In Naruto: Reborn With Talent

by Little Merger

A soul was transmigrated into Narutoverse but was refused to be given any sort of insta-OP power, instead, he could choose from three talents. Follow him and his loved ones on their journey to become strong as they pave their own path through the battle-filled world of Naruto. Will they be villains? For some, surely. Will they be heroes? For others, maybe. But anything they do is d

8. 225

In Naruto: Reborn With Talent #Chapter 225 - Ch225. Uchiha Negotiations 1 - Read In Naruto: Reborn With Talent Chapter 225 - Ch225. Uchiha Negotiations 1 Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 225 - Ch225. Uchiha Negotiations 1

Rei alongside the Shadow Corps promptly returned to the Village on the Other Side after they were sufficiently assured no clue of their brief visit was left behind.

Three hours later, Rei was finally notified that Ringo also returned from her own mission he assigned her in Konoha. She tiredly walked into the living room of his mansion where he was patiently waiting for her. Seeing her haggard state, Rei stood up and hurriedly walked closer, hugging her while letting her lean on him to give her at least some relief.

"I see you had fun." He quipped, making Ringo groan in irritation.

"As if. Sneaking into the most guarded archives of both Konoha and ROOT in the timespan of three hours right after the massacre of the Uchiha clan was discovered?" Ringo huffed into his shoulder, her embrace possessively tightening. "Sure, the personnel in both the Hokage Tower and the ROOT headquarters could be seen as almost nonexistent compared to what is there normally because of the massacre. BUT! Everywhere else ninjas swarmed the village. Honestly, an hour after the discovery, every able chunin and above in the village was called to duty and the civilians were ordered to stay inside! Getting through the village without being spotted was a veritable nightmare! And I am not even talking about the protective seals I had to get through..." Ringo's shoulders sagged.

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"Well, you ARE the best assassin in the world. Who else could I rely on than you to infiltrate and steal from one of the most guarded places in existence?" Rei flippantly stated, c.a.r.e.s.sing Ringo's back.

His tone might have been joking but both he and Ringo knew he fully meant every word. The Kage Towers in their respective villages had tons of active and passive protections. Sneaking there was a clear suicide too, considering the numerous seals, both hidden and otherwise, and the fact they are in the middle of a village full of trained killers. After all, at no time and under no circ.u.mstances are there less than five ANBU operatives inside. Kyuubi could rampage through the village and these five ANBU would STILL not leave the Hokage Tower. That's also not counting all the otherwise ranked ninjas normally present in the tower.

Rei could really only shake his head in exasperation when he remembered the first episode of Naruto and how easily the protagonist sneaked in and out of the Hokage Tower with the Forbidden Scroll. Really... only once somebody gets a reality check about how tightly these places are guarded can a person understand how impossible such a thing is. Either Naruto was severely underestimated by everybody or his sight in the Hokage office was a quite common occurrence and nobody paid it any attention.

"Yes, yes, I am the best." Ringo admitted with an amused but tired eye roll, "Anyway, I did get what you wanted. The copy of the order to Itachi Uchiha to cause the Uchiha Massacre is in my back pocket while I already gave other copied paperwork to Konan." She said, only slightly widening her smile as she felt Rei's hand slip into her back pocket and brush her backside while he withdrew the paperwork.

"Okay," Rei pecked Ringo's lips, "You should go and take a long nap while I and Konan sort the situation with the Uchiha clan and their welcome to our village."

"Mmm, that actually sounds quite nice." Ringo sleepily agreed, her eyelids involuntarily closing by themselves. "I really do not envy you though. Persuading them to move here and be loyal to our village will surely be a right pain in the arse."

With one last kiss, they separated.

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Rei and Konan decided it would be wisest to wake only a few important hand-picked members of what remained of the Uchiha clan to negotiate terms and inform them of their situation so they then can gradually persuade the rest. Waking up all of them at once would cause total mayhem since there were hundreds of them if one counted civilians.

As for choosing who to awaken from the stasis for the negotiation, that didn't pose a problem thanks to the previous months of spying via Konan's kekkei genkai. Since Rei knew the Uchiha Massacre would be happening sometime after or around Naruto's seventh birthday, he made sure that Konan set up her surveillance of the Uchiha Compound at least a year prior to that. In the end, one simply didn't go and meddle in such an important historical milestone happening in the middle of a village full of trained assassins without being sufficiently prepared and well informed.

It took some time identifying who is and who is not alive since Itachi and Obito did manage to get to some people but ultimately Konan was able to choose the individuals that should be most effective in persuading their clansmen. That's why on the couch in the living room of Rei's mansion now sat Rei and Konan on one side and three unconscious people were slumped on the other.

The first was an old balding man of eighty-nine with many wrinkles, Isamu Uchiha. He was kind of an obvious choice since Konan reported he was the mildest of the Uchiha Elders. The guy was one of the very few people alive who were old enough to remember things like Uchiha Madara, Hashirama Senju, the creation of Konoha, all three ninja wars, and so on, and on. Rei would like to believe with that age came wisdom since the guy was the only one from the Uchiha Elder Council who opposed the plans for rebellion. Well, he was the only Elder left alive too, thanks to that. Then again, the man managed to garner quite a lot of respect from his clansmen during his long life, and having him persuade the remaining ninja population of his clan would go a long way to seamlessly integrating the Uchiha clan to the Village on the Other Side. Frankly, Rei was putting quite a lot of faith in the man cooperating for the good of his clan. After all, the Uchiha clan didn't have much of a choice anymore.

The second person was Mariko Uchiha who was a thirty-something civilian. She was picked because apparently, she owned a clothing business, and literally every Uchiha knew her and bought their clothes from her shop. She was well known and well regarded among both the civilian and ninja parts of the clan... which was quite rare considering how arrogant and prick-like the Uchiha clan's ninjas usually were. While Rei didn't strictly need Uchiha civilians, he couldn't just throw them away like used trash, now, could he? Mariko seemed like a good choice for a representative of civilians and Rei was sure she could persuade the civilian side while also getting some ninjas more open to the integration.

And lastly, the third person was... Izumi Uchiha.

Honestly, she was there simply because Rei wanted her to be present. The girl was thirteen and already had Mangekyo Sharingan. It was a sad truth that could prove very beneficial in the long run so Rei saw no reason not to use it to his benefit. Oh, she was no Itachi Uchiha, that was for sure, but she was the most valuable 'thing' Rei collected on his little expedition to Konoha.

"Okay, then, let's wake them up." Konan said and the sealing tags that kept the three unconscious instantly detached themselves from their foreheads, causing them to stir.

Isamu was up and about in a split of a second, a true testament to his instincts and a small show of a reason why exactly he managed to outlive all of his peers. Mariko was quite slow but even she got wary and woke up fast when she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Only Izumi showed a bit more childish side when she mumbled about requesting 'five more minutes' but was promptly woken up by Isamu who ruthlessly poked her ribs, causing her eyes to go wide as she gasped in pain and slouched forward.

Naturally, he just had to start cheerfully!

"Hi, there! Didn't expect to wake up again, did ya?"

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Chapter 226 - Ch226. Uchiha Negotiations 2

The three Uchihas blankly stared at Rei, confused about what was happening. Surprisingly enough, it was not the experienced Isamu nor the a.d.u.l.t Mariko who reacted first.

"Err... Hello?" Izumi half-stated, half-asked, "What... is happening?" She tilted her head and curiously blinked, probably not yet remembering the previous night in her still sleep-befuddled state.

"Well, as you might or might not remember, some rebellious elements yesterday decided to eliminate the Uchiha clan. I was like, 'Hey, Rei, that would really be a shame if they all died out, wouldn't it!?' So... I decided to save you." Rei shrugged, his slightly narrowed eyes trailing over his three guests as if he was stalking his prey, "Naturally, I do expect to be repaid." He added to make things clear.

Rei watched the reactions of his involuntary guests and approvingly noted that Izumi, despite being only thirteen, managed to appear outwardly calm and stay quiet despite the raging inferno of emotions Rei could see in her black eyes. The second he reminded them of what transpired the night prior, Izumi's eyes slightly widened as the memories of her previous night sprang to the forefront of her mind. From there, it was a c.o.c.ktail of shock, anger, sadness, grief, and confusion mixing visibly for anyone who would bother to look. Yet, it was so very obvious the girl had ninja training as her expression was blank and her body, while still giving some tells, at least didn't telegraph it to the whole room.

The most visibly distressed of the three was the civilian, Mariko, who looked sickly pale as she realized how close to death she came yesterday. She was fidgeting and looking around in panic, her brain trying to comprehend what will happen to her now and what to do.

And as expected, the eldest from the group, Isamu, looked almost anciently calm, his emotions perfectly veiled by both ages of experience and his training. If one looked deeper, though, it was obvious the man felt sad about what happened to his clan.

"So Itachi really betrayed us?" Isamu asked in a resigned tone of a man who already knew the answer, causing the two women to snap their eyes towards him, demanding answers.

"What do you mean? Itachi? That sweet quiet kid who was kind to everyone?" Mariko questioned with a shocked gasp while Izumi only hung her head low. Rei, however, could clearly see her clenched and shaking fists on her knees in barely restrained anger and anguish.

To Mariko's question, Isamu only sadly shook his head, showing he himself didn't want to believe that Itachi would be capable of such a decision as slaughtering his own family, and yet, it happened.

Izumi took a deep breath and slowly raised her head towards Rei as she quietly asked, "My grandmother... may I bury her corpse?"

Rei smiled at her determined look and nodded, "Of course." He said and saw Izumi instantly relax in relief and her guard slightly lowered in a show that Rei was slowly gaining her trust. It was almost cute how easy it was to garner some goodwill... really. What use would he have for the body of an aged civilian? He resisted the urge to shake his head in amus.e.m.e.nt.

That said, he wouldn't go telling them his Shadow Corps harvested the Sharingan from the corpses of the ninjas who wanted to rebel or were far too arrogant for their own good and therefore forsaken by Rei. These corpses his ninjas didn't bother collecting when they were retreating from Konoha so unless someone broke the secrecy seal on his Shadow Corps, Tsunade will have a neat supply of Sharingan eyes for a study with nobody from the Uchiha clan the wiser. Not like they could complain since the results will be used to improve the bloodline of the loyal Uchihas anyway.

Rei was quite content watching the reactions of his three guests. If he took lead in the discussion from the start, he wouldn't be able to assess them as thoroughly as he did now, which led him to some interesting discoveries, especially when Isamu's reactions were concerned.

"You suspected Itachi?" Rei asked Isamu, his eyes glinting at that bit of information, "Does that mean everybody in the Elder Council suspected Itachi of being a spy? Better yet... does that mean Fugaku suspected Itachi?" His amus.e.m.e.nt was only increasing as he imagined how Fugaku must have felt when after he sent his son to be an ANBU for Konoha in order to better the Uchiha clan, he found out the said son actually did his job and was an ANBU FOR Konoha, and not for the clan.

Isamu gave a tired half-smile that looked quite pitiful on the ancient man. "Let me first introduce myself. I am Isamu Uchiha, as you probably know since I was picked to talk with you." He lightly bowed his head, showing his age was not as restricting as his wrinkles would signify. "May I inquire what exactly do you expect from our clan now that you have us in your grasp?"

The second Isamu voiced that question, both Izumi and Mariko stiffened, only now understanding what Rei meant when announced he 'saved' them. Only now they at least partially realized the implications of what happened yesterday and what it meant they woke up opposite to Rei. They were not here to discuss the weather and have fun. Only now did the severity of their situation really enter their mind with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Rei was happy, hearing Isamu's question. Honestly, if the old man actually let himself be led astray by useless chatter and ignored the important bits, Rei would be disappointed. After all, the man was chosen because of his lifelong care for his clan.

"I want to integrate your clan into my village." Rei started, raising his hand to forestall any arguing from Izumi and Mariko who were already opening their mouths. "You should understand that your clan has no home in Konoha anymore. Any Uchiha who would show up in the world will most likely be pronounced as a rogue ninja and hunted with extreme prejudice by Konoha. For Konoha, your clan is extinct with only Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha remaining. It would be awfully suspicious if more Uchiha clansmen started popping up all over the Elemental Nations, now, wouldn't it?" Rei grinned at the disgruntled look of Isamu. The old man clearly knew what it all meant and what was not explicitly told. He knew what was in the shadows, not clearly seen. Mariko and Izumi though had no idea and as such, Rei had to elaborate. "The people who orc.h.e.s.trated the Uchiha Massacre won't, CAN'T let the Uchiha clan live. Even if you managed to return to Konoha and reinstate your clan, in due time, another attempt at wiping you out would be performed. Just think! What would it mean if it came out that Konoha tried to wipe out one of their founding clans? That it was not just an act of one maniac but of Konoha higher-ups? What would it signify for the other clans in the village?" Rei shook his head. No... The Uchiha clan had to be silently buried if Konoha was to prosper. Otherwise, it would eventually lead to a civil war that would destroy Konoha. Clans would not be able to trust the Hokage if the information that he condoned a massacre spread.

"To give things more into the perspective, here." Rei put a paper on the table between him and his three guests. Taking and reading it, Isamu's eyes widened and his jaw slightly dropped in astonishment while his body shook in disbelief.

There. It was the order for Itachi Uchiha to kill his clan. Signed by Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi alongside his two advisors. If Isamu had any complaint against the integration, it was a long-forgotten history now. He understood his clan has no other choice in the current situation. Rei could basically throw them out and they would be systematically hunted by Konoha, other villages that would want to breed them or get their hands on Sharingan, Rogue ninjas for monetary reasons, and... well, they were quite screwed and the man in front of Isamu seemed like their best and only bet.

Isamu sighed and handed the doc.u.ment to Izumi and Mariko. "Hiruzen's signature is forged. He doesn't have such exaggerated strokes while signing things. That doesn't matter though." He sighed again, this time more tiredly. "Yes, Lord Rei, I think our situation and your proposition are quite clear. On behalf of the Uchiha clan, I accept and vow to help integrate my clan with your village." He stated, getting a goggle-eyed stare from Mariko and Izumi to which Isamu just bitterly smiled. He was a part of the Elder council. It was simply too easy to deduce why he was the only Elder present for an important negotiation such as this or why the Clan Head was not present. The fate of his clan was now on his shoulders and he would be damned to doom it.

"Good," Rei nodded in satisfaction before a Cheshire grin spread through his lips, "Now, I would like to hear the bit about Itachi and your suspicions. I want to hear about the supposed rebellion from your point of view. I want to know what the Uchihas were thinking, doing something as stupid as planning a rebellion against Konoha." Rei's eyes sparkled in anticipation. "Well? Do tell."

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Chapter 227 - Ch227. The tale of the Uchiha rebellion

Isamu grimaced, not really in the mood to tell that kind of tale. He actually hoped his host would not ask again about Itachi and their suspicions but Rei looked far too eager to hear it.

