shit who is sometimes right about the worst things, 'we need ninja, not broody little bitches.'" She caressed her apologetically. "You weren't of use to anyone the way you were."

"Is this… anbu initiation?" She flinched at her bursting into laughter.

"Anbu?!" She put her lips to her ear again. "This is just between us."

Hinata nodded. "I won't tell anyone."

"Good girl." It wasn't like that choice was possible for her to make anymore, but it was better if she thought she still had any control. "People are going to have a lot of questions for us when we come back, so I'm going to tell you what to say: we trained taijutsu because I've felt off physically, cried over Naruto, and talked each other down from doing stupid shit like running after him." She pet her nodding head. "Don't change or add anything." She hummed. "You know how to keep your chakra from fluctuating when you lie, right?"

"I...think I can."

"Surprised it's not second nature for you as a Hyuga, but I guess you never had a reason to; what about changing your chakra signature?"

"That's possible?"

She nodded. "It takes a great level of chakra control and some practice but yeah. Orochimaru and I can do it. To get close to Naruto, you'll need to learn how."

"...So we can infiltrate The Hidden Sound Village." Hinata perked up. "How are we going to get him out?"

"You'll know when you need to." She pet her down. "Just relax for now." Easing her hold, she caressed her navel. "Let me take care of you."

"Thank you…Anko."

"Anko-sensei," she corrected.

"Sorry, Anko-sensei… Thank you, Anko-sensei."

They would stay like that for three days. Hinata's pleasurable haze gradually faded, but she didn't find her treatment uncomfortable after. If anything, it felt more soothing. Anko leaving to use the bathroom for anything other than their joined baths almost made her pout. She was somewhat sad when it was all over yet felt excited for what was to come.

Anko, hair still undone and putting on her coat, raised an eyebrow when Hinata zipped up her jacket. "That doesn't suit you anymore."

"What should I wear then?" She began tying her forehead protector around her neck.

"Maybe something a little form-fitting." She raised a hand to her cheek when as she finished. "You do want to look good for him, right?"

Blushing, she clenched the forehead protector hidden in her pocket. "I just don't want anyone else looking at me."

"You gave me the perfect idea!" Anko reached for her hair band, froze, and took her hand back. "Don't I look better like this?" She turned to her. "A bit wild, but I'm still me, right?"

"You're beautiful, Anko-sensei." Even if she didn't mean it, Hinata lacked the will to speak against her.

It was her turn to blush. "Y-You too." One missing detail about it all nearly made her slap herself upside the head. "I've got a gift you have to keep." She pricked her thumb on one of her deliberately sharpened incisors, went though a sequence of hand seals, and slammed her palm down to summon a golden-black striped snake. "This little guy is now your responsibility."

"Is that..a banded krait?"

"Yeah, they're a bit shy so let it lick you first." She nearly did the same to her lips when she jumped.

"R-R-Right!" Hinata practically tip-toed to the serpent as to not startle it before holding out a shaking hand. "H-Hello."

It waved out its tongue against her quivering flesh for several seconds. Having some degree of familiarity and already knowing its summoner's intention, it slithered on the ground toward her foot. She had no time to react before it climbed up her bare leg through the sleeve opening, licking all the while. Her shaking did nothing to deter it from the hem of her pants. It transitioned seamlessly from her skin to her undershirt. Like a living necklace, it coiled its neck around hers and rested its head on her collar.

Anko clapped her hands at its performance. "There we go!" She put a hand to her chin. "The sweater hides that little guy and your tits now." Her continued shaking only made her grin. "Calm down."

Just as the words left her lips, her terror gradually dissipated. "R-Right… Right."

"Before we leave, I need you to check if you really can stop your chakra from flickering when you lie."

Hinata activated her Byakugan. "I am Tsumiki Yamato of the Hidden Stone." She hummed at the brief wavering. "Seafood is my favorite." The lack of any waver made her eyes deactivate. "I can."

She grabbed her pack. "Then let's go."

"Yes, Anko-sensei." Hinata put her own over her shoulders before following.

She was tamed.

AN: Still too early to say if I really am back, but I am back...for now.

Funny thing about wars is small things can set them off but it takes time to start. There's some things I want to do before then and during it. More I have to do, really. You can probably guess.

We've hit Chapter 50! Did not think I'd last this long, to tell you the truth. Thank you for staying with me.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.