A/N: I apologize for the delay in posting. I haven't finished this story yet and I am committed to writing 'Kami's Experiment'. I have quite a bit of this story written, and I will post the rest of it now. I will finish this story; I have just been absorbed in my other writing. Plus, I have four kids, so shit gets crazy. Enjoy!
-Konoha Council Room – One night after the Invasion-
Chouza and Hiashi were missing from the clan heads in the council chamber, but everyone else was there. The mood was dark, and everyone knew that they were not in for a pleasant council meeting. After Fugaku opened up and summarized the invasion while having to repeatedly silence the room, the floor for discussion was opened.
The civilian council representative spoke first. "Hokage-Sama, after this egregious attack, the civilians will support you in any punitive actions you take."
"Thank you for that. Rest assured; we will get our pound of flesh. Suna will fall in time, and we are working toward discovering Oto's whereabouts. The Snake Sanin has much to answer for, and we will get our answers." Fugaku answered with fury in his tone.
"My operatives are already taking measures to disrupt supply lines to Suna. We will starve them out of the desert and take them for all they are worth. The Fire Daimyo has already gotten the Wind Daimyo to renounce Suna. All Kaze no Kuni's mission requests will be directed to us." Danzo informed the council of at least one positive thing.
Shikaku asked, "What of their jinchuriki that participated in the attack? Wouldn't it be dangerous to fight such an individual in the desert?"
"My spies report that the jinchuriki has yet to return to Suna. We believe that he has not even made it through River country. We have teams in place to secure the jinchuriki as well. Once the weapon is neutralized, we will turn it into a weapon of our own." This seemed to be a measure supported by the council as multiple mutterings of approval could be heard.
Internally, Fugaku was grateful that the peace-loving village was now motivated for revenge. He would play on this and use it to his advantage. Sure, the loss of his children was a setback, but without his wife he can claim more women and create more children. "Thank you, Danzo. Council, we will keep you updated on the progress in regard to Oto and Suna."
Inoichi stood up, "Hokage-Sama, did the Kyuubi reform in response to Shukaku? If so, why did it run away and where has it gone?"
Fugaku sighed. "It appears as if the Kyuubi did reform. As to why, nobody knows. It is not an exact science when a biju dies. As to the beast's whereabouts, we are looking into that. I have secured a special team to hunt down the fox and they will notify me when they have any clues on its whereabouts."
Inoichi continued. "Hokage-Sama, the attack on the Hokage tower, have we confirmed who did it or what they took? For the council's benefit, the Hokage tower was attacked by an elite team of ninjas. They neutralized the initial defense and set up barriers around the tower to prevent our entry. They were fairly simple barriers, but it proved to be an effective delay tactic. When the fox appeared, we lost the infiltrators. To date, we have found no clues on their identity."
Mibuki Haruno spoke up in her shrill voice. "What of the Kumo and Ame teams? Could it have been them?"
Shikaku fielded this question. "No, they were accounted for the whole time. Ai, his security detail, and his genin teams provided security for the panic rooms in the stadium. They did a damned good job protecting many important dignitaries. They waited for orders from us and complied without resistance. Ai has promised to send food, water and metal at fair prices to help us rebuild."
"What of the Ame team?" Asked another civilian.
"The Ame team moved into their dignitary's box and defended him. Hanzo vouched for his whole team being there the whole time. Plus, they didn't have enough shinobi present to equal the attack force on the Hokage tower." Homura answered.
"For the time being, we have ruled out Kumo and Ame's involvement. The destruction of the Hokage tower was likely one of Orochimaru's objectives. We can only speculate what the snake was after, but we will be able to ask him before we take his head." Fugaku growled.
Tsume decided to pitch in. "The attack on the clan compounds were fierce. I lost 12 Inuzuka warriors. The Hyuga were hit the hardest and lost Hitomi and Hannabi. Nobody seemed to bother the Aburames or Naras. The Uzumaki and Namikaze compounds were destroyed completely. It was almost as if everything in the compounds were vaporized."
"Who would do such a thing to Lord Fourth's home?" Mibui screeched.
"Settle down councilor Haruno. The reason that we never attempted a forced entry was that Minato was exceptionally skilled at seals. We determined that somebody attempted a forced entry on both compounds and triggered the final defenses. Sadly, we will never know what Minato had locked away in there." Koharu said.
Shikaku seemed to be thinking deeply about something, which caused Fugaku to prompt him to speak. "Well, I was thinking, maybe the infiltrators were after the 4th's jutsu. They hit the Hokage vault to claim anything he left in there and his clan compound."
"While that is likely, Minato never left his jutsu in the Forbidden Scroll or the Hokage vault. We are still working on opening the damaged vault to see if they took anything from it. Until it is open, we will not know what we have lost." Fugaku answered in a monotone, preparing himself for the difficult part of the conversation that was coming. "Finally, I would like to inform the council that Itachi, Mikoto, Sasumi and Shisui Uchiha all perished, along with 18 other Uchiha warriors, during the invasion. It has left the Uchiha ranks at 70-percent, and I would request this council's permission to allow elite male Uchihas to practice polygamy to restore our ranks."