Sighing in resignation, he decided he might as well tell the story from the very start, "To put things into proper perspective, I have to start right at the founding of Konoha. I have no d.e.s.i.r.e to repeat well-known history nor spin some long-winded and boring tale of the Uchiha clan's evolution since the founding. All I want to point out is that people close to Madara's level are extremely rare and valuable to clans." Isamu pointed out with a sad smile, "Since the founding of Konoha, the Uchiha clan produced only five S-rank ninjas altogether! You must understand that strong ninjas are the lifeline of a clan, any clan. And yet, currently, there is no S-ranked ninja from any Konoha clan except Tsunade Senju."

"Aha, so that's where Itachi comes in. He was supposed to be your secret ace and the symbol of Uchiha's resurging power. The new Uchiha 'genius'." Rei chuckled in understanding and Isamu smiled sadly.

"Yes. When Fugaku discovered the sheer talent of his firstborn, he was immensely proud. He might not be the best man but he genuinely cared about his son despite not really showing it. On the other hand, he was also the clan head and that meant certain responsibilities. Having a strong heir was a must for Fugaku and so, Itachi was trained and raised to love his clan. After all, one day, it would... should have been him to lead the clan." Isamu explained bitterly, "Our clan was always somewhat shunned. Sometimes justly, other times not, that was fine. The real problems, however, came with the Kyuubi Rampage." He quieted down for a second to calm himself, "We were relocated to the outskirts and that was unacceptable for many. Demeaning, even. The proverbial last straw. And so... the young Itachi got an even heavier burden placed on his shoulders since some radical views started to appear among some of the more arrogant Uchiha clansmen.."

Hearing that, Izumi seemed a bit saddened before her eyes hardened as any compassion drained from her when she imagined the corpse of her grandmother. It was obvious that whatever friendship there was, was now completely shattered.

"Itachi was the most promising Uchiha in the last fifty years. It was only natural Fugaku would push him hard in his training. Though..." Isamu grimaced. "I warned Fugaku not to place the boy into Konoha ANBU. I vehemently argued against that. The boy was supposed to be our most important pillar. Sure, in ANBU, Itachi won a lot of prestige and political leverage for the clan. Sadly, it also gave Hiruzen free access to the kid." Isamu shook his head in discontent.

'And it again goes and comes to the fabled Hiruzen Sarutobi. Honestly, how many talented young boys did the man corrupt?' Rei idly mused. He was aware that being Hokage didn't come with a free pass to do anything one d.e.s.i.r.ed. Dictatorship or not, clans had rights. The Hokage couldn't really go on his merry way influencing clan heirs without any reason.

"Around two years ago, the situation became more unbearable for the clan. Discontent voices rose to more prominence and the more arrogant ninjas started to openly complain. Funnily enough, I have no idea where it even all started. Was it intentional or not? Who knows..." Isamu admitted, "That said, Fugaku had to do something and fast or face a civil war in the clan, something he wanted to desperately avoid. It would simply be a lose-lose situation no matter which side would win."

It was obvious Isamu was disgruntled at remembering that. Not like Rei could blame the man. Family killing a family really didn't have any positive outcome, no? The Uchiha clan would be weakened either way.

"Civil war? ... Are you serious?" Mariko gulped as she for the first time heard something like that despite being one of the best-connected merchants in the Uchiha clan.

"Unfortunately. We didn't advertise it to the civilians but the radicals were pretty stubborn then. Fugaku really had no other choice than to start the 'rebellion club' and go complaining slash threaten the Hokage that our clan had had enough. Much to my shame, I was the only one against the plan from the Elder Council. It was obvious to whoever logically considered the thought of one clan going against an entire village that we would lose if it came to trading blows."

'Well, duh. There were barely a thousand Uchihas before the massacre and from that only about two hundred were ninjas. And that is counting genins. Two hundred versus a village of thousands. Gee, one doesn't have to be a genius to figure it out.' Rei mentally rolled his eyes.

"Then again, Fugaku never really wanted the situation to escalate into an open rebellion." Isamu shrugged and the other occupants of the room stilled in surprise.

'So the guy wasn't total bonkers, then!' Rei thought in relief.

"It was simply a ploy to appease the radical Uchihas and buy time while Fugaku negotiates with the Hokage. He needed time to figure out how to calm them down. Unfortunately, it took more than two years of back and forth, one side asking for something with the other denying it. Suddenly, even Fugaku was unable to stop the radicals and if he went against them, he would be usurped. It was only logical to play along while trying harder to persuade Hokage to give the Uchiha clan something that would calm them down."

"Itachi got involved and became a double spy due to his identity as an ANBU operative and Uchiha clan heir. It was surely on Hiruzen's insistence despite the fact it is frowned upon to ask a clan member to spy on his own clan, much less his own clan head. The boy must have thought himself subtle about it but really... as if a twelve years old could outsmart old geezers who were in this trade before his father was not even a distant thought." Isamu chuckled in amus.e.m.e.nt at the memory before his lips twisted into a grimace, "It was also gut-wrenching to see the father and the son progressively more and more mistrustful of each other behind their cold facades. But worst of all, it all escalated so quickly..." Isamu shook his head in sadness.

"And when Itachi attacked, none of you actually expected it, did you?" Rei smirked. Danzo basically blind-sighted them. They were well on their way to negotiate some tangible concessions when Danzo suddenly forged a signed order for a wholesale massacre.

"Well, to be honest, who would expect to be attacked in their own village? In their own clan compound? By their own ninja? No... we really didn't expect it from Itachi. Spying? Sure. Sabotage? Possible. Misinformation? Obviously. But a killing spree and backstabbing? The boy is thirteen, for Sennin's sake!" Isamu snorted. "There were rumors but that's all that was to it. Simple rumors about Itachi's hand in Shisui's mysterious death. Nobody expected him to start cutting people down that night. He was our damned clan heir!" Isamu angrily retorted, flaring his nostrils as he vented the sudden slip in his self-control.

"And here we are." Rei said.

"And yet here we are..." Isamu admitted, somewhat resignedly. "Let's just focus on the current problem of integration. I am far too old to deal with problems like what happened yesterday."

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Chapter 228 - Ch228. Morning with Tsunade

Rei stood in the kitchen and busied himself with cooking for himself and Tsunade who sat behind a table, completely nude, with her b.r.e.a.s.ts resting on it as she supported her chin with her hands, nothing concealing her silly but happy grin and tomato-like blush while her eyes contently rested on Rei's back.

It was one of those mornings where she could simply let go of every worry and focus only on herself and Rei, basking in her beloved's sweet satisfying calming presence as he calmly cooked for her while she tried to put herself together after yet another mind-blowing night full of senjutsu enhanced s.e.x. She really needed a few calm hours to make sure her shivering and twitching ceased. A few hours of bliss that Rei promptly made even better by cooking her his nature energy-filled food that did nothing but put her that much closer to yet another o.r.g.a.s.m. Oh... Tsunade already knew what they will be doing after the anticipated mouth-watering breakfast.

After all, ever since they returned from visiting the Fire Capital, this little morning ritual of having the 'breakfast' together was quickly becoming one of Tsunade's sinful enjoyments she really, really didn't want to stop. Rei just had to find yet another way to make her completely addicted to him, didn't he? A well-rested body and slack, still half-asleep mind, post-coital bliss that simply won't cease for hours, and food that could melt her with sheer deliciousness and the incredible aroma... It was simply torture by p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e!

Tsunade shivered yet again, her fingers slightly digging into her cheek and her legs clamping together while her toes curled as her still s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e body reacted to her thoughts. Gritting her teeth as she tried to prevent herself from becoming a fleshy puddle of goo on the table by having a thought-induced o.r.g.a.s.m, Tsunade recognized her immediate need for distraction. She couldn't bask in the soothing presence Rei was purposefully excluding while her body was still so s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and the rich aroma of his food was making her mind wander into places where her back was pressed into the soft bed while his body pressed on hers and his strong arms...

'Agrhrrrr!' Tsunade mentally shook herself when her mind again wandered while outwardly it came out as a soft self-conscious whimper. 'Gotta talk about something or... quickly!' Tsunade contently closed her eyes to calm down a bit so she can at least think straight for a second before uttering the first thing on her mind and embarrassing herself more. Oh, how she both loved and hated these moments.

"Any news from Konoha? They still have no clue what happened during the Uchiha massacre?" Tsunade finally found a topic they both had in common. Honestly, it was a bit awkward the first time she started ranting about advanced medic-ninja stuff and she only after two hours realized Rei didn't have a foggiest what she was spouting. Then again, it was cute how he still listened despite...

"Yeah," Rei replied, making Tsunade's wandering mind focus on him, "I am checking on them daily since the Massacre. No change these two months, to be honest. From what Konan's information network and my observations tell me, nobody who is not in our village but Obito and Itachi knows what really happened. Even then, these two have no real clue who interrupted their mission." Rei carelessly shrugged, "Konoha was briefly in an uproar when the bodies dissolved in their morgue but honestly, there was simply no evidence to follow so they reluctantly gave up. I gotta say, good job with that, Tsunade."

Blushing slightly, Tsunade grinned, "Thanks."

"How is the Sasuke kid?" Rei asked Tsunade.

That was yet another shock for Rei. He honestly thought he would get all the Uchihas only to miss Sasuke for whatever reason. The kid was not in the compound during the attack. This little fact somehow eluded Rei which somewhat messed his plans up. Rei really wasn't about to try kidnapping the kid. Not when he was so sure lil' Sasuke would have a non-stop ANBU guard on his a.s.s. As such, Sasuke was still the last Uchiha in Konoha. Funny how fate worked.

"Ah... broody as heck, gloomy as f.u.c.k, and quiet too. At least Anko is happy he is not complaining when she put him through his paces. According to her, Naruto has enough decibels for both of them. Frankly, I have no idea how did this even happen." Tsunade amusedly shook her head.

About a month after the Massacre, Tsunade got a message from Anko that Naruto Uzumaki made Sasuke his rival. Naturally, Naruto trashed Sasuke in every way imaginable since he was trained by Anko. To Rei's surprise, however, Sasuke wasn't the cold jerk he remembered from the show. It took Rei only a few seconds to realize that because of him, Itachi had no time or energy to subject Sasuke to Tsukuyomi of his clan being massacred again and again. The brat was still a broody and dark-ish emo creature of grief and hurt but he was not THAT bad yet. Clearly, Naruto did some talk-no-jutsu when he met him in the academy and voila, Anko found herself having two brats running around in the Senju compound while the ANBU following Sasuke could only witlessly stand on the edge of the said compound, not knowing what to do.

Really, both Rei and Tsunade found that as funny as it was jaw-dropping. This was a total coincidence as Anko and Naruto didn't have even an inkling of what really happened during the massacre and the fact their agents in Konoha still helped their schemes along without even knowing it made Rei and Tsunade their day.

Rei finished the food and put two plates on the table, one in front of Tsunade who slightly m.o.a.n.e.d when she smelled it, and one in front of himself as he sat down and briefly enjoyed Tsunade's nude c.h.e.s.t laying on display on the table, her n.i.p.p.l.es still hard, showing just how horny she still was. Not for a second did Rei doubt she did that on purpose... and damn was it working!

"I heard you joined the Uchiha Re-training Program as an instructor." Rei spoke, trying to divert his attention from Tsunade's b.r.e.a.s.ts and the tight feeling in his pants, "One Senju against the entire clan? That must have been... humbling."

Tsunade smirked in glee at how reluctantly Rei tried to lift his eyes from her c.h.e.s.t. This feeling was only enhanced as she relished in the knowledge he failed! She could still see how his pupils were slightly lower than they should be. A normal person wouldn't even notice but she was both medic and ninja. It was easy to note that Rei's eyes were positioned to look at her face but he was still staring at her b.r.e.a.s.ts!

'Heh, there is no better feeling than knowing my man d.e.s.i.r.es me.' Tsunade basked in Rei's attention, straightening her back which pushed her b.r.e.a.s.t slightly forward, made them that much more tempting.

"That's the entire point of the program, isn't it?" She almost purred. "Beat the arrogance out of them."

Rei took a long breath and finally tore his eyes from Tsunade's c.h.e.s.t, centering himself and slightly smiling at his victory when he saw her lips curl into a small frown. "Yeah, I am just happy Isamu did his job and nobody tried to run away. Now that would be awkward."

"Well, you do have Silencing seals on them. It's not like they could go blabbing around about the existence of our village. Uchihas are arrogant ponces. They are not stupid. I am sure most of them actually realizes their situation in full and see this chance you provided for what it is. A chance at survival. It really helps you are offering them additional benefits. Once my research is done... I really don't think the Uchiha clan will ever leave the village even if you tried to remove them kicking and screaming. Their bloodline is simply that important to them." Tsunade hummed and started eating.

Rei nodded. Tsunade was researching how to awaken Sharingan in every single Uchiha kid. She was actually almost done with it and yesterday's night of wild s.e.x was a celebration of the partial completion of her research. Rei assigned her that task and so she felt she was entitled to certain... rewards. Not that Rei would argue that point with her. It was as much rewarding for him as it was for her, after all.

In any case, Tsunade found a way to help awaken Sharingan and m.a.t.u.r.e it in a few years without all that near-death-situation crap. By the time the Uchiha clan kids leave the academy in their village, they will all have fully m.a.t.u.r.ed Sharingan and actually know how to use it. In hindsight... yeah, Rei could see how the Uchiha clan would never leave. Especially since the method will be one of the village secrets locked behind so many secrecy seals it would spook even Danzo.

"Well, I still think subjecting kids to traumatizing genjutsu of their parents being slaughtered and tortured in front of their eyes on the starting day is a bit too brutal." Rei pondered aloud. "But I can see the benefits. It will just require quite a bit of psychological help."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Leave that to me. That's the job for my department." She dismissed his concerns. "This way our little ninjas will be prepared for the day when they find themselves in the kill or be killed situation. If they complain about it or can't put themselves together after the experience, they are not fit to be a ninja." She shrugged. "My Sharingan Awakening Serum can only do so much. It can only grant the kids who would otherwise never be able to awaken the bloodline a chance to do precisely that. I am afraid, the trauma still has to be administered in proper amounts for it to work. Leave the academy to me and Konan. We both know our methods are brutal but I would rather encourage our academy students to explore their mental and physical limits in a controlled environment rather than die somewhere in a ditch because they overestimated themselves."

Rei snorted but let it go. He knew she was right. There was nothing to argue about. He decided to attack his food with a newfound vigor to vent his slight frustration.