Danzo spoke up, "Fugaku, we are all sorry for your losses, especially from your esteemed family. We will do everything in our power to aid the Uchiha clan in its revenge. I support the approval of the practice of polygamy for Uchiha males above the rank of chunin that show exceptional prowess in the clan arts."
A quick vote was taken, and the measure was approved. Before Fugaku could close the meeting, a civilian spoke up. "Hokage-Sama, is it true the Lady Senju returned to the village?"
"Yes, Tsunade Senju was in the village to bet on the chunin exams. She provided aid in the hospital after the invasion ended. We have since been unable to contact her." Fugaku replied.
"Did that troublesome woman leave again?" Shikaku asked.
Screeches of 'don't say such things about Tsunade-Sama' rang through the chambers before Danzo clicked his cane on the ground.
"I had two Root following her and they have yet to report in. Tsunade is a medical professional and considered it her duty to help the people of this village. If we cannot locate her by tomorrow, we will dispatch teams with orders to return her to the village."
Shikaku muttered, "Troublesome." He then thought, "Good luck with forcing that woman to do anything."
-Uzushiogakore – Four days after the Invasion of Konoha
The big group of runaways, exiles, missing/presumed dead ninjas landed on the docks of Uzushiogakore. Each of them was surprised to see a small town already formed and bustling with life. Kushina told the group how Ai and Kirinji have thrown their full support behind getting Uzushio back on its feet. As she was giving them the tour, she also explained the group's options.
"Okay everyone, let me break down your options for you now that you have seen the island. The Raikage and I will let you choose where you wish to stay. If you stay on Uzushio, your efforts will be used to rebuild the city, bolster defenses, aid in agriculture and would contain sparce shinobi work for the next couple of years. If you do not wish to become a Kumo shinobi, then this is your best option. For a couple of you, I would recommend spending a couple months here just to let people forget about you.
If you wish to return with us to Kumo, you will either be able to establish your own clans or join under the banner of the Maki clan. Since each of you were active shinobi, you would need to go through out screening and probation processes. You are under my protection, so it won't be anything too unpleasant. After probation, an assessment of your skills would be completed, and you would be assigned to a Kumo division."
Kakashi asked, "What do you mean a Kumo division?"
Kushina chuckled. "Well, after my success in reforming the Academy, I reviewed the command structure and composition of Kumo's shinobi with Ai. We came up with an idea to create divisions. Anko leads the capture and interrogation division, which specializes in snatch and grabs and interrogation. Darui is the head of the Ninjutsu division, which trains ninjutsu specialist and then assigns them to the combat oriented or society-oriented teams."
Hitomi interrupted. "Pardon the interruption, Kushina, but what do you mean by society-oriented teams?"
Kushina smiled at her old friend. "I am glad you asked. Society oriented teams are responsible for day-to-day jobs like manning the power and water plants, assisting local farmers in various ways and helping the people of Kaminari no Kuni with the power of ninjutsu and other ninja skills. My sealing corps has over half of its forces taking jobs to help people improve their everyday lives. It has done wonders for the people of Kaminari no Kuni."
The group remained in a stunned silence until Hannabi said what they were all thinking. "Why have ninjas not been used for such jobs before?"
Kushina ruffled the girl's hair. "That, Hannabi-Chan, is the question of the century. We have the power to mold nature to our will and all we use it for is war. Kumo is trying to change that. Imagine how much more people would like us if we used our powers for good, like doctors and medics."
Yugao added her support. "It is such a simple, yet completely revolutionary, concept."
Naruto chimed in here, "Yeah, especially when you have a biju with chakra potent enough to convert into lakes and water sources wherever people need it. Bee started as the 'Protector of Kumo' now the people of Kaminari no Kuni call him 'The Bringer of Rain'." After multiple looks requesting further explanation, Naruto continued. "Big brother Bee uses the power of Gyuuki to use water jutsu. His favorite, aside from spitting out a lake, is the 'storm style – Stormbringer jutsu'. He basically uses suiton and raiton to create a storm. Matatabi and the Kyuubi can each infuse their chakra into the ground to replenish its minerals and aid in agriculture. If you ever saw Lightning country before, you wouldn't even recognize it now."
"Little brother is right; we are going to lead the world into a new age with Lightning and Whirlpool countries leading the way." Anko chirped merrily.
The group continued their tour of Uzushiogakore and saw the recently build and still vacant compounds. The Uzumaki compound looked furnished and ready to go, which prompted Mikoto to ask Kushina when she would be moving to the island full time.
"Right now, we are still in the recruitment phase. There are a couple Kumo ninjas that want to come and join us on the island, which Ai will allow. We are also using our missions to recruit those looking for a better life to the island. We are scheduled to bring Uzu into the open in three or so years. We want to have our defenses impenetrable by that point, especially with Konoha being our closest neighbor. So, we have three years to get this place and its shinobi forces on its feet."