Tsunade watched as Rei chomped on his food and the feeling of contentment again spread through her body. The first stage of her surprise plan was finished thanks to the Uchiha Massacre. Since she and Rei came back from the visit to the Fire Capital, she wondered how she could be useful to Rei. With the recent events and their... consequences, Tsunade finally found an answer and pulled together a plan. From what happened recently, she was sure Rei would be pleased and she couldn't wait to see his shock and delight once he found out!

Briefly, Tsunade pondered if she should tell him about her plan but then again, that would take away the whole point of surprise. In the end, she decided against it. After all... 'What could go wrong?'

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Chapter 229 - Ch229. Coming to the Wind Capital

Days quickly passed and while Tsunade departed from the Village on the Other Side to polish and enact her own plans, Rei had no idea about it since just a day prior he left with Pakura to deal with his own machinations.

They were currently on the front of the deck of a boat sporting the Uzushio Trading Company logo on its sails, about a few minutes away from entering the Wind Capital's docks. They naturally could just teleport there, and if they did that, they would already be in the Wind Capital long ago but sadly, in politics, posturing and appearances do matter.

Rei was amused when Pakura vehemently refused to be subtle. According to her, the nobles of the Wind country are too thick to understand a subtle approach. Hence, they decided to go with blatantly obvious. After all, it was Pakura who was born in this country. As such, Rei decided to leave everything to her and simply enjoy looking at her behin, ahem, at her from behind as she deals with the pompous aristocratic gits.

It wasn't that Rei hated nobles. On the contrary, to be honest. He quite liked to deal with them but the nobles of the Wind Country were a tad bit too much for his exalted tastes. The country was situated in a desert and that meant harsh life for its inhabitants. Food, wood, and sometimes even water had to be imported because of that. Needless to say, the prices for these things were a bit higher than in other countries.

This put the import of food into an entirely new perspective for both nobles and merchants in the country. Usually, one made a pact with another, and then the noble tried to appeal to the Daimyo for exclusive import rights for the merchant on various types of food during one of the bi-decadal conventions in the Wind Capital, trying to rake up as much profit as possible by legal means. Hence, the prices were even higher than they should have been.

Rei wasn't against stealing. He understood the... urge. That said, he firmly believed when a person is in politics, he or she should first do the job before stealing from the remaining funds. What irked Rei was that the nobles of the Wind Country swindled money by feeding their subjects, which is basically their primary responsibility anyway, and then had the gal to be arrogant about it! Well, that was the entire reason why Rei was even here. He simply wanted to see how Pakura presents herself and the interests of the Uzushio Trading Company at the next convention. After all, they were going for a literal steal!

Seeing how nervous Pakura was, Rei chuckled before placing his hand on hers in a comforting gesture, earning himself a small smile from the usually strict woman.

"Don't worry. All you have to do is to shame a few stuck-up pricks and propose the Uzushio Trading Company's food import deal. With the prices we are offering..." Rei shrugged in a show of what he thought about the chances of the Daimyo agreeing to anybody else's deal.

He had to agree... Pakura was not very good at negotiating a business deal. In fact, she was possibly the worst of his wives for such a thing. Even Mei and Ringo could bully and threaten somebody into doing something but Pakura liked a more level-headed, polite, and rational approach. Honestly, her personality hindered her more in these situations.

Pakura was first and foremost an administrator. That's where she shined while Tsunade took care of business and Konan of politics. Compared to Tsunade and Konan, Pakura wasn't exactly talented and Rei surmised that's why she was currently nervous.

"I am not worried about our cover. I am worried about our real objective." She wryly frowned and snuggled closer to Rei.

"Ah..." Rei nodded knowingly, "Don't worry about that. I have it all arranged." He smugly added, causing Pakura to give him an inquisitive look but it seemed, Rei was deadset on not revealing anything to her. "You should relax, 'Kura." Rei kissed her forehead, "I know it was years since you interacted with anybody from the Wind Country, and being back might feel weird..."

Rei suddenly found himself unable to continue as Pakura's lips landed on his, interrupting his sentence. For some reason, he didn't really mind as he gazed into her grateful and somewhat relieved eyes.

They parted, still embracing each other, and Pakura finally smiled, "Thank you."

Seeing her body finally relax, Rei nuzzled his chin on the top of her head, quite liking her shorter figure at the moment. "Just remember, we are not here to cause a conflict. We are here only to threaten one. As long as you remember that, you won't go too far."

"And if I do?"

"Then... may Hagoromo have mercy on their soul." Rei snorted before affectionately whispering into her ear. "No matter my schemes and their success, in the end, you and my other four vixens are the most important thing to me. The continent could burn as long as you are safe and happy." Rei paused and enjoyed how Pakura's embrace tightened before grinning, "Then again, it's not like the Wind Daimyo's family would suffer from a bit of preventive culling. There is certainly enough of them. Honestly, the pest control of this country..."

Pakura rolled her eyes at that but there was far too much amus.e.m.e.nt in them for the gesture to seem anything but jovial. "The Wind Daimyo was a bad man, Rei. He is a very approachable and reasonable person. The only fault I could find with him is that he simply enjoys his women and his women enjoy his money. That's all."

"Yeah, and while they do so, they also birth him a whole litter. Pakura... the man has over eighty children and is barely in his mid-thirties." Rei deadpanned, causing her to blush.

Pakura knew this verbal battle was lost before she even started defending the Wind Daimyo. She didn't really do it because of any lingering loyalty. She simply liked the reluctant jealousy in Rei's eyes when she talked about the man. Then again, the Wind Daimyo did spend a considerable time sending her offer after offer to become anything from concubine to consort, all the way to proper wife when she was still a Suna kunoichi. For her, it was a very cute and satisfying feeling that Rei felt so possessively about her. It made her feel wanted and appreciated.

Rei, on the other hand, decided it was not worth further discussion. The man was the goddamn ruler of his country and currently, he had thirty-eight heirs with various women ranked from maids to nobles and everything in between, not even counting the daughters who would be interested in inheriting the throne through either marriage to one of their brothers or, well, more violent methods. Rei was going to enjoy spectating that particular succession battle, that's for sure.

Fortunately for both of them, the Wind Capital harbor peeked from the horizon, ending their discussion as they enjoyed the marvelous sight spreading in front of them.

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Chapter 230 - Ch230. Feast

Rei and Pakura sat on their knees on the plush pillows, in front of them a well-decorated wooden table of low height, barely reaching their waist. They were located in the corner of a massive throne room of the Wind Daimyo, unnoticed because they 'forgot' to mention to the waiters which company they represented, simply saying they were here for the Food Import Convention. Since anybody could turn up as long as they represented a food-producing company, nobody really paid much attention to them in the chaos of seating and serving all the guests. Rei was amused that nobody even asked the name of their company while Pakura looked mutinous at the mere thought of such disregard for safety, taking notes of what the organizers did wrong so when she has to organize such an event, she will know what needs special attention.

As for their seating... the more important one's company is, the closer to the Daimyo he was to be seated. This was something everybody was supposed to know, hence when they didn't complain at being given a seat as far away from the ruler as possible, even the waiters simply dismissed them, not even bothering to ask about their identity.

In the end, it wasn't as if some no-name company had a chance to get a deal. The real money-makers were firmly in the hands of nobles. It was less of a competition between the merchants and more between the nobles where the merchant supported by the winning noble got the deal. Granted, every once in a while some lucky upstart earned rights for this or that product but in the grand scheme of things, it didn't really matter. The market was firmly divided between the main players and everybody knew it.

The throne room was marvelous, lavish, gigantic, and almost exaggeratedly decorated, appropriately showing the importance of the current event. In the front, on an elevated platform, the Daimyo, a somewhat plump brown-haired man, sat surrounded by his rightful heir, a pompous-looking boy of fourteen years of age, and the mother of his heir, obviously a noblewoman from birth who oozed arrogance. According to what Rei heard, the woman was first the Daimyo's consort and only attained the position of wife after the previous one 'mysteriously' died alongside her three children on their holidays.

Honestly, the Royal family didn't impress Rei. Not at all. He leaned closer to Pakura and softly whispered, gesturing with his eyes at Daimyo's wife. "See that cow? She is milking every ounce of self-importance in her immediate surroundings so hard, it produces a permanent scowl on her face. To think you could have been in her place..." Rei snickered, earning himself a playful swat from Pakura as she mock-scowled at him.

It indeed was a bit amusing for her how unpredictable fate can be. If she didn't refuse the Daimyo's offer all these years back and insisted to be his legitimate wife, it would indeed be her scowling next to him, most likely with a child or ten around her. Shuddering thoughts.

"I am actually surprised Mikumi has only one child with her." Pakura quietly replied, "That tells you how he really feels about her considering she became his consort fifteen years ago."

"Right. With his... er, stamina..." Rei bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.

Pakura rolled her eyes, trying to appear fed up but the slight smile on her face was ruining it for her. She quickly pecked Rei on the lips in an attempt to shut his chuckling up, right as the Daimyo stood up, causing the hall full of nobles and merchants to quieten down.

"Countrymen, Friends, and Visitors, welcome! Today, we came together to decide who will gain the responsibility of feeding my subjects! I am pleased to see so many of you here, prepared to present your offers and willing to make a trading agreement with me for the next five years. That said, I formally open the Wind Country Food Convention. Before we start with the main point of this day, I would like you to partake in the hospitality of the Wind Country. Please, enjoy the feast." The Daimyo's surprisingly pleasant voice spread through the room, causing a moderate cheering and clapping before the servants started serving food to the guests.

It was a tradition to have a monumental feast with loads of food from every corner of the known world before the main event began... that's actually why so many guests turned up despite knowing they will likely be leaving without getting the deal.

After all, it wasn't as if they could not sell food in the Wind Country. It was just that the winners today will get many advantages, tax exemptions, and benefits that would actually make selling their food products even more profitable.

Rei and Pakura quietly ate in peace, enjoying the delicacies served to them, acting as if it was a date and not an important political event. At times, they affectionately fed each other all the while whispering small sweet little nothings, completely ignoring the bewildered stares of their neighbors from the tables around them. When they finally noticed how much attention they garnered from those around them, Rei simply put his arms around Pakura and started kissing her, despite her weak protests. She was simply far too eager in returning his affections for the protests to be real.

Neither of them cared what the people around them thought since nobody wanted to make a scene. They also sat too far back and in the corner for anybody of much importance to pay attention to them. Even the Daimyo on his elevated platform overseeing the whole massive room would have a hard time spotting them. As the couple expected, their neighbors simply tried to ignore them in between all of the concerned and embarrassed glances they threw at them. It wasn't as if the busy-bodies could loudly protest or something. Needless to say, both Pakura and Rei were proud of themselves for making so many people uncomfortable.

Two hours later, the feast slowly started to near its end and Pakura suddenly noticed a man near the Daimyo. Instantly poking Rei, she discreetly pointed at him.

"The exuberating man in the Levander frilly kimono is Harasawa Kuroto. The sly-looking black-haired man sitting next to him is Karano Kyo from the Country of Rice."

"Ninja, eh?" Rei pointed out as he felt the man's chakra reserves. "Not a retired one either." Rei frowned. Ninjas did not sell crops for their country. That was a waste of talent and resources. Sure, it can happen but... Ninjas indeed do occasionally retire but these usually do not have jonin-level reserves and their chakra doesn't flow as if it was regularly used. Rei looked suspiciously at Pakura, "Rice Country, you say?"

Pakura nodded, "In the last convention, they won rights for the import of rice and some other crops. Rice Country is known for its agriculture and for some reason, some years back their business policy was completely overhauled. Nobody knows why or where the earnings actually end up." She eyed the sly-looking would-be ninja next to the Wind-country nobleman. "They would be our main competition and I don't expect a fair fight."

"And the girl?" Rei pointed at the sandy-haired girl sitting next to Kyo. "It's been a long while since I saw such a petulant dissatisfied pout on a high-born woman."

"Yeah... That's Harasawa Haruko. Apparently, Kuroto decided Kyo is bringing him enough wealth so he decided to engage his only daughter with him. Clearly, his daughter sees the situation differently."

"Aha." Rei nodded, gears turning in his head. "Say... is she the only child?"

Pakura momentarily halted, pursing her lips. "... Yes." She carefully pondered Rei's quiet suggestion, tilting her head, watching Kuroto as if he was prey. "Good point. Maybe we could promise some... aid."

It didn't take long before Kyo felt the subtle hostile intent aimed their way and started discreetly looking around, still chatting with the blissfully ignorant Kuroto.

Pakura averted her gaze from them, causing Rei to smirk as he saw her brain plotting and scheming in overdrive. He had to nudge her in an attempt to make her stop for the time being, "I just found Rasa. The right side of the room, near the wall, shrouded by some concealment seal. Damn, he really must hate the Wind Daimyo if his glare is any indication."

"Yeah. As you can see, Mikumi is quite tense and slightly leans to the left every time Rasa looks his way. I noticed the Kazekage in the first fifteen minutes." Pakura distractedly confirmed, still shrewdly glancing between Haruko and the Wind Daimyo.

'To think she was such a ball of nerves before.' Rei thought proudly. He wasn't about to bring Pakura's attention to her state but he was satisfied with how she held herself. 'All it took was to redirect her attention towards work. Typical Pakura.' He reminded himself affectionately.

Suddenly silence spread through the room as the Daimyo finally stood up, and exclaimed, "Esteemed guests! I hope you enjoyed the feast. Now... let the main event begin!"

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Chapter 231 - Ch231. Unbeatable deal 1

As the Wind Daimyo stood up and announced the beginning of the main part of the meeting, the whole hall became completely silent, waiting for him to proceed.

"As is customary, we will begin with the contract for the import of rice." The Daimyo glanced at Kuroto who almost preened, "Anyone who is interested may speak now, or be quiet for the next five years!"

And for a moment, nobody did.

Everybody knew who would most likely win the deal for the import of rice. Only the Hasagawa Family had considerable tax exemptions on several food products, including rice. Worse yet, Hasagawa sponsored Karano Kyo who was the representative of the Country of Rice, the most agricultural country on the continent. It was widely known the amount of rice they could supply would dwarf anyone else's proposition. Because of that, Hasagawa could ask for quite a high price for the import of rice and even if somebody offered a cheaper alternative, they wouldn't win the contract for the simple reason that Kyo could provide rice in much greater amounts and of superior quality than anybody else.

Rice was far too important for the Wind Country. It was easily stored and moved, and yet could be easily imported in huge quantities while lasting an incredibly long time. It was the staple food of the whole country so as long as the price was not extremely exaggerated the deciding factor for the Daimyo was how much the provider can actually import. Everybody knew that and so... With all the benefits, tax exemptions, and whatnot, the deal was a literal goldmine that nobody could hope to challenge.

Kuroto smugly stood in a leisure manner when everybody stayed silent and beamed at the Wind Daimyo. "Since it seems nobody is actually concerned with the well-being of the people, I, Hasagawa Kuroto, would like to offer my humble service. I am sure that my family's contact with the Rice Country, Karano Kyo, will be delighted to broker a deal between our two nations! I just hope we can settle on a deal beneficial for all the concerned parties." He finished with a light smile.

The Wind Daimyo nodded, looking completely unamused. The bastard basically subtly told him the previous deal and imports of rice would continue only if he gave some additional concessions to the Hasagawa Family. Considering nobody else actually offered an alternative, the Daimyo didn't have even a flimsy excuse to refuse. He simply could NOT refuse. Between all the bribed ministers, blackmail, no other alternative, and the fact that in the previous five years 'somebody' was sabotaging most caravans importing rice that is not from the Rice Country...

'F.u.c.k.i.n.g Rasa. That damn no-good piece of trash! Five years and he, a person in charge of an entire village of ninjas, can't figure out who is attacking the food merchants? Bullshit! I am sure the Rice prick has some kind of deal with that bastard.' The Daimyo wistfully thought while inwardly sighing. He was sick of having to employ ninjas from other countries as guards for important things because, obviously, Rasa was not as loyal as his position would suggest.

Yes, the Wind Daimyo knew that Suna was suffering extreme financial problems since he and Rasa started silently feuding. That however didn't mean Rasa could just go behind his back and make deals that would in the long run hurt his country!

'If only the blasted fool realized that. I might hate him beyond all reason but Suna is my freaking main war deterrent! Yet, I can't even make use of them because of an arrogant twit who wants to play political games and then dump all the blame at my feet, saying the Suna villagers suffer because I refuse to play nice with him.'

The Daimyo started to get a bit irritated and decided to squash these thoughts as he turned towards the silent hall. With one twitch of his lips, he decided to follow the protocol and give one last customary question in the usual self-assured tone, "I ask for the last time, is there anyone else in attendance who would like to compete for the benefits of the main provider of rice for the Wind Country?"

His hopes plummeted as nobody said anything. The Daimyo knew it wasn't that nobody wanted the position. It was simply that nobody thought they could win and even if they did win, they would be disadvantaged. It simply wasn't a good deal. Most of the biggest rice suppliers already withdrew from the country anyway because of the rice shipment raids as of late.

'Well, I tried but I spotted the problems with the other rice imports far too late to do anything substantial before this meeting. Guess I will simply have to gift another five-year-long license to Hasagawas and spend more time trying to drive this filth away from my country in the following five years. I wonder if I should start employing Konoha or Iwa ninjas for that...'

Realizing the people are waiting for him, he spoke, hating how gleeful Kuroto Hasagawa looked. "In that case, the deal goes to Has-"

The people grew confused as the Daimyo cut himself in the middle of the sentence. Not long after that, their attention was drawn to the clanging sound of footsteps. Turning their heads, they saw the reason for the unexpected distraction.

A woman was walking closer towards the front of the hall, her steps echoing with confidence and purpose.

The Daimyo couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the woman in wonder and felt as if a lump blocked his throat, preventing him from speaking. The only thing he managed to choke out was a quiet disbelieving, "Pakura…?"

The woman to whom he owed his life and the safety of his country, the hero of the third ninja war, was alive!

...

As the Daimyo was looking at the people in the hall for somebody wanting to fight Hasagawas for the rice deal, Pakura kissed Rei one last time, "I guess, that's my cue. Wish me luck."

Rei simply nodded, supportively squeezing her hand before letting go with a whimsical smirk on his face, "Give 'em hell, dear."

Pakura chuckled before silently standing up and starting to raze her path towards the front of the hall, weaving through the guests, attracting a lot of attention the closer she got.

Finally, the Daimyo spotted her and Pakura had to stifle the urge to snicker at his baffled expression when she stopped a respectable distance before the elevated platform and slightly bowed her head in a show of respect, ignoring the gasp of surprise from the right side of the hall where Rasa sat.

"I am Pakura, the representative of the Uzushio Trading Company." That elicited more surprised gasps from the audience and even a hopeful widening of the Daimyo's eyes, "We recently decided to branch out," She nonchalantly shrugged, "As such, we would like to compete for the Rice Import Agreement against the Hasegawa Family. May the better supplier win." With an amused and somewhat mocking smirk, she looked at Kyo and Kuroto who looked as if they ate a lemon.

The Uzushio Trading Company may have started operating only recently but... everyone in the hall suddenly grew restless as they realized the most important thing.

How in the hell were they supposed to compete against one of the ric.h.e.s.t international superpowers once it started encroaching on their business field!?

Just like that... the hall descended into mayhem.

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Chapter 232 - Ch232. Unbeatable deal 2

"I object!" An angry snarl broke everyone from their reverie. "She is a rogue ninja! She should be detained!"

Pakura turned to the right as one of her eyebrows rose upward in a completely unamused fashion while her eyes landed on Rasa who was standing up, preparing to attack.

"If I remember correctly... in the doc.u.mentation of the Sunagakure, I am a dead ninja, not a rogue one." Pakura replied in a cold tone, "After all, you did send me on a suicide mission and then wrote me off as an unfortunate casualty. It's not my problem that I survived your blatant attempt at sacrificing me because I was your strongest political opponent." She sneered, stopping Rasa in his tracks, his eyes worriedly glancing at the Daimyo who now listened with quite intense interest, angrily narrowing his eyes at what he just heard. Unimpressed, Pakura simply continued, "Don't worry, Rasa. This convention would last for a few days. I am sure we can make time with the Daimyo to discuss why exactly you so stupidly broke one of the very few laws that still apply to the Kazekage."

In the back of the hall, Rei smirked. He couldn't wait to see that conversation. After all, any Kage was exempt from many laws of the land. That however didn't mean they could do whatever they wished. There were still a few laws they had to abide by. Not willfully sending ninjas to their death without a good reason or a good benefit showing for it was one of them. Unfortunately for Rasa, an attempt to kill one of the biggest threats to him keeping the position of Kazekage was NOT a good enough reason.

Normally, Rasa would face no repercussions no matter what he did but right now, they were in front of the only man who was figuratively speaking higher than him in the political pecking order. Having Pakura reveal this little incident in front of the man... well.

Staring at the angry but silent Rasa as he stupidly stood, confused about what he should do, Pakura deemed he didn't have anything more to say and turned back towards the Wind Daimyo, "I think we should get back to discussing the reason why we gathered here today before the rude interruption." She then retrieved a doc.u.ment from her pocket and gestured for a nearby servant to take it and bring it to the Daimyo since she couldn't approach closer due to the rules. "That is our offer. I am sure you will find it more than generous."

Everyone stared in silence, eagerly awaiting Daimyo's response while he took the doc.u.ment from his servant and started to read it. Only Kuroto Hasagawa and Karano Kyo stared in star-struck disbelief that somebody indeed dared to try competing against them. The same disbelief started to slowly morph into a foreboding sense of dread the more the Daimyo's lips started widening into a smile as he read Pakura's offer. They obviously knew that the Wind Daimyo wasn't pleased with them having the contract for rice imports. Seeing the same man smiling as if Christmas came sooner than he expected when a counter-offer was provided... yeah, they really didn't like what they were currently witnessing.

Finally done with the doc.u.ment, the Wind Daimyo softly chuckled and his eyes landed on the leisure form of Pakura as she indifferently stood in front of him. The Daimyo couldn't help but appreciate the sight of her, both her physical beauty for which he so relentlessly sent offer after offer to her a few years prior and the fact she yet again pulled him out of a dastardly hard situation.

'Saving me from trouble again, huh?' The Daimyo pursed his lips in amus.e.m.e.nt and averted his gaze towards the crowd, "Anyone else wishes to participate in the competition for the Rice Import Contract for the Wind Country between the Uzushio Trading Company and the Hasagawa Family sponsoring the Rice Country representative?" He firmly asked and waited for a few seconds. When nobody reacted, the Daimyo smiled, "In that case, I declare the Uzushio Trading Company winner!"

Pakura knowingly smirked.

Karano Kyo gritted his teeth, thinking about how to mitigate this disaster. He knew returning to his master with the message that the money flow from the Wind Country would stop would earn him some very painful moments as a test subject for his master's scientific endeavors.

Unlike Karano who took the declaration with calmness, Kuroto Hasagawa turned red and only barely managed to keep his voice in line, "WH-at!?" He took several calming breaths, remembering that yelling at the Daimyo would most likely not help his case, "May I ask why we lost?"

The Daimyo looked at him and nodded, "Naturally. That is your right." He passed the doc.u.ment to a servant who took it towards Kuroto. "As you can read from the official offer from the Uzushio Trading Company, they offered ten times the amount of rice you provided in the last five years for half of the price you asked for." He informed Kuroto with unusual barely veiled giddy amus.e.m.e.nt. "Therefore, by the rules of this convention, the contract goes to them."

It was a complete truth too. Pakura's offer was EXACTLY half of the price and EXACTLY ten times the size of what Karano offered through the Hasagawa Family. Only an idiot wouldn't notice that simple fact and what it meant. Pakura must have known weeks before the start of the convention what figures would Karano and Hasagawa try to push for in order to reach such a result.

'There must have been a rat!' Kuroto realized as he clutched the doc.u.ment, frantically reading it. His most lucrative business was just stolen and he could not contest it! If it was just a bit more than their offer, he could do it. But there was no way they could cover ten times the currently promised amount of rice. He was screwed and he knew it.

Pakura smirked at the face he was making, 'Clearly, they didn't meet Konan yet. As if there was information she couldn't acquire with a reasonable amount of effort.'

"But... how can they produce so much!? It is obviously a sham! Uzu Island doesn't even have sufficient space for so much farming!" Kuroto screamed, causing others to start muttering. It has to be said, the amount of rice Karano imported from the Rice Country was massive. It might not have been enough for the whole of the Wind Country but it easily covered 20% of its consumption alone. Ten times that... It was a bit unbelievable.

Pakura just snorted at the blatant accusation, "Our farms were created by partnering with the Biri-Biri company. Their space expansion seals are quite handy for farming on limited space. You are also forgetting that the Uzumaki clan are masters at sealing arts. We can produce a lot more than what we offered to the Wind Country. It's just that the Wind Country doesn't need more than the currently offered amount." Pakura then sharply turned towards the seated guests, "By all means, if you are interested in buying more rice or other kind of crops, contact the Uzushio Trading Company." Pakura was very aware that many representatives of various countries were present at this event. It wouldn't hurt to make a free advertis.e.m.e.nt like this, no?

And with that, she turned back towards the Daimyo, slightly bowed before leaving back towards her seat at the far end of the hall.

"Well, then, let's move on." Daimyo's eyes twinkled with amus.e.m.e.nt, "Since our staple food is already covered, the next item discussed is the import of..."

Tuning out the Daimyo and ignoring the various stares, Pakura finally reached her seat and sat down next to Rei, snuggling into his side, "Well, that was fairly easy. At least one of our goals is finished. With this, our other goals will be a lot easier to achieve." She contently whispered.

For them, the convention that would drag on for a few weeks yet, already ended. There was no real reason to take a bigger chunk of the import contracts after acquiring the one for rice. It's not as if they did all that for money.

"Don't let anybody say there is a better way to control a country than to provide what they need most." Rei agreed, gently kissing her cheek. "Next target..."

"Rasa." They both giddily chorused together.

It was time to start rocking the boat called the Wind Country at its core.

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Chapter 233 - Ch233. Vacation with Mei 1

The very next day, Rei and Pakura found Daimyo's servant waiting for them as they returned from exploiting the Wind Capital and received an invitation for a tea for the next week. Considering how busy the Daimyo had to be because of the Food Imports Convention, that really meant he was quite eager for the meeting.

Then again, finding out the Kazekage who he hates send the kunoichi who he owed to a suicide mission because he was afraid of facing her head-on in politics... there was no doubt the Wind Daimyo would have a field day with that kind of information. Rei would bet if there was no important convention, the Daimyo would already delightfully diss Rasa with utterly gleeful abandon.

Crimes of Kages usually stay unexposed since the only person who can persecute them is their respective Daimyo. Even for that, the Daimyo first has to know something untoward happened, which is often not the case. For example, the Daimyo was only told that Pakura died on a mission abroad. That was it. As suspicious as it was, there was no way for him to investigate, therefore there was nothing to even accuse Rasa of.

That's why Pakura so vehemently added her accusation he pre-planned her murder. Now, the Wind Daimyo had some basis for suspicion towards Rasa and his rule-breaking. Now, he simply had to meet with Pakura and get her story and then he could call for a meeting of the Suna council.

All in all, there was a ton of fun to be had in the following weeks if your name was Rasa.

...

After another two days of exploring restaurants, food stalls, and sights in the WInd Capital while mapping the city, Rei and Pakura decided to teleport to Rei's dimension for a few peaceful days after they pre-paid their hotel room for the next week so they won't lose it.

The sight that instantly greeted them after arriving was Mei with her fox, Auburn, sitting on her shoulders in her shrunken form, visibly channeling chakra through Mei who had a ball of swirling dense bluish-red liquid moving not unlike lava above her palm. The vegetation around Mei was already drying out because of the intense heat the girl so readily ignored and the air around her shimmered.

"Mei..." He started in a pleasant tone that was slowly turning threatening, "Perchance, you wouldn't have completely ignored me when I last told you not to experiment with world-ending Jutsu, would you? Right?"

And just like that, Mei stiffened, robotically turning towards them.

"R-, Rei? What are you doing here!?" Mei quickly realized what she just asked after seeing the meaningful look Rei was giving her, "Er... uh, this... this is not how it looks like. Ehehehe." She awkwardly laughed, trying to avert her gaze from Rei's admonishing eyes and Pakura's amused stare. Mei quickly canceled the technique and turned towards them in a fidgety manner.

"Not how it looks, eh? So, you are not really inventing yet another super-charged Jutsu of doom, are you?" Pakura mirthfully interjected, putting her hands on her h.i.p.s.

"As if you could talk, Mrs. Desert-maker." Mei petulantly back-talked, "You can and I can't do this. It's sooo unfair!" She huffed and crossed her arms. "It's not like I don't take precautions or am reckless with my experimentation!"

Pakura rolled her eyes at her, "It's because I am responsible and you are childish, ya dolt" She playfully said without any real heat in the statement. "If you want to play then ask Rei to build you a playground lest you burn down our home."

Rei simply stared and rubbed his forehead. He was a man and as such, he was well aware his opinion was not wanted nor needed in this playful banter between his two females. Especially where Mei was concerned. He could admit his faults and sadly, he was far too lenient towards Mei. Pakura, on the other hand, had no such problem and could chew the younger girl somewhat fierce. It was better to leave the parenting talks to her.

Much to his dismay, hearing Pakura's advice, Mei turned towards him. "Will you really build me a place where I can experiment!?" She excitedly asked, almost bouncing on her feet.

Rei couldn't in good conscience say no to that face filled with pure happiness at the thought. Mei was his little demolition expert who relished making destructive Jutsu. Since she made her very first one... and Rei has to grudgingly admit that maybe he should not have heaped praise on her for being such a genius at annihilation... Mei simply found her calling and from there, she started to love experimenting with potentially planet-ending things.

'Oh, woe is me.' Rei dryly thought. "Where exactly is Tsunade? This week it was her job to take care of you."

"No clue." Mei uncaringly shrugged. "She left two days ago. Not even Konan could tell me where she went. Probably one of her medicine gathering trips or whatever."

Rei was a bit startled that Tsunade was supposedly away on her own business. Surprisingly, she didn't even inform Konan what she was doing but... in the end, he decided to let it go. After all, it wasn't as if she could somehow unwittingly mess up his plans, no? As upset as he could get that she just left Mei to her own devices, Rei couldn't fault Tsunade. Mei was an a.d.u.l.t and should know better than to set countries on fire.

"Well, then, I think I will leave you two to it and go look for Maki." Pakura hummed and gave Rei a knowing look before leaving.

Rei just chuckled and approached the clueless Mei who tilted her head at Pakura. As he got close to her, he suddenly hugged her, drowning her small lithe frame in his own embrace as he kissed her forehead. "I am sorry, Mei." He whispered, making Mei stiffen. "Recently, I might have neglected you because of the workload."

Rei could feel Mei's hands circle around his torso and tighten around him gently yet possessively in appreciation. She clearly liked what she was hearing.

"I have a few days before we have to return to the Wind Capital for a meeting with the Wind Daimyo. I think spending them with you would be nice. What do you say?"

"Mmmm." Mei pressed her face into Rei's c.h.e.s.t, the tips of her ears burning red, causing Rei to chuckle.

"Soooo... I wonder what kind of seals would I need to place to create an isolated space where you can do your..." His voice slightly faltered, "hobby. We wouldn't want you to vaporize my entire dimension, now, would we?"

Hearing that, the happy Mei slightly pulled away from him, her arms still firmly around his torso. "We can do that later, Rei! Now, I would very much rather find a place where we can do each other!" She beamed at him.

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Chapter 234 - Ch234. Vacation with Mei 2

Rei woke up to a warm and squishy sensation on his c.h.e.s.t, spreading a comfortable feeling through his body. Groggily opening his eyes, the very first thing that greeted him was a sight of auburn hair messily covering most of his and Mei's upper body like a blanket.

In a sudden bout of nostalgia, he remembered the small, androgynous, filthy, and hungry kid he saved from being beaten in the streets of Kirigakure... Rei couldn't help but admire the mind-boggling beauty Mei became.

'Was it already so long?' He idly thought as his hand started absentmindedly c.a.r.e.s.sing Mei's hair. 'Geez, I sound like an old geezer. Now that I mentioned it… how old am I again?' Sigh escaped his lips before they spread into an indulgent smile as he felt the warm Mei's body stir.

Mei slowly lifted her cheek from his c.h.e.s.t, looking still half-asleep as her dull gaze landed on Rei's face and her body again relaxed, putting the full weight of her impressive bust back onto Rei's c.h.e.s.t.

"Somebody is an eager early riser, I see." Mei quietly teased, "Poking a sleeping Lady so hard." Before Rei could even properly register what his willful vixen said, her lips needily descended on his, gently administering tender greetings.

Rei's arms subconsciously circled Mei's body, landing on her back as he pulled her closer. For a moment, the world ceased to exist for the two lovers who forgot themselves in each other's embrace.

Finally separating, Rei appreciatively swept Mei's form with his eyes before l.i.c.k.i.n.g his lips, "To be honest, waking up to the tantalizing feeling of your b.a.r.e c.h.e.s.t... anybody would 'rise' to the opportunity." His lips stretched into an honest smile. Mei didn't have the energy to clean and clothe themselves after their nightly activities yesterday and unfortunately or fortunately for Rei, she decided his body is the best pillow she could ask for and refused to let go. Therefore, both slept completely n.a.k.e.d.

"Sucks to be them, then. I already decided only you are invited to enjoy my benefits," She purred and started kissing Rei's c.h.e.s.t.

Enjoying the feeling for a moment, Rei reluctantly sighed and put his hand on Rei's head, stopping her. "We should get up or we will stay in bed for the rest of the day like the previous two days. I swear you are far too good at keeping me here."

"I had a marvelous teacher." Mei giggled and tried to continue with her kisses but Rei stopped her by relocating his hand on her forehead.

"Uh-oh." He smirked, causing Mei to cutely pout in a last vain attempt at tempting Rei to stay in bed. "I for one didn't forget having to construct you a separate place where you can experiment with Jutsu. Come on, rise and shine, dear. If I don't finish it now, I fear the next time I return home it will be just a pile of ash."

Mei reluctantly obeyed, mentally grumbling, 'I am not that bad, am I?'

...

After breakfast with all his girls present at home, Rei found out Konan was busy with the Biri-Biri company since Tsunade took a vacation, Ringo was in the middle of weapon development, and Pakura was neck-deep in paperwork for the new academy. In the end, it was again just him and Mei for the day, much to the redhead's delight.

Packing a picnic basket, Rei and Mei were on their way to the edge of their dimension in order to set up a new training ground for more hazardous techniques. The edge of Rei's dimension was still covered in thick forest where even the smallest vines were thicker than a tree trunk in the normal world. Only after an hour of traversing through the dense jungle at jonin speed did Rei stop, satisfied with the place.

"I think we are far enough from the middle of the dimension." He said to Mei, before gesturing to trees with a nod, "Would you mind clearing the place up?"

'Overkill much?' He mentally deadpanned. It would take at least elite chunin to even scratch the trees in his dimension. With the amount of nature energy coursing through them at any given moment, it would be a damn miracle if they caught fire after being subjected to at the very least B-rank fire Jutsu. It was a testament to Mei's proficiency at Fire Elemental Chakra. It was clear to Rei that Mei only did it this way to show off for him.

Goodnaturedly rolling his eyes, Rei patted Mei's head, "I see you made significant progress since the last time we trained together." He sincerely praised, making Mei proudly beam at him and engulf him in a hug while the jungle around them burned in wild all-consuming unquenchable deep crimson flames.

'Sigh. As if it wasn't enough she could melt the world. Now she just had to find a way how to burn it to the cinders too. She is starting to get a bit too creative with her Steam Release. An invisible mist that makes things ignite with special flames. That's a bit too close to Amaterasu. I wonder how hard it would be to extinguish these flames.' Rei inwardly lamented while observing the raging inferno of red. 'Poor Ao, the next time she visits Kirigakure in order to help Ringo with something, the guy will be scarred for life.'

Much to Rei's amus.e.m.e.nt, Ao and Mei had exactly the same relationship as they did in anime. Mei might not be the fifth Mizukage but every time she is in Kirigakure, Ao spouts some kind of misunderstood remark and Mei threatens to melt him. Unfortunately for Ao, Rei taught Mei that empty threats have no meaning. 'Poor Ao, indeed.'

Setting the basket on the ground, Rei created an air barrier in-between himself and Mei and the burning place around them in preparation for their picnic.

"No fair." Mei huffed when she saw that the barrier of air had no nature energy in it whatsoever, "You clearly figured out my flames burn the nature energy in the surrounding at first glance. That's cheating! To think it could be negated so easily." She mumbled.

Rei snorted, "I and Tsunade are two best Senjutsu users far and wide. What did you expect? But... honestly, anyone who is unable to eliminate the nature energy from the surroundings would be f.u.c.k.e.d beyond belief against these flames of yours. The whole planet is seeping with nature energy, non-stop producing it." He shook his head. Mei again created something outrageous. "I already created a nature-energy-less air bubble encompassing a few kilometers around us to control what exactly burns. Wouldn't want you to torch my entire dimension on a whim."

"That's unnecessary. I have total control of these flames." Mei proudly proclaimed before noticing Rei's unconvinced look, "What? Don't look at me like that! I can learn from my mistakes too, you know!? The last time I destroyed our house was just an accident!"

"You don't say." Rei quietly said as his lips twitched upward before the volume of his voice rose, "I am so proud! For the first time since I met you, Mei, you showed some responsibility!" Rei quipped with mock tears.

"I blame your teachings for my destructive tendencies." Mei cheerfully replied in good humor.

"You flatter me. But enough of that," Rei approached Mei and put his arms around her waist, leading her to sit down on the blanket, "I would like to hear what's going on in my village."

Their picnic amidst hellish forest fire started as all semblance of cheerfulness drained from Mei's face, leaving only a serious and indifferent facade behind. Anyone who knew the excitable and childish Mei would be shocked, but same as all his girls, Mei too had her own role in Rei's village.

After all, with how she usually acted, it was entirely too easy to forget she too was a kunoichi.

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Chapter 235 - Ch235. Mei's report

"There are naturally many new things going on in the village." Mei reported with a small shrug that bled through her serious demeanor, "Nothing really pressing or worrying though. I still say placing loyalty seals on our populace would be prudent." She stated with an intense piercing gaze.

"And I still say that would be going too far." Rei half-heartedly replied. "I gotta keep my moral high, Mei. If only to feel self-satisfied with my actions so I don't feel any unnecessary doubt in my decision-making in the future."

Mei released a small concerned sigh before giving an accepting nod. "And I still think you should let your moral compass widen a bit." She grumbled but her body language indicated she inwardly accepted Rei's argument.

She was more in tune with Konan's opinion on the matter and always preached Rei should just use the best seals to enforce obedience. Rei, however, only used Secrecy seals to avoid anything he deemed a secret from leaking. Beyond that, there was no real safeguard from betrayal. That's where Mei actually became relevant. While her sisters had their own role in Rei's village, she couldn't really simply slack off, now, could she? Hence, Mei decided to use the skills Rei and Konan so painstakingly tried to beat into her during her apprenticeship and went more into the internal security of the Village on the Other Side. It was ridiculous how everybody lowered their guard due to her cheerful and childish predisposition. Adding some of her steam-based surveillance Jutsus and voila, there was not much that could evade her notice in the village.

Konan might have been their spymaster and her skills sure as hell could encompass the entire continent but she was more focused on a large area with many holes in between, monitoring only important places through her paper release. Konan could never really cover everything no matter how much she tried and that was also the reason why many merchants of the Biri-Biri company acted as spies for them.

Mei, on the other hand, could use her steam release to fill the air with a transparent mist, monitoring EVERYTHING that went on inside of the said mist. The downside was that it could be used only around her in a certain radius. It was far from being able to compete with Konan in spycraft and certainly not convenient enough to compare to the way Konan used her paper release for that purpose. But as the internal security of a village? Mei's technique had Konan beaten in every possible way. It certainly alleviated some pressure from Konan now that she didn't have to focus on their village.

Then again, if the loyalty seals were involved, there would be no need for internal security at all, would there?

"What about the Uchiha clan? Are they integrating well into the village?" Rei asked.

"There is slight discontent in the newly-added Uchiha ranks but it's of no major importance as of yet. The same thing happens almost every time we incorporate a clan from the outside since the system we use in our village is completely different than anywhere else." Mei started, "Isamu and Izumi Uchiha are trying their hardest to contain their clansmen. The daily beatings at the hands of our ninjas in the guise of retraining are also helping. The Uchiha clan members are slowly realizing there is no way they could win against us in an open fight since our forces are superior to theirs not only in numbers but also in the quality of our ninjas. It certainly humbled them enough to be somewhat bearable." She snorted.

Rei could only give the woman apologetic smile while secretly feeling bad for the Uchihas. He heard how some of them made asses out of themselves when Mei first time observed their new training under the Jonins from the Other-sided Village. Considering Mei was very proficient in shielding her chakra from detection in a way that showed even to Sharingan users that she was just a low-chunin by chakra reserves... simply, a fight broke out because of some insults and twenty Uchiha ninjas ended up beaten black, blue, and melting. Needless to say, the red-eyed folk gained a newfound respect for the resident excitable ginger.

"You might have been too busy to check but the Uchiha clan is handled just fine. I dare to say in years to come, they will be one of the most loyal clans to us." Mei showed a self-satisfied smile. "In the past week alone the number of Uchiha kids entering our academy tripled compared to what entered the Konoha one in the past. The Uchiha civilians noticed we are willing to go to great lengths to awaken their kids' bloodline and teach them how to actually survive on the job." She finished with sarcasm marring her tone.

Rei had to snort at that notion. It was a quite widely known fact that many clans in Konoha started to recede in the past few years, having fewer and fewer clan children joining the academy. It was not yet alarming but the numbers started to slowly show the predicted end game. Only clans like Hyuuga where everybody able had to become a ninja kept steady numbers of new recruits.

Simply put, civilian clan members knew how demanding the life of a ninja was and as such, they would sooner teach their children how to craft something, be a merchant, or other civilian stuff that could earn them money rather than sending their children into a Shinobi Academy where they would be taught subpar skills in a subpar curriculum that would be worth jack-shit in the end. Duty to the village be damned! They wanted their children to be happy and alive. National pride or Will of Fire could go stuff itself.

"Well, I can't say that's surprising. To clans, being a shinobi is an honor and privilege, it's something to be proud of." Rei sadly shook his head, "That said, no parent would send his or her child to learn how to be a ninja with knowledge the academy would be next to useless to do just that. The second the Hokage gave power over the Shinobi Academy to the civilian council..." He finished with a half-hearted shrug that indicated how amusing he found the situation.

"Yeah, the Uchihas are regaining their drive thanks to the benefits we are providing. I am sure that actually made it a lot easier for them to accept their new allegiance. After all, we were the guys who helped them after their last village decided to off them all, no questions asked."

And that was that. Rei had no reason to hide anything from the Uchiha clan. He came clean with exactly why they were almost slaughtered. Needless to say, Konoha really lost a lot of respect in their eyes.

"Is there anything else going on in the village?" Rei asked, satisfied with the Uchiha situation. He held no doubt Konan and Mei could manage the clan on their own without his intervention.

Hearing his question, Mei's lips stretched into a wide smile while her eyes gained a mischievous glint, "Oh, just a bit of gossip, really." She giggled, showing the serious stuff was over, "My very own pet-cat showed a great deal of interest in our resident self-pitying turtle. Last I heard they spend quite a lot of time together."

Rei chuckled, "Well... now that is one thing nobody could have anticipated. Yugito and Yagura, huh? With their past and circ.u.mstances, they will probably be good for each other."

"Doesn't hurt the closer he is to Yugito the more loyal Yagura will be to our village." Mei added with brutal honesty. It has been years since Yugito became a part of the village but by now, nobody had any doubts the woman saw Rei and his wives as her family.