-Four Days after the Invasion of Konoha – Amegakore – Hattori Compound
Amie was on a mission with a single-minded determination to speak to her father. She had searched the Kage tower in Ame and was told that he was at his compound. Amie had searched through the typical favorites of her father with no luck. She also couldn't find her mother and her clueless clan members weren't helping. Finally, she charged into her father's study and instantly regretted the decision. To be fair, nobody wants to see a 60-year-old in the middle of a love making session. Amie blushed furiously and stepped outside, waiting for her father to call her into his office.
Five minutes later, she was called in and she saw wrinkled clothes and a furiously blushing mother.
"Pardon the intrusion, father, but I have waited long enough to broach the topic with you. Will you support me in claiming Ruto Maki as my rightful fiancée."
Hanzo sighed and buried his face in his hands. His sons were never so troublesome. "Look, Amie, it is not that simple. My intelligence tells me that you are chasing after is the most eligible bachelor in the elemental nations right now. Multiple reports say that the kid gets marriage proposals daily. Can you not find another man?"
"Daddy!" Amie unleashes the 'puppy dog eyes no jutsu' on Hanzo the Salamander. It is super effective.
Hanzo threw his hands up over his head and slammed his head on his desk. "Daughter, my beautiful Rain flower, must I?"
"You must. You will escort me to Kumo, and you will do everything in your power to get me engaged to Ruto Maki." She slammed her hands on her hips. "And I mean EV-ER-Y-THING."
Maria put a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Dear, you knew this day was coming. He seems like a wonderful young man."
Hanzo crossed his arms and 'hmphed', "He still isn't good enough for my Rain flower."
"Daddy!"
For those of you that are not yet fathers, or more specifically fathers to beautiful young daughters, I am sure you wouldn't understand. To those of you in that club, I am sure you could sympathize with Hanzo the Salamander. Thus, Hanzo requested an audience with the Raikage, Lady Shina and one Ruto Maki. Rather than request permission, he set the date of his arrival and informed the Raikage that he would be staying for one week. Hanzo then asked Konan to ensure the letter got to Kumo. The letter magically sprouted paper wings and began its long flight to the Raikage's office.
-The Border of River Country and Kaze no Kuni – One Week After the Invasion-
Daedara was sitting up on his clay bird, soaring through the sky and occasionally dropping his art off the side of the clay bird. The various white animal figurines gleefully fell through the air and exploded upon impacting the ground. It didn't bring him any satisfaction thought, what good was an explosion without blood and terrified screams? Losing heart in his current activity, Daedara ordered his bird back down toward the temporary camp that was set up.
He joined Fugaku and Danzo because they promised to unleash him, let the world bear witness to his art and he would get paid handsomely. Now, he was doubting his choice after he spent a week waiting to spring an ambush and there was no sign of his target. Sighing in boredom, Daedara landed next to his partner in crime, Sasori of the Red Sands.
"Sasori, my man, what good is art when there are no witnesses?" Daedara asked, sharing his revelation that was his midlife crisis of sorts.
Sasori, inside of his Hiroku puppet body, adopted a contemplative look. He actually took a couple minutes to think about it. If his puppets were just locked in a closet, even if they were eternal, would they still be considered art? "That is a most profound question, Daedara. For your explosions, I would debate the answer is no. For my eternal art, I am struggling to find an acceptable answer to your question."
"Hm, hm, hm, Sasori, my man, that is not nice. We came to a mutual agreement that we would agree to disagree on the nature of art. This question is a question for all artists, my man."
A deep, throaty acknowledgement came from Sasori before his answer. "I think that art needs to be part of a show to reveal its true beauty. My shows include blood, screams, desperation and death. If I were to take out my puppets and use them with nobody around … wouldn't that just be … training?"
"Hm, hm, hm, that is deep, Sasori my man. If my creations go off with nobody around, do they explode at all? Gah! Sasori, I keep going in circles. From one artist to another, I need your guidance."
Sasori's reply was croaked out and very uncertain. "Damn you, you pyromaniac! Now you have me thinking about it!"
Four Root ninjas suddenly appeared in front of the two contemplative artists. "There has been a change of plans. We will no longer wait to ambush the jinchuriki. We are to launch an assault on Suna."
"Why are we to attack my prior village?" Sasori asked, he really didn't like working with these drones.
"Suna attempted to invade Konoha. Thus, Konoha council has declared war on Suna and Oto. With your unique talents, they wish for you two to launch a punitive attack on the sand village." The Root member answered blandly.
"Hm, Hm, Hm, Sasori my man, would you look at that! We are going to have a massive audience now!" Daedara said, temporarily shelving his identity crisis.
"Indeed, let us go."
"There are additional orders for you two. Those that evacuate are to be left alone. Simply destroy the village and their shinobi forces. We are going to take over Suna when the time is right."
The two Akatsuki members grunted as they headed toward the desert.
Meanwhile, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari had arrived in the Land of Waves. They followed instructions to Tazuna's house on the morning after the exiles headed to Uzushiogakore. Tsunami answered the door to see the disheveled group of child shinobis.
"Umm, can I help you three?" She asked while partially hidden behind her door since two of the three gave her the creeps.
Temari stepped forward, "Good morning, are you Tsunami-San, the Daimyo of Wave?" At Tsunami's nod, she continued. "Ruto Maki told us to seek refuge here after the invasion of Konoha. I am Subaku no Temari and these are my brothers Gaara and Kankuro."
"Oh, Ruto-Kun did mention you three. Unfortunately, they just departed yesterday. Come in, I am sure we can find something for your three to do while we send a messenger bird to Uzu."
"We thank you for your hospitality." Temari answered.
-Kumogakore – Council Room -Three Weeks After the Invasion of Konoha -
Ai called this damnable council meeting for a couple reasons. One, there were quite a few additions to Kumo's forces, and he needed to notify the council of them. Two, there was an insane increase in mission requests for Kumo and he wanted to notify the council on how he planned to deal with the increased load. Three, chunin promotions. Four, to discuss a diplomatic marriage proposal before he even discussed it with Lady Shina. Five, to officially enroll his successor Ruto Maki into Kumo's version of the CRA. The last two were sure to give Ai a massive headache most likely accompanied by an ass whooping from Shina.
As he took his seat, he remembered the previous council meeting when his teams were in Konoha.
-Flashback – During the month intermission of the Chunin Exams -
Ai had been requested in the council chambers by his council. This normally included Darui and Shina, but they were out of the village, which meant Ai was down some valuable allies. It also meant that the civilians were responsible for calling this meeting. Ai noticed the Karui took the seat as the Maki clan's representative in Shina's absence. Karui had been an official Maki since the first day Shina offered it to her. She didn't live on the compound, but she proudly claimed the Maki name.
"Okay, Shinzo, could you please tell me why you called this council meeting." Ai requested.
"Yes, Raikage-Sama, we called this meeting today to discuss the future of one Ruto Maki. More specifically, the future wives of Ruto Maki."
Ai sighed before Karui jumped to her feet. "Shinzo and honorable council, as the representative of the Maki clan and as someone who is keenly aware of Lady Shina's temper, could I encourage you to delay this discussion until the return of the Maki matriarch?"
Shinzo answered quickly. "Karui-San, I hear your caution, but it is because she is not here that the topic must be brought up. Ruto Maki is the heir of the most important clan to Kumo. It is not the largest nor the most historical clan, but it is clear that the Maki's are the most important clan to Kumo. We of the civilian council request that Ruto Maki be placed in the clan restoration act."
Ai barked out a laugh. "Shinzo, this is not Konoha and Ruto is not a Daimyo. Kumo does not have a clan restoration act."
Kachi, the father of Mabui, spoke up. "Raikage-Sama, Kumo has voluntary breeding programs that it uses to reward prominent shinobi of Kumo. We believe it is time to have a more official program that will operate for the benefit of Kumo's future generations. On your desk you will find the 'Clan Restoration Act of Kumo'. We ask you to review it before we take a vote on it today to pass it into law. We understand that Darui and Shi are not present to vote, so we give guardianship of their votes to you."
Ai picked up the document and scanned it. He knew that even with the two votes that he wouldn't be able to stop this from passing. He sighed before he called the vote which passed by a count of 15 to 5.
"Okay, my honorable councilors. I cannot stop this legislation from being passed. I can inform you that you are each responsible for informing Lady Shina upon her return to the village. You are dismissed." This statement immediately paled the formerly triumphant civilian council.
-End of Flashback-
Now, shortly after the Maki's return, another council meeting had been called. This time, every seat in the council was filled. Some fidgeted nervously while other could be seen with snacks such as popcorn in their hands.
Ai stood up in his serious mode. "I, the Raikage of Kumo, call this council meeting to order. Karui-San, will you please inform the council of today's agenda."
"Certainly, Raikage-Sama. One, we will be voting on the additions to the Maki clan as well as adding a new clan to Kumo. Two, we will discuss the increased mission load and our plan to address it. Three, chunin promotions. Four, to discuss a diplomatic marriage proposal from Amegakore Five, to officially enroll Ruto Maki into the CRA."
Shina responded instantly by flooding the room with killing intent. She then turned her head to Ai and looked at him with a sweet, yet blatantly fake, smile.
"Raikage-Sama, I could be wrong, but it sounded like this council voted to enroll MY sochi into the CRA in my absence. Did I hear that right?"
Ai looked directly at councilors Shinzo and Kachi, which prompted Kachi to stand up. Gulping, he said, "Lady Shina, you have had a wondrous impact on Kumo and Kaminari no Kuni as a whole. My daughter and Samui-Chan have grown close to Ruto-San, and I wanted to ensure their happiness. We handled the creation of the CRA and his enrollment into it to save you such headaches."
Kushina smiled evilly at the two responsible. "Oh, my mistake then. Could you please provide this CRA so that I may review it? I am sure that it states that two wives would be the max?"
"N-n-no i-it d-d-d-doesn't." Stuttered out Shinzo, who was not used to such potent KI.
"Ohm okay then. Does it give my sochi the liberty to choose his own wives?" Kushina said in an innocent and girly tone.
"N-n-no." Shinzo looked like he was about to piss himself as Shina's hair flared up.
"Does this council believe my sochi has the right to refuse enrollment?"
Darren, a member of the Mategaki clan, a minor clan of shinobi that specialize in earth style body reinforcement, stood up. "Lady Shina, for the benefit of Kumo and the Maki clan, it is necessary for Ruto to take multiple mates. We wished to help him in this."
"Darren, sit your ass back in that seat before I make you. Each of you thinks you can crap on my chest and convince me its perfume? I have talked to Ai about this, and I would never allow the greedy fools of this council to choose women for my son. If you are particularly fond of your heads, I would recommend you rewrite that stupid concept out of this law. If my sochi takes multiple women, that is his choice, and he will absolutely have the right of choice. Am. I. Clear?"
As Lady Shina's tirade came to an end, the sound of popcorn crunching filled the room. Shina looked around and noticed her allies were the ones enjoying the show.
"Moving on to the first item on the agenda. Kakashi, Kurenai and Genma, previously of Konoha, wish to join the Maki clan. There is a request for the founding of the Uchiha clan in Kumo, enrolled under the public name of Uchimaki. The current members are Mikoto, Itachi, Shisui and Sasumi and they all carry their bloodline. Yugao Gekko and Hayate Gekko with to join as vassals of the Maki clan. Tsunade Senju and Shizune Senju wish to apply for residence in Kumo and Uzushio. We will now vote on this."
After a 15-minute debate, all newcomers were approved and the council was excited to welcome such strong newcomers into their ranks, even if most of them would end up in Uzushio. The next item was opened for debate after the room calmed down. The council approved Ai's measure to shrink teams for C-ranked missions down to teams of three.
Ai stood up with a proud smirk on his face and Karui unsealed multiple sets of equipment on the table.
"Divine Bolts of Kumo, post!"
Naruto, Mabui, Samui, Atsui, Tayuya and Omoi appeared in front of the Raikage kneeling with their fists over their hearts. Naruto spoke for the group, "We have answered your call, Raikage-Sama."
"For your efforts that contributed to the end of the civil war in Kiri, for your outstanding performance on missions, for representing Kumogakore's supremacy in the chunin exams and for successful completion of your side mission in infiltrating Konohagakore, I hereby promote the Divine Bolts to the rank of Elite Chunin."
There was a round of applause from those in the council chamber as each DB was given their one-strapped, sleeveless white chunin vest. Each vest has the crest of the Divine Bolts on the strap of the vest and there were extra scroll pouches on the front of the vests. The DBs remained up front until the last member received their vest before they took places in the back of the room to watch the rest of the show. Atsui actually unsealed some popcorn and moved his DB mask to the side of his head to enjoy the show.
Karui stood up from her post as the secretary and scribe. "Okay, we will now move on to item three. Hanzo the Salamander of Amegakore will arrive in Kumo along with his escort, wife and daughter next week. He sent over intentions for a treaty, hinting at the bond between one of his own and Lady Shina. He also sent over first drafts of a mutual defense agreement between Kumo, Ame and an unidentified third country. The agreement is proposed with a marriage contract to his youngest daughter and … sigh." Karui looked up and locked eyes with Lady Shina.
Lady Shina was scowling lightly, glaring at the likely suspects on the council that would support this. "So, Hanzo wants my sochi to marry his daughter. Did he provide a reason as to why?"
Ai spoke up here, drawing Shina's ire to himself. "He claims that Hattori clan customs dictate that he honors his daughter's request. His daughter claims she issued the right of conquest to Ruto Maki before their fight in the chunin exams. Since Ruto bested her, she believes him to be her only viable husband, since she is of marriage age. They are willing to let the two reside in Kumo and only request some minor concessions in return."
Shina turned her glare on Ruto, "She issued the right of conquest?"
Ruto adopted his sheepish pose. "Yeah, Ka-chan, she did. Although I said that I didn't care because we were fighting within the chunin exam finals. She did tell me what it would mean if I beat her. Then we had to deal with the invasion and subsequent mission so I kinda forgot about it."
Shina buried her head in her hands. "Damnit, sochi, why do you do this to your Ka-Chan?"
"What choice did I have? I thought that you would shoot her down and that would be that."
"That would be the case if Hanzo the Fucking Salamander wasn't marching to our village to fulfill that request! Sochi, I have shot down hundreds of marriage requests on your behalf; however, the benefits to Kumo must be considered now."
Ai decided to back his love interest up. "Ruto, your mother is right. You seemed to get along with the girl and she certainly isn't hard on the eyes. For us to gain a powerful ally in a good position would benefit both nations."
"Fine, but I request that this council hears the opinions of Samui and Mabui. If I am to be engaged, then I request to honor my girlfriends and future mates." Ruto said in a resigned tone.
Mabui stepped forward, "I believe this will fit into the CRA that the council is planning to force Ruto into. We have discussed this and tentatively approved of Amie Hattori, so long as her love for Ruto is genuine and not motivated by some other factor."
Kachi stood up to answer his daughter. "Thank you for understanding, Mabui-Chan."
Mabui shot a cold look at her father. "I am not doing this for you, father. I am doing this for Ruto and Kumo."
Samui decided to chip her two cents in. "In fact, while you are rewriting your CRA, we would prefer a clause that says all current partners of the interested party have primary say over new … additions. The Uzumaki enforced this policy, and it helped them maintain order until their untimely fall."
Shina snapped her fingers. "That is a great idea, Samui-Chan. I propose to delay the vote on this version of the CRA until I may review it and redo it to fit a model that had worked in the past."
Kachi, looking to save face with his daughter, "I agree with Lazy Shina and second her motion."
Ai replied, "Very well, I accept your motion. We will reconvene when Lady Shina is ready. Ruto will be allowed to maintain his current status quo until the law has been reworked. Dismissed."
That night, a very exhausted Maki family along with the rest of the Divine Bolts returned to the Maki compound. Naruto was excited to see Rias again, who ran up to him and glommed onto him with a massive hug. Karin and Kin greeted the group at the door more timidly as they watched the redheaded beauty nearly suffocate the sole male of the house. Samui and Mabui wore partially confused looks on their faces but decided that the girl wasn't totally out of line.
After a small dinner, the group began sorting through the items they collected from Konoha. Kushina had erected a barrier that would prevent detection of any tracking jutsus, just in case they missed a few seals during their rushed mission. Down in the underground study, the floor was covered in individual scrolls and the group was sorting them into weapons, jutsu scrolls, books, historical or clan documents and assorted items from the houses such as desks, chairs and paintings.
Kushina held up a scroll and looked at Naruto. "Really Sochi? My old chair?"
Naruto shrugged, "I thought you would appreciate having it back. If you don't want it, then I will take it for my study."
"No, that's alright sochi, I appreciate the thought. What are we going to do with all of this stuff though? There is far too much of it to fit here."
"I thought that we could furnish Uzushio and help get some of the newcomers on their feet. You know, since Suna was sacked and Gaara, Temari and Kankuro are listed as wanted by Konoha. I figured anything we do not need can be donated to help get the people of Uzu on their feet."
Rias' cheery voice piped in, "Gosh, Ruto, are you always so thoughtful?"
Mabui smiled at the redhead, "That's why we love him."
Atsui added, "That's why everyone loves him, not just the girls he sleeps with." At that moment, Atsui was hit in the back of the head by a rather thick book thrown by Samui. He went into defense mode as more random objects were chucked at him.
"That's enough kids. Let's at least sort this all out before we randomly destroy a valuable piece of history." Kushina chided the group.
A chorus of "Hai, Ka-Chan!" echoed around the room. Each of the DBs considered Kushina to be a mother figure, especially Samui and Mabui.
Naruto decided to ask a question that had been bugging him. "Ka-Chan, I know it is important to get all this stuff sorted out, but when are we going to look through the Namikaze scroll? I want to learn dad's jutsus."
"There is no rush, Sochi. We will have plenty of time to look through it once things have calmed down."
Naruto reluctantly agreed with Kushina. The group soon lost the will to push through their exhaustion and went to bed. Since the return, Kushina gave approval for Samui and Mabui to officially move into the compound, so the girls spent the night with Naruto. They wanted to make this night count because Hikari would have dibs for the next week.
-Hikari Unleashed-
The next day, the group woke up and the DBs were still enjoying a 2-week vacation granted to them by the Raikage. The girls went into town to go shopping, Kushina was working with Ai to prepare for the Ame delegation and Naruto was excited to see Hikari in the real world. Naruto was down in his study in a meditative posture. He was calming his chakra coils and taking the time to properly let Hikari out of the seal. It was a slower process and Hikari said it would take an hour to let her out. The plan was to release one tail of her power by channeling her yokai through the seal. It was a temporary measure, and she would need to return to the seal within a week's time, but the fated pair was more than excited for this week.
After a long hour of meditation and a growing presence of yokai in the training room, the red yokai began taking shape. Out of the red mist, the redheaded beauty that Naruto had grown to love stepped out, stark naked. The beautiful kitsune was finally out in the real world and she enjoyed her first breath of fresh air since the night of the Kyuubi attack on Konoha. Hikari breathed in deeply and stepped forward toward the presence of her mate. She took in his scent, his presence, his warmth. Her feet naturally guided her to him, and it wasn't until she was right in front of him that glowing red orbs with a black vertical slits met azure blue eyes.
Naruto's breath hitched in his chest as he locked eyes with Hikari. He had worked himself to the bone, day in and day out, to form himself into a man worthy of such a divine beauty. As his eyes soaked in the naked form of his mate, a small blush crept to his cheeks, and he felt the need to moisten his lips. He wanted to take action, take her in his arms and show her exactly how much she means to him, but he was frozen. Frozen in the moment that his first ambition was achieved, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
A beautiful smile graced Hikari's face as soul locked with soul through intimate eye contact. Her eyes softened and she extended a slim hand to glide upon the whisker marks of her mate that remained fix in the lotus position. Naruto leaned into the tender touch and allowed the purr to escape his throat as the pleasant sensation stirred him awake and filled his veins with a fiery determination to be close to this woman. Naruto extended his toned arms am pulled the kitsune into an embrace, no words were necessary when their souls were linked. They each wanted to freeze this moment and burn every detail into their memory for fond countenance at a later date.
Eventually, neither knew how long, but eventually the lovers parted from their embrace. Neither feeling bashful at the exquisite nudity of the kitsune. Naruto rose to his feet and scooped her into a princess carry. Thoroughly enjoying the feel of his fingertips on her soft flesh. Never allowing his eyes to break contact, never allowing for the soul link to be severed. Naruto glided up the stairs with his kitsune prize, reveling in the sensation of her single tail interlocking with his three tails. The Hanyu didn't even register that he subconsciously broke his transformation, he was too wrapped up in the elation of the moment.
Naruto walked directly to his room, making sure to provide a comfortable ride to his mate. The wait had built up over the past nine years, neither one cared for any formalities that would further delay their union. Hikari was the first to break the soul link, but it was to lace kisses on her soon to be lover's neck and collar bone. She was no longer able to resist the potent pheromones that were pouring off of him like a rich cologne. Naruto growled in pleasure as he finally reached his bed.
(A/N: I really need advice, I have prevented from going into lemons for this fic but I felt it necessary for this one. I received mixed feedback in my previous fic about lemons. Please comment on whether or not the lemons add to the story or your enjoyment of the story. For now, I will leave them out and only allude to the act. If I get enough feedback, I will add them in."
With all the love of a raging sex fanatic, Naruto laid Hikari on his bed before undressing to match the kitsune's state of dress. Lip locking led to hands wondering, hands wondering led to mouths being incorporated into a variety of pleasurable acts, the pleasurable sensations led to moaning and ultimately orgasms. The pinnacle of their first session was a mutual bite to the base of the other's neck. The unconscious channeling of chakra led to a mating seal that bound the two souls together in the mortal world and Makai.
The two continued to alternate between passionate sex and cuddling for the whole day, not even going out to greet the family until they had their fill of one another. Hikari felt whole again for the first time since the death of her kits. The rage she harbored for humanity as a whole was tempered as Kami offered the gift of the perfect mate. A mate she helped raise into the definition of a man. The kitsune beauty enjoyed the spasms of her muscles from residual pleasure that built up throughout the day as she closed her eyes to enjoy her first night's sleep outside a seal in over a century.
The next morning, the two love-kitsune started the day in a similar fashion to how they ended the previous one. Naruto woke Hikari up with surprise fellatio, which led to three servings of Naruto, which led to the shower. After a shower session where kitsune and Hanyu succumbed to their urges once again, the two cleaned each other off and got ready to introduce Hikari to the family.
Naruto and Hikari walked hand in hand into the dining room to enjoy Hikari's first Uzumaki family breakfast. The kitsune was positively glowing, a fact that wasn't missed by any of the females in the room. Naruto's big, goofy smile lit up smiles on each of their faces since they all enjoyed seeing the man of the house happy. Naturally, it was Anko that spoke up first.
"So, Foxy-Sama, was he everything you hoped for?" Anko's wiggling blonde eyebrows broke the unspoken tension in the group.
Hikari blushed, licked her lips sensually and looked right back into Anko's eyes. "Better."
Anko's eyes snapped to Ruto. "Impressive, little brother. You bagged yourself a kitsune goddess and set a high bar for yourself."
Mabui set a plate of breakfast down for Naruto and Hikari. "Well, Anko-Chan, if you knew what we know, you would probably give similar reviews. I was surprised to see she could even walk straight."
"Thank you, Mabui-Chan. Enhanced regeneration is definitely useful when it comes to satisfying a Hanyu's needs. How was your night?" Hikari asked before reveling in her first sip of real coffee in ages.
"Oh, it was great. Hung out with the Uchiha girls and helped them get set up. Sasumi and Itachi were asking about you, Ruto-Kun." Mabaui answered and added coyly.
Naruto cocked an eyebrow at that as he finished a bite of chicken sausage. "Oh yeah? Why was that?"
Samui, Mabui and Hikari exchanged looks, before Samui answered for the group. "Are you actually still so naïve that you don't know? Or are you just trying to make us say it?"
Naruto shrugged so Mabui finished the thought. "Ruto, you have a way of making … powerful … impressions on girls our age. Sasumi is more of a juvenile crush, but you must tell us how you got to the unflappable Itachi? I have never seen an Uchiha blush that much."
"Itachi? Oh, well, I don't really know. We hung out as little kids, but then I didn't see her until the exams. Even then, I only really talked to her once or twice."
"Well, believe me Ruto, that woman is hot for you. She told us the story of you two in the park, she said she was seven so you would have been almost five, right?" Samui asked, trying to dig up more details on the two.
"If she was that old then it was probably one of the last times I saw her. I can't really remember much from back then." Naruto said nonchalantly, much more interested in his breakfast and Hikari's hand on his crotch.
Mabui giggled. "Well, the way she told the story is that you made a childhood promise to her, Ruto-Kun. A promise that she may have taken a little too seriously."
Ruto cocked an eyebrow, so Samui continued the duet in between giggles. "It was so cute, she called you Naru-Chan and she told us how little old you made 'the promise of a life time' to marry her when you two were older."
"Oh, did I? Well, at that age Itachi and Shika were the only kids that would still play with me. Itachi used to scare off bullies from the playground and no parents were dumb enough to try something with the Hokage's kid around. I wouldn't be surprised if I did say that." Naruto now had a dazed look in his eyes as he glanced into the bright spot of his troubled past.
Rias chided Naruto. "Naruto-Kun, girls take those promises seriously. After what I saw last night, I think you should talk to her about it."
Naruto was in the middle of waving her off when Hikari's nails dug into his thighs. "They are right, Ruto. You should talk to her about it and settle old feelings. I remember that discussion because the mindscape suddenly went from stormy to brilliantly sunny, which made me pay attention. I don't think anyone here would stop you from seeing if it is a simple childhood crush or something more … tangible."
"Fine, Hikari-Chan, fine. Oh, by the way, Rias and Kin, this is Hikari. You may know her better as the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I forgot that you two didn't know about her yet."
Forks clattered to the table and Rias overfilled her coffee cup. The two girls couldn't lift their jaws off of the table and they remained frozen, gaping at the kitsune. The rest of the Makis just broke into fits of laughter at the two's reactions. Anko pulled out her polaroid camera, snapped a photo and then stuck it on the fridge. Before the two snapped out of it, she put a locking seal on the picture so the two couldn't take it down. The groups conversation continued along pleasant lines and the Makis began another pleasant new day in Kumo.
Hikari hogged Naruto for the next three days as the intrepid blonde showed the kitsune beauty around Kumo. Hikari really enjoyed the stunned looks on Bee and Yugito's faces when she introduced herself. Even more so when she bumped fists with the two and said hello to Gyuuki and Matatabi.
"So, after centuries we finally get your name, eh? Hikari." Gyuuki said.
Hikari put a mischievous finger to her lips. "Oh, you get this avatar's name. It would be awkward if Naruto-Kun had to introduce me as the Kyuubi."
Gyuuki was about to pull his remaining horn off in a fit of frustration while Matatabi purred out her annoyance. "You troublesome Kitsune. Can't you just tell us already?"
A face-splitting grin encompassed Hikari's face inside the joint mindscape. "Nope."
After saying goodbye to the biju duo, Naruto and Hikari enjoyed their walk through the town. It was refreshing for Hikari to watch the residents of Kumo shower praise on her mate. He and his family had done so much for Kumo, and the people affectionately showed their appreciation. Hikari found out that she really, really liked chicken katsu, so she memorized the flavor to serve it in the mindscape. Hikari returned to the Maki compound that night with multiple gifts from the people of Kumo, most of which Naruto was carrying in his chiseled arms. Hikari had fun telling Naruto that it would be impolite to seal them up, but it was really because she enjoyed seeing his rippling muscles carry an ever-growing pile of gifts.
Hikari was in such a good mood upon her return to the compound that she invited Samui and Mabui to join Naruto for that night. The four cuddled on the couch and watched a movie, Hikari took her fox form and cuddled in Naruto's lap for the movie. The relationship between the four felt so natural and so unforced that the foursome happened before any of them knew it. That night was also the first time that Naruto experimented with shadow clones during sex, which caused his clones to cry tears of happiness and promise eternal loyalty to their boss. As a side note, Naruto noticed a 33-perecent increase in clone workload efficiency from that day forward.
The next morning, Hikari gave Naruto a parting kiss before she channeled her remaining yokai into the seal. Since mating, their senses were linked on a deeper level, so Hikari got to experience the world through all five of Naruto's senses. Each time she sat down and tuned in it was like sitting in an ultimate IMAX theatre for her. Naruto laughed at her mental glee, and he nearly rolled off the bed laughing that night when Hikari said that she really liked the male experience in intercourse. Hikari made a mental note for a role reversal the next time she could leave the seal.