"As if he dared to betray us." Rei found the idea ridiculous, "The man is simply beyond himself with happiness that Ringo is completely overhauling Kirigakure's system and making it more efficient."

"Maybe." Mei hummed and her shrewd pondering gaze landed directly on Rei's eyes, "Say... What exactly are you trying to accomplish here, love? Two villages are under your control, two international companies ranked in the top ten worldwide belong to you, and now you are trying that stunt with Sunagakure. One would think you are trying to conquer the world, dear." She finished with an intrigued purr.

Rei stilled, and his eyes slightly narrowed in delight. He never once told his girls what he wants to accomplish. He knew it didn't matter to them. Even now, Mei was asking simply because she was mildly curious. Her eyes clearly showed she didn't really expect a straight answer. After all, he always trained her information-gathering skills by giving her half-truths and simple clues while expecting her to come to a certain conclusion herself.

"My end game, heh?" Rei slyly smirked at Mei, causing her to widen her eyes before she found her back pressed onto the blanket with Rei's body towering above her and his face only an inch away from hers, their lips almost touching. A shiver of excitement starting to shake her body, Mei intently listened as Rei continued speaking, "I am simply making use of opportunities left behind by idiots in charge, my lovely girl. It's simply sad how easy it is to gain control nowadays, isn't it? But enough of that. I think we should get back to enjoying our date" Rei suggestively whispered to Mei before lowering his lips on hers.

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Chapter 236 - Ch236. Scheming with the Wind Daimyo

"Welcome! It has been quite a while since we last saw each other, Pakura!" The Wind Daimyo enthusiastically greeted Pakura as she and Rei entered the gardens of his castle. "I am glad you accepted my invitation. Feel free to drop the formality. We are here for tea, after all." He amicably retorted as he beckoned his guests to sit opposite him behind the table filled with various delicacies.

"How could we decline such an opportunity, Mikumi." Pakura answered with a calm smile, completely ignoring etiquette and protocol, while Rei distractedly compared the flowery gardens of the Fire Daimyo's castle to the lush green ones where they were now, wondering if the men had nothing more important to spend their money on. Pakura half-turned towards Rei, "This is my husband, Yotsuba Rei." She introduced, causing the Wind Daimyo to widen his eyes in bewilderment and wonder.

After a few moments of staring, Rei lifted his eyebrow at the man, half-expecting a fight to break out because of something stupid like an accusation of stealing Pakura from him but he was pleasantly surprised when Mikumi slowly turned to Pakura and his lips stretched to a satisfied smile. "I see that somebody finally managed to catch you. Good for you, Pakura. I must admit I am a bit jealous of you, Mr. Rei." He added with a wistful sigh.

That... was something Rei didn't expect from a man who had over fifty wives and consorts, 'Huh, maybe Pakura was right and he is a quite cool guy. Who would have thought?' Rei silently mused, not detecting any jealousy. In fact, his instincts were telling him the Wind Daimyo was totally honest in that statement.

"Nice to meet you." Rei slightly bowed, happy this meeting won't go like the one with the Water Daimyo. Sure, pressuring these powerful political figures was fun but Rei really didn't have any wish to pull power-play on civilians. In his opinion, it was totally pointless. Especially since it was so much easier to simply use rules imposed by civilians in charge to penalize and manipulate the superpowered folk and vice versa.

Frankly, Rei clearly saw the next stage in the development of the world would be shinobi taking over from the Daimyo. It might not happen in decades yet but it was the next natural path the world was leading towards.

During the Warring States, ninja clans were simply far too scattered, far too warring to actually progress and develop. All clans had their Jutsu and guarded them with extreme prejudice. All clans tried to kill each other and earn some money in the process. In short, civilians, especially the wealthy ones, were completely safe and prospered while the clans were preoccupied with their own survival and development, surrounded by enemy ninja clans on every side.

That all, however, changed after the formation of the ninja villages. The knowledge of clans that joined together to form a village was pooled together and suddenly, the ninja arts progressed by leaps and bounds. Suddenly, the ninjas no longer fought numerous other clans. Suddenly, the ninjas were no longer scattered and isolated. Suddenly, they started to work together and their numbers swelled. The enemies became the other ninja villages and while they got stronger than singular clans, the number of enemies they had to fend off at the same time was a lot less. Simply put, the ninjas got a much-needed breather to actually develop rather than nonstop fight for survival.

"But let's skip to the chase. As you probably know, I am a very busy man, especially during this time of the year with the Imports convention and whatnot. Dear Sage, I really have no idea what my father was thinking when he set up this tradition." Mikumi wryly said with a sigh. "You want my help with dealing with Rasa, right? What exactly do you envision? You know I can't just openly attack him."

Rei looked at the Wind Daimyo's eager and somewhat anticipatory expression and barely held back a grimace. The man was clearly positively giddy at the prospect of one-upping Rasa, 'This is exactly why I made sure to become both the hidden Daimyo of the Spring Country and the Kage of my own village. This spectacle is simply sad beyond words.'

And that's where the problem of the current society really laid.

It was very surprising and refreshing when the Fire Daimyo reacted so friendly towards Tsunade. The Wind Daimyo, however, was a norm. Sure, he was a good man and clearly a friend to Pakura but it was so obvious he wanted to subtly stick it to the Kazekage. Something that was becoming all too frequent between various Daimyos and their ninja village leaders.

Powerless civilians held powerful positions in the government. Ninjas were peeved because, by all means, they were superior. Civilians were peeved because they wanted to hold onto their positions of power and superpowered generals with entire armies of ALSO superpowered soldiers at their beck and call was not an easy thing to control.

Previously, ninjas didn't have time to set their eyes on the positions of Daimyo or wealthy merchants. Now that there are villages, this started to slowly change. More and more often ninjas become wealthy by doing business rather than mercenary work. More and more often ninjas, retired or not, participate in the civilian stuff. Just the civilian council in Konoha has a few retired ninjas in it. Needless to say, inwardly, civilians are not really happy about it and see it as ninjas trying to wheedle them out of their seats of power.

Which... the ninjas arguably are indeed doing. It is only natural.

And civilians, in return, decided to go slyly about it. After all, ALL of the three ninja wars were caused by missions gone wrong where two villages clashed due to an assignment by powerful aristocrats of their respective nations. Civilians had to be subtle and convincing in their dealings and weakening of the ninjas.

While Rei really didn't care if it was the ninjas or the civilians on the top... he had his own nation and that was that... he also had to be realistic and admit that ninjas would eventually dominate the ruling positions for no other reason than they had the necessary power. The ninja villages existed for barely a bit more than six decades up to date and the power struggle between the ninjas and civilians already started in some parts of the world. Orochimaru and his take-over of the Rice Country was a prime example of such a thing.

'Then again...' Rei smiled at the eager face of the Wind Daimyo, 'Why would I let an opportunity to get the seat of the Kazekage let go just because the idiots in charge are currently bickering like sniveling children?'

"Our request is simple," Pakura gave Rei a glance, noticing he was letting her take the lead and started talking, "Rasa wanted to kill me. He overstepped his boundaries and created a way for us to lawfully attack his position. I know you won't be able to extend political capital to fully deal with him, Mikumi. Don't worry. I am not asking for that. All I want is your support for my challenge."

"Challenge?" Mikumi's eyebrows lifted into his hairline as his mind instantly understood Pakura's angle.

Mischievously smiling, Pakura nodded, "I would like to officially challenge him to a Grudge Duel for the position of the Ruling Clan, as is my right according to the laws of Sunagakure because of his actions."

"Aww, shit." Mikumi grinned, "He really screwed up, didn't he? Not even Rasa could worm his way out of this! Not since this tradition was started by his very own family!" He almost jumped in excitement and glee. Finally, the arrogant bastard of a Kazekage would be out of his way! Finally, he will be able to make proper use of the Suna ninjas if Rasa was booted out of his office! "Of course, I will support you and organize it, Pakura! But..." His grin faltered, "you know you will need at least one clan from the Sunagakure to also recognize your grudge against the Sabaku family as proper."

"Ah, don't worry. We certainly have our ways." Pakura mischievously uttered. "I only wonder how pissed will Rasa be when he realizes I intend to take his family's power the exact same way as they obtained it."

And just like that... the Wind Daimyo was fully on board with their schemes, happy beyond belief to have an actual part in it, not really realizing he was, in fact, not getting more control over the Sunagakure with his actions.

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Chapter 237 - Ch237. Rasa's dethroning 1

Two months have passed since Pakura and Rei met with the Wind Daimyo. The man was incredibly busy with his duties and as such, the issue regarding Rasa was put on hold. Partly, that was to make Rasa relax while everything was subtly prepared in the shadows, and partly to give the Wind Daimyo enough time to finish most of his impending duties so he would have time to go to Sunagakure for this special occasion.

That's why Rasa was currently quietly seething and sweating bullets while sitting in his Kazekage seat in the council room of Sunagakure as the Wind Daimyo sat in his own designated place, smugly smirking at the man.

It was only four hours prior that the Daimyo unexpectedly arrived at Sunagakure and instantly called for a council meeting. After two months of nothing happening, Rasa really didn't expect the Daimyo to pull out the issue with Pakura. At least, not like this. Not in front of the entire village council. Rasa didn't have any doubt about what would be discussed in the meeting. The green-haired woman sitting next to the Daimyo in the seat of the guest of honor was all he needed to understand his position and the crisis approaching. It clearly made him incredibly nervous as his mind started going through various laws and regulations that could pull him through the damning situation. After all, there must be some useful loophole somewhere, right?

The unfortunate Rasa had no idea what really awaited him.

The Sunagakure's council was very reminiscent of the one in Konoha. As in Konoha, there were three parts. As in Konoha, there were clan heads and elders. Unlike in Konoha, however, there was no civilian side, and the third part was solely made up of accomplished ninjas of renown from Sunagakure.

No wealthy civilians having a say in the laws of the village meant there were not as many willing investors as in Konoha, hoping to gain power in the village's council. On the other hand, it also meant less friction in the council. Ninjas understood ninjas and knew what they needed. There was far less politicking than in Konoha since there was no need to keep civilians happy. This created a quite efficient council and honestly, Rei was utterly convinced that was the only reason the village didn't crumble yet under Rasa's horrendous administration.

As the last member of the council took his seat, the Daimyo slowly stood up in a regal manner and spoke, "Since we are all gathered, let's start this meeting. ANBU, please seal the room." He ordered his own loyal ninja guards around him instantly going on guard, staring at the ninja-filled room in case somebody got some bright idea.

Wind Daimyo's ninja guards were not previous ninjas from Sunagakure. Instead, they were taken from orphanages at a young age and trained with the full weight of all resources the Daimyo put into them, excepting nothing but total loyalty and service to him and his family. To be honest, even Pakura, the one who hated the idea of taking kids from orphanages and manipulating them, had to admit the Wind Daimyo at the very least provided a good life for the orphans that would otherwise most likely die before reaching a.d.u.l.thood.

Little did the ninjas, Daimyo, and his guards knew. The biggest threat to their continued existence was currently sitting next to the most important man in the room in the form of a lithe green-haired woman and an aristocratic-looking blond-haired man who aloofly looked at the proceedings with a small expectant smirk.

'Two SS-rank rogue ninjas in the room, sitting right next to the most important person in the country, and nobody is the wiser.' Rei stifled a chuckle at the thought. 'Making these black cloaks for obscuring our identity as the members of Yozora was the best thing I could have come up with! Damn, I am a genius!' He mentally patted his back.

The door was sealed and the council room quieted. The tension in the air was almost palpable as the older members of the council stared either incomprehensibly or in disbelief at Pakura while the newer ones tried to think up a reason for their older counterparts unveiled interest in the girl next to the Daimyo. It was a curious sight for the Daimyo. Especially since he expected more old coots to be sitting behind the council table. To find so many clans changed leadership in recent years... it was indeed curious, to say the least.

Nevertheless, the Daimyo was not there to gawk at the many unknown faces and wonder when the political landscape in his hidden village changed so much. He had a duty, a very satisfying one at that! "I am sure many of you wonder why I left my seat in the Wind Capital and came all the way to Sunagakure without forewarning you about my arrival." He started, instantly catching the rapt attention of everybody in the room.

Everybody present knew the Daimyo didn't travel for no reason. He couldn't afford to as even the shitty and selfish Daimyo like the Water one actually had to rule if he wanted to stay in power. While privileged, Daimyos had many responsibilities and prolonged travel simply couldn't fit into their schedule. It was obvious the man was not here for a leisure visit or a vacation.

Suddenly, the stares on Pakura intensified as the elders' eyes widened in sudden realization. When their facts suddenly clicked together. It was a simple deduction... really.

Everybody knew Daimyo hated Rasa and wanted to get rid of him.

And the woman sitting next to the Daimyo was one of the Suna's past heroes who was supposed to be dead because of a diplomatic mission to the Kirigakure she was made to take... on Rasa's orders.

The Daimyo gestured at Pakura, "I am sure most of you already know her. This is Pakura, the hero of the Third War. The same kunoichi who was supposed to be dead..." He pleasantly added before gleefully turning towards Rasa who looked like a dear in the headlights, "right, Rasa?"

'Oh, shit...' The members of the council suddenly had to resist an incredible urge to groan as even the youngest and the least experienced of them was hit with the full weight of what the Wind Daimyo was insinuating.

Their day suddenly got a whole lot more interesting.

And troublesome.

Chapter 238 - Ch238. Rasa's dethroning 2

"Mikumi-sama, you... aren't saying what I think you are saying, are you?" Asked Ebizo, one of the two Elders while Chiyo instantly stopped dozing off.

This was serious. Kazekage breaking the few laws that still apply to him? Distasteful. Worse yet, the Kazekage being discovered breaking the few laws that still apply to him? Disaster! That was an unmitigated shitstorm for the Sunagakure. From this point, anything from a complete overhaul of the higher-ups of Suna to a small manageable civil unrest could happen, depending on what the Daimyo and council will agree upon. It was honestly in the wind.

Though... from the way the Wind Daimyo looked and what was discussed, it was obvious the Kazekage hat would most likely find a new owner today.

'Stupid boy,' Chiyo glanced at Rasa with a disappointed tired gaze before focusing back on the Daimyo and the supposed Pakura, 'now, the only thing is to find out what route will the Daimyo chose to go about this.' She inwardly sighed, from the top of her head capable of naming five strategies that would have a chance at removing Rasa from his seat in this situation. 'Let's see if I can somehow mitigate this disaster.'

"Daimyo-sama," Chiyo's raspy old voice calmly rang through the council room, something that didn't happen for so long, the heads of the council members snapped in her direction, "How are we to be certain the woman next to you is really Pakura?" She eyed the green-haired girl with a shrewd gleam. "We all know there are many ways one can be impersonated and that's not counting all the special bloodlines or Jutsus we have no idea about. The woman next to you looks twenty-five at the height of her prime and we all know for a fact, Pakura would be around thirty-three if she was alive. For a civilian, the difference between these eight years is not so discernible but for a ninja, it is the difference between desert and sand playground." She slowly voiced her thoughts in a heavy manner, causing many doubts to flow through the room while Rasa gained a hopeful glint but stayed silent, knowing his input could simply worsen things and the Daimyo visibly faltered. Chiyo only looked as if she was putting a lot of effort into not falling asleep as she continued, "Are you sure you were not deceived, Daimyo-sama?"

The various clan heads seemed very intrigued and clearly wanted an answer or proof of Pakura's identity. The Daimyo himself knew Pakura is who she says she is. In the past two months, they met a few times and he could honestly say she changed very little personality-wise. But he simply could not prove her identity, causing him to furrow his eyebrows and frown at Chiyo who stayed stoic.

Chiyo didn't really like Rasa all that much. She quite disliked him and that was also the reason why she often fell asleep during the council meetings. She always found him a worthless leader so there was no reason to add to the senility levels in the room by staying awake. If she didn't care for Sunagakure so much, she would have retired a long time ago anyway. It's just that her position granted her a way to prevent at least some disasters aimed at Sunagakure. Like now, for example. The best way to take the wind from the Daimyo's sails was to discredit Pakura and establish doubts about her identity. Without a proper justification, there is nothing the Daimyo could do, no matter if he was de facto the ruler of their nation. At least, not where it concerned the shinobi affairs.

While the Wind Daimyo was frowning at the old hag who dared to question him, Pakura simply impassively raised an eyebrow at Chiyo... and that's when Chiyo knew she f.u.c.k.e.d up.

It was years before Chiyo last interacted with Pakura. Coupled with her advanced age, her memory wasn't the best so nobody could fault her for forgetting something about supposedly dead kunoichi. That eyebrow-raising, however... now that made Chiyo's mind experience flashback after flashback as dread filled her eyes when she realized...

'Shit! It's really Pakura! She is going to...!' Chiyo started to take a breath to stop the woman from...

"Elder Chiyo," Pakura's quiet, calm, and collected voice with a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt resounded through the room as a vicious gleam flashed through her eyes, "you once told me about how poisonously stabby you got with your first husband during one particularly intimate moment. The poor guy never woke up after that. At least his wealth fell into the hands of his mortified widow, right?" Pakura eye-smiled at the woman whose eyes bulged out while the jaws of the council members, hidden ANBU, and the Daimyo alongside his entourage dropped at the blatant accusation of kin slaying.

Pakura slowly turned her head towards Ebizo, "Elder Ebizo," Her lips stretched into a small mischievous smile as if she was going to reveal some naughty secret, "you killed your older brother when you were fifteen in order to become the heir of your clan. But hey! Unfortunate accidents happen all the time to the clumsy clan heirs, no?"

Ebizo's lips thinned but his facade held. The rest of the council, however, were now staring at him in utter disbelief. Especially the clan heads were torn between feeling disgust and wanting to demand proof he did not do what the green-haired woman insinuated. Killing a clan heir and stealing the heirship? There was no worse crime for these clan heads.

Despite the sudden and shocking revelation, Ebizo's secret had as much worth as Chiyo's. None whatsoever. These were things that happened long, long ago. Things nobody would go poking their nose into just because. Yes, they were important and well-guarded secrets but in the end, they were harmless in the grand scheme of things. At most, the Elders lost prestige. Nobody could persecute them for it. Not without proof that would be impossible to find after all these years. Then again... the Shinobi world worked a bit differently.

Pakura was quite satisfied as she turned her head yet again to the young man sitting to the right of Ebizo, her lips still in that infuriating small smile. "Karuen Koichi..." She hummed, "I don't really have anything on you since you are too young for me to know. Your father though." Trailing off, Pakura heightened the sense of dread in the young man who had no idea what kind of dirt the woman would pull on his family. "If my memory serves well, you are a bastard child of one of your father's mistresses from the red-light district since his wife is infertile. Your real mother was killed after giving birth and you were raised as a son of..."

"WE GET IT!" Chiyo loudly exclaimed before coughing a few times from the stress.

Koichi seemed totally bewildered by what the woman said about his circ.u.mstances of birth. Stiffening, he found himself being stared at by other council members and even the Daimyo. Only after a moment, it clicked for him. 'I... am not my mother's son?' His breath hitched, remembering all the praise heaped upon him and how his talent in clan Jutsu was just as high as his supposed mother. Needless to say, the world suddenly flipped upside down for the young clan head.

"That's enough. You are Pakura." Chiyo reluctantly admitted, her plan to discredit the woman utterly foiled. 'How could I forget she was one of the very few people with access to even the darkest secrets of our village?' She mentally questioned herself, realizing what this all meant in growing horror, 'She is a walking treasure trove of village secrets and we can't even persecute her for it as she is declared dead! Oh, hell...' Chiyo's shoulders slumped.

"Glad we cleared that up." The Daimyo chuckled at how Pakura resolved the situation. "Now... if nobody else has any questions, I think it's time for today's main agenda." He dramatically paused and everybody leaned forward in anticipation, "Pakura came to me with a request to sanction a Grudge Duel against Rasa Sabaku for the position of the Ruling Clan. The winner's family will become the new royal clan of Sunagakure."

The room descended into deafening silence.

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Chapter 239 - Ch239. Rasa's dethroning 3

Rei stifled a chortle as he saw the dumbfounded and slightly fearful faces of the Suna Council who wondered what kind of secrets Pakura knew about them. He was well aware all Pakura had to do was demonstrate her signature Scorch technique. While the council would still be able to question her identity because another Scorch user could have resurfaced or whatever bull they would probably try to pull, if the Daimyo supported Pakura after that, there was nothing the Suna council could do. It would pass as proof of her identity no matter how reluctant and unwilling would the council be.

Revealing their secrets though... now that was a stroke of genius. She not only subtly threatened them, but she also showed them they NEED to integrate her back into the village. There was no chance to tag her as a rogue ninja. Not while their Daimyo supported her. Not when she was a part of the Uzushio Trading Company. There was only one way to make her keep her mouth shut and that was to get her back into their ninja rank since every ninja is obligated to keep village secrets... well, secret.

'Damn, she played these old and young coots like a fiddle.' Rei's eyes sparkled in amus.e.m.e.nt, 'They have no other option than to give their support to her in the next stage of her plan.'

"You want to usurp the Sabaku clan!?" Rasa angrily burst out and stood up, balling his hands into fists as he glared at Pakura with extreme hatred. "You can't do that!" He exclaimed.

Rasa was fine with being booted from the Kazekage office. It just meant one of his cousins would get the position until one of his kids is a Jonin. The very laws of his village would safeguard that. Rasa also believed his kids to be failures. He could easily manipulate them from the shadows so, really, him not being the Kazekage was just a formality that would probably even suit him well. He never expected Pakura to try and usurp the rulership of the village for herself!

Daimyo knew the plan and as such, before anyone else could react and make the process more difficult, he spoke, "On the contrary, Rasa. It was YOUR family that pushed, blackmailed, and bribed for this law to be introduced in the village. It was YOUR family that snatched the control of the Kazekage position through it. And it was YOUR family that made it possible for us to demand the same of you as long as all the rules are properly followed." He gave the people in the room a pointed look, daring them to contradict him despite knowing he was right. "As such, we will now vote if the reason of one, Rasa Sabaku, for sending Pakura Yotsuba, one of the strongest and most influential ninjas of Sunagakure in her time, on a suicide mission, conspiring with Kirigakure in order to get rid of his political enemy, is enough to evoke the Grudge Match. Rasa Sabaku broke the laws of this village as well as this nation by conspiring with an enemy village for, not the benefit of either the village or the nation, but his own. He willingly offered the life of one of our strongest shields for no other reason than he felt threatened. I beseech you to think about it. If he could do it to Pakura who was at the time beloved and revered as the hero of Sunagakure..." Who is to say he won't do it to you went unsaid.

Rasa knew he lost this round. If he threw a temper tantrum now, it would not help his cause. Not at all. It would simply portray him as imm.a.t.u.r.e. He had no other option than to sit down and quietly seethe, letting the vote go on.

Chiyo impassively stared at the Daimyo who just delivered his speech while inwardly she was groaning, knowing at least some of the young clan heads would be captured by it. As for the others... 'All the ways they could go about removing Rasa, they just had to choose the most troublesome one! And I unknowingly made it easier for them! Curse it all! To think I would be so easily played.' She huffed in irritation.

Pakura had to be returned to the service of the village if the secrets she knew were to stay secret. All of the council members knew that. The problem was how to ensure it since she was clearly under the protection of both the Wind Daimyo and the Uzusio Trading Company. And here, the Daimyo himself gave them an easy way out. After all, if the Grudge Match was on, it would either mean Pakura would die or she would become the Kazekage. Either way, she wouldn't be able to reveal what she knows to the enemy.

'I guess, it could be worse. At least if the girl wins the village would retain the Daimyo's favor again.' Chiyo grumbled as she made the decision of who to support.

While Chiyo fought the internal battle of decisions, Rei watched the occupants in the room, seeing they also considered their options. Only when his eyes landed on Suzumiya Mirano did they sparkle in a massive amount of amus.e.m.e.nt that could be translated to internally laughing his a.s.s off. The woman in question noticed and returned a small understanding smile to Rei.

Seeing the people in the room more or less made their decisions, the Daimyo decided to continue the meeting. "Let's vote."

Unsurprisingly to Rei, Mirano was the first who raised her hand and voted in favor of the Grudge Match. Seeing her do that, three other clans and four independent ninjas on the council followed her lead while Rei had to bite his lower lip in order to not burst into uncontrollable laughter at the bewildered face Rasa sported when the entire neutral faction in the council, united for the first time during his whole tenure, voted against him.

The Suzumiya clan was a very new clan in the village. They only became a part of it at the end of the Third Ninja War. During Rasa's rule, however, the clan rose in status until it rivaled the most influential clans in both wealth and power. There were not many ninjas in the Suzumiya clan but all of them were powerful.

When the financial crisis hit the village because of Rasa's mismanagement and sour relationship with the Daimyo, it was the Suzumiya clan who helped those in need. The poorer clans and individuals. Naturally, the amount of goodwill and political capital they acc.u.mulated over these harsh years was staggering.

It was... only their connection to the Biri-Biri company that allowed them to grow so quickly.

And Rei couldn't help but admire Konan's scheming. It was really incredibly good of a decision to send their employees undercover into Sunagakure all these years ago and have them form a clan. Because of that and the help this clan gave to the village through his company, Rei currently held 8 votes out of 21 in the Sunagakure's council with none the wiser.

The next to vote was the so-called anti-Rasa faction which provided another 7 votes in favor of the Grudge Match. During his time as the Kazekage, Rasa made quite a few enemies. While they couldn't say anything against him while he was in power, now that there was a way to kick him while he was down, they would naturally go for it.

Really, having the Suzumiya clan provided quite a lot of inside information to Rei. There was no way in hell Pakura would lose the vote. He knew it from the start, he simply wanted to see all the bickering.

Surprisingly enough, only three people voted against the Match. Two clans and one Baki. They were closest to Rasa in the political field. Not that their votes helped the man and they knew it. They simply stood by him in case he won the match. Either way, there was no loss for them.

In the end, the vote ended with 17 for and 4 against the Match. Rasa couldn't help but slump in his seat while Pakura beamed at him. It was decided. The fight was on.

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Chapter 240 - Ch240. Pakura vs Rasa 1

Pakura stood twenty feet apart from Rasa in the Sunagakure's 'arena', her right hand on her hip while the other arm leisurely hung alongside her body, prepared to snap into action at the slightest sign of need. Her slight knowing smile unnerved Rasa who eyed her for any kind of information he could discern before the fighting began while his mind quickly started sifting through what he remembered of Pakura from her time of service to Sunagakure. Rasa wasn't about to be careless. He knew well that Pakura was one hell of a kunoichi and Grudge Match was... a fight to the death.

Looking around, Pakura noted the arena didn't change in the slightest since she left the village. Even the boulders were in the same area where she remembered them. Unlike Konoha's colosseum-like arena, Suna used vast open space akin to a desert littered with many boulders, occasional trees, and even a small lake on the side. Maintaining that lake was quite a problem for Sunagakure so they only filled it with water during the Chuunin Exams. Considering neither Pakura nor Rasa had water affinity, the lake was currently completely dry.

In the stands around the sand-filled arena, the Daimyo and the important people of Sunagakure watched as Pakura and Rasa were about to fight. Excitement filled the ninja and civilians alike in expectation of witnessing two Kage level titans go at each other with the intent to kill.

"How exciting," Pakura dryly commented when she heard the boisterous cheers from the audience, "Who would have thought killing would be so popular."

"Anyone who ever heard of hidden villages." Rasa snorted and took two scrolls out of his pockets. "Seriously, what do they teach traitors nowadays?"

"Administration," Pakura shrugged, letting her light jacket fall from her shoulders onto the sandy ground, "You know... the stuff that actually helps to keep the village rich and running." She added in a dismissive yet mocking tone that had Rasa's eyebrow twitch.

"Your utter lack of denial concerning treason is not lost on me." Rasa coldly countered.

"Rasa," Pakura drawled in a slightly fed-up voice, "Your pre-battle taunting sucks." She deadpanned. "Honestly, cut the crap, golden boy. You were always good at straightforward things so try to focus on those. Psychological warfare is not for you." She retorted dismissively before starting to stretch and roll her shoulders in preparation for the fight.

Silence ensued between the two combatants, signaling both were done with their pre-battle talks. Seeing it, Chiyo sighed, knowing the village would lose one of its S-rank ninjas today, no matter who won. Without further ado, she connected a chakra string to a basic puppet between Pakura and Rasa, causing it to stand up and raise its wooden arm, raising the tension to the utmost extreme. With another twitch of Chiyo's finger, the arm swung down...

Both combatants burst into action.

Rasa instantly threw the two scrolls upwards into the air and had to quickly move his head to the side as a kunai whizzed through the place his eye was only a split second ago courtesy of Pakura who was now sprinting straight at him at jonin-level speed.

Cl.i.c.k.i.n.g her tongue at the two scrolls in the air, Pakura briefly lamented that her initial throw didn't prevent Rasa from throwing them and bought her time to get close. As she was halfway through the distance between her and Rasa, the two scrolls burst open in a copious amount of white smoke before it was brutally dispersed by the literal mountain of gold dust falling right onto Pakura in a crushing attempt at ending the battle.

Within a blink of an eye, the golden dust landed right on Pakura's head, sending a small earthquake through the area as if a giant just stomped onto the ground. Rasa's tensed body slightly relaxed... and kunai found its way to the nape of his head, razing its way upward straight into his brain.

Pakura who appeared behind Rasa had to let go of her kunai as Rasa's body burst into golden dust that instantly snapped into action, trying to engulf her in its crushing embrace. As she jumped right and left, evading tendril after tendril of golden dust, Pakura suddenly tripped, only briefly noticing that some grains of sand under her feet glitter in a bit too sparkly way while her body was falling towards the ground. Rasa didn't give her even a half-second of contemplation as the golden dust wrapped itself around her body and squashed...

Throwing himself onto the ground into a roll, Rasa barely evaded a swipe at his jugular from his blind spot. Arming himself with a kunai in mid-roll, the second he found himself again on his feet, Rasa had to block Pakura's kunai only for his eyes to widen as she noticed her dual-wielding them a second too late.

Pakura's second kunai buried itself into Rasa's heart straight through the gap in his ribcage, his body again bursting into golden dust as Pakura jumped back and threw kunai to her right before using a quick Kawarimi with it as the golden dust was about to compress around her.

Coincidentally, the kunai landed right in front of Rasa's feet, giving him a shock of a lifetime as the second Pakura appeared in front of him, her fist smashed straight into his nose, sending him flying backward with a satisfying crunch...

Spikes of golden dust rose from under Pakura, piercing her body while the flying form of Rasa dissolved into golden dust. Pakura spat blood with a wide-eyed expression, giving her only a second to comprehend what was happening before the spikes in her body twitched... her body was completely and brutally torn to pieces from inside out, dirtying the sand with her blood, torn muscles, pieces of bones and organs.

Rasa was cautiously rising from the ground a few feet away from the horror scene when the temperature experienced a sudden rise in his vicinity, only giving him a moment to realize a genjutsu was at play.

In a scorching flash originating right above Rasa, the audience was briefly blinded. Only the most experienced ninjas of Suna noticed the place the Kazekage was rising from was now completely turned to superheated glass from the sheer searing heat before the temperature rose so much it evaporated water in the air, resulting in a cloudy vapor obscuring the spectators.

Nobody got to complain however as a second later, the Kazekage used Futon: Great Breakthrough, sending a crushing pressurized air through the battlefield, dispersing the vapor in a matter of milliseconds before he was forced to duck yet another swipe at his neck courtesy of Pakura who used the brief distraction and lack of vision to sneak near him.

This time, however, Pakura anticipated the dodge and Rasa found her foot implanted in his stomach the second he ducked... the knife in Pakura's hand quickly flipped into backhand grip as she violently plunged it into the back of Rasa's head... almost growling as he yet again burst into golden dust.

A split second later, her upper body was torn from her lower parts by the sheer pressure a tendril of golden dust that smacked into her generated.

As chunks of Pakura's organs showered the sands of the arena in the southern sector, in the eastern one, Rasa barely managed to block a strike from the real Pakura with his own kunai, cursing at the disadvantage yet happy that this time he was wholly prepared for it.

Golden dust under his feet snapped into action, aiming for Pakura at breakneck speeds while she simply flicked her wrist and let Rasa's kunai slide on hers, getting into his guard in one masterful deflection of Rasa's block... when the golden dust tore her legs to shreds.

Rasa didn't manage to dodge the kunai she threw a moment before she was dispelled as he was too distracted by the fact Pakura knew a Konoha Kinjutsu, his eye socket getting a new kunai-sized piercing with blood squirting out... only for a log to appear in his place a moment later.

The battlefield was once again empty, the audience looking for the two hidden combatants with silent anticipation and barely hidden trepidation as chills passed through their spines at the fast pace of the combat and the various supposed deaths they witnessed in short order.

Everybody knew even the slightest mistake would be the end of the battle and THAT was a sobering thought even for most of the jonins as they pondered if they would even be still alive with such a deadly pace and every strike more lethal and brutal than the previous one.

Seeing the wide-eyed people around her, Chiyo bitterly smiled, 'To think neither of them used anything but the basics of their personal combat style yet... Such a monumental waste.' She let out a muffled groan at the loss of such a ninja that would certainly follow at the end of the match.

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Chapter 241 - Ch241. Temari's thoughts

Temari stood in the stands, watching her father and the strange foreign kunoichi trying to kill each other with such vicious brutality and ferocity it caused her to shiver in barely restrained fright. She was ten years old and honestly, she envied Kankuro who dully stood next to her, staring in awe and considerable frustration at the fight. Her brother was not yet trained to the degree he could follow what was happening in the arena with his eyes. He knew he was witnessing something monumentally grand. Something incredible. And he also tried to see more of it but he was unable to. And that, in Temari's opinion, was quite fortunate. At least he wouldn't have a scare of his life.

One cannot comprehend what one cannot see, after all.

She, on the other hand, had sufficient training to be capable of following chunin-level speeds. Her bastard of a father made sure it was beaten into her as her early birthday gift until her reaction speed improved. While she didn't catch everything going on in the arena, she at least could get the gist of the important details in-between all the rapid blurs and gory scary stuff.

The bottom line was... Temari for the first time in her life saw what the elite ninjas were like. And with it, came a realization. She could at any time encounter such an opponent in the field once she graduated. No matter how slim the chances were, it was possible. Temari quickly re-evaluated her life values.

'I will have to step up my training.' She decided deep down in her heart, unwilling to accept that the fight in front of her was making her a teensy bit excited because of how terrifying it was for her young mind.

For a few seemingly unending minutes, Temari watched as Pakura stabbed and slashed her father, getting crushed or squished in return in what seemed like some deadly dance of knives and golden dust.

Pakura's hands often blurred and before Temari could comprehend what happened, she found a kunai deeply lodged in some lethal part of her father only for Pakura's body to be violently dismantled by the golden dust a second later.

As this continued, however, Temari slowly started to see a small difference. It was only slight and barely noticeable but it was there! Temari leaned forward in interest and anticipation, for a second feeling bad that she found excitement in the fact her father would be run through with kunai or that his opponent in the match to the death was slowly starting to get more effective in fighting him. That feeling quickly left when she remembered her childhood though...

Suddenly Temari's eyes widened and her breath hitched as something that never before happened... happened.

The kunai of the green-haired woman slit Rasa's throat only for him to burst into golden dust that instantly tried to smoothen Pakura. Everybody in the stands rapidly started looking around, expecting the two combatants to pop up in a different place and the fight to continue but this time was different.

This time... Pakura dodged.

As the tendrils of golden dust tried to encompass her lithe form, Pakura flipped herself to the side, blurring... dodging the quickly moving dust...

Temari blinked at the unpredictability of the action. Pakura didn't dodge even once, at least, not visibly. The sheer shock of the action made Temari blank out for a split of a second only to notice her father's form a few tens of feet away with kunai handle-deep in his forehead, its tip peeking out from the back of his head.

She half-expected him to die. Pakura 'killed' him two times in under two seconds. Surely he was not fast enough to evade that...

Before the slight feeling of guilt and happiness could fully bloom in her c.h.e.s.t, the form of her father dissolved into golden dust and Temari suddenly found herself trying to suppress the feeling of inadequacy and disappointment.

Shaking herself from her feelings, she refocused back onto the fight. Her father and his opponent were yet again locked in close-quarter combat, exchanging blows with their kunais. Golden dust swirled, bashed, smashed, and ripped through the air only for the nimble and graceful form of Pakura to weave through the attacks while pressing her father with her masterful knifework.

Temari couldn't see all of the moves. To her, the kunais twirled, blurred, whizzed far too fast. She could, however, see that her father was really at a disadvantage when Pakura so easily deflected his kunai, completely bypassing his guard and snapping the arm which not a slip second ago blocked into a vicious jab. Pakura's hand blurred and Temari was again graced with the scene of her father having kunai run through his head from under his chin.

Relaxing, Temari bit her lips, 'Am I a bad person for not caring when I see my father's form like that?' She mused. At the start, it bothered her. Now? Now her father supposedly died over forty times in front of her since the start of this match. Sure, it was just clones made of golden dust but to her, it seemed pretty real. 'No... he deserves it. For what he did to Gaara.' Temari stubbornly decided, her eyes watering.

"Interesting fight, wouldn't you agree, Temari?"

A hand landed on her shoulder as these words entered her ears and Temari flinched as if she was stabbed. Snapping her head to the left, her shoulders sagged, "Chiyo-baa. Don't scare me like that!" She pouted, getting a small smile from the old, usually grumpy woman.

Ignoring the small outrage in Temari's tone, Chiyo continued speaking in what Temari recognized as the old lady's teacher mode from the lessons Kankuro was getting, "Observe the fight closely, Temari. It will serve you well." It was then that Kankuro was about to open his mouth, most likely complain about not being able to decipher what was really going on in the battlefield, only to be smacked by Chiyo before he could speak, causing his mouth to snap shut while his cheeks pinked as he petulantly crossed his arms on his c.h.e.s.t.

Temari giggled at her brother's misfortune, "They are incredibly fast."

"That they are, child. That they are. Your father was not chosen to be the Kazekage because of his ugly mug." Chiyo mirthfully chortled. "And yet, this is more psychological battle rather than all-out slug-fest, girl."

Hearing that, Temari's eyes widened, "What!?" She blurted out, making some people turn towards her with admonishing gazes just as in the battlefield, Pakura's arms were torn from her torso in exchange for getting a kunai up Rasa's a.s.s and then kicking it deeper for a good measure with a snap-kick.

Seeing that particular moment, Chiyo burst out laughing while Temari ducked her head in utterly mortifying embarrassment as she saw her father's eyes widen to humorous proportions when Pakura buggered him with pointy steel.

Rasa dissolved into golden dust while Pakura changed to mud, surprising many she could do Earth Jutsu.

"What do you mean 'psychological'?" Temari asked in a vain attempt to make the Honorable Elder next to her stop laughing at the humiliation her father suffered.

Finally managing to stop herself from laughing, Chiyo spoke, "They are barely using basics. Both of them are ninjutsu experts focused on their bloodline and yet, all Pakura is using is her exceptional kunaijutsu and some rudimentary low-cost Jutsus while your father didn't use even one battlefield-reshaping technique. Chakra-wise, they could keep this up all day as long as neither does any mistake." She shook her head.

"But... But father is using so much dust!" Temari exclaimed in disbelief, knowing her family's bloodline is very chakra exhausting.

"Simple techniques he mastered long ago and while there are tons of golden dust on the battlefield, the amount of dust he actively manipulates in a single instance is really small. He simply switches to the dust closest to his opponent. It just looks as if he used a whole lot of it but in reality, he is using minimum. No... they could go at it for an entire day like this with neither of them exhausted. Rasa most likely regenerates chakra faster than he is losing it at this rate. The golden dust clone is simply that cheap for him with his degree of mastery over his bloodline. As for Pakura... well." Chiyo trailed off in a small discomfort.

Noticing, Temari curiously tilted her head, not separating her gaze from the two fighters in the arena, "What about her?"

"She is the only kunoichi mad and skilled enough to face members of the seven swordsmen of mist only with two kunais." Chiyo shrugged, "In her time, she was the pride of our village. What Yondaime Hokage was to Konoha, she was to us to a lesser degree... at least before your father apparently decided to off her." She added in distaste before muttering, "Serves the prick well."

Hearing about the apparent skill of the agile kunoichi, Temari's eyes excitedly lit up as she wondered if she could get so strong one day too. Seeing Temari's reaction, Chiyo hummed in self-satisfaction as her eyes flickered from side to side all over the arena, watching the flurry of death delivered by Pakura. Chiyo was far too experienced to not notice the ever-so-slight measured increase in speed of Pakura. Slowly increasing her speed from jonin-level to S-rank in twenty minutes? Chiyo thought not. At least, not unintentionally. Pakura was playing with Rasa, measuring him.

It wasn't even funny, really. Not when in some instances, Pakura's hands went from zero to hundred in matters of a split second, redirecting her stabs and strikes with such a sudden increase of speed that even Chiyo barely saw it as more than a blur. The worst part was that Pakura masked it so well, Chiyo doubted even many of the Suna Jonins noticed what the green-haired woman was actually doing. After all, she only managed to catch it because of her expertise in puppetry, and having quick fingers alongside sudden snap-ish movements of hands was a must in her chosen field.

Then again, speed was only one factor and the fight was far from decided. Not when neither of the ninjutsu experts used ninjutsu yet.

'Let's hope this talk will lessen Temari's hard feelings if Pakura wins.' Chiyo wistfully thought.

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Chapter 242 - Ch242. Pakura vs Rasa 2

Pakura softly clicked her heel on the sandy ground under her, channeling her chakra, and instantly with a scorching hot white flash, the ground around her was instantly turned into a glassy area, preventing Rasa from mixing his golden dust with the sand on the ground and sneaking it near her.

"I am growing tired of cutting you up." She crossed her hands under her c.h.e.s.t in a condescending manner, "Are we finally going to fight seriously?"

The second she said that, a massive twenty-foot tall wave of golden dust rose from the sands behind her in a blink of an eye, viciously lunging at her as if it was a hungry beast.

Pakura turned her head, inwardly praising Rasa that he attacked from behind rather than head-on as was seemingly the norm nowadays, and lifted her hand with her fingers ready for a snapping motion, aiming at the avalanche of golden dust... 'So he used our little foreplay to substitute sands under the ground with his golden dust, leaving only a thin layer of sand on top of it as camouflage, huh?' Pakura thought as she snapped her fingers sending a rapid wave of her special scorch chakra forward with incredible velocity.

The tsunami of Golden dust met a supersonic wave of scorching heat, briefly blinding the observers as white flash spread through the battlefield as fast as it disappeared, leaving only a massive semi-liquid lump of smelted gold of the size of the Hokage monument in Konoha behind that was quickly cooling off and hardening, making Rasa's chakra have a lot of trouble as he tried and failed to manipulate it.

Pakura, still standing in the same spot, looked at the mountain of gold she helped to create and a small smile appeared on her usually stoic face. The deed was a whole lot harder and impressive than it looked, to be honest. Too much heat and the gold would need more time to harden into a somewhat solid form, giving Rasa enough time to pull it effortlessly back into small grains of gold. That would not cause many problems for him. Too little heat and the tsunami of golden dust could have bypassed her scorch release, reaching her. That was not ideal either.

Pakura was indeed quite proud of herself and the feat of chakra control she displayed by making sure the veritable mountain of gold would cool off quick enough that Rasa would be hard-pressed to get it combat-ready again.

"You know..." She turned around, straight in the direction where Rasa was hiding underground, "I trained a lot with the help of my husband to perfect my Scorch Release. The second I showed him how I use it... he actually berated me for an entire week for wasting so much chakra on maintaining balls of it for offense when I could just as easily use it in quick succession of rapid waves of scorching heat to instantly vaporize my enemies in a surprise attack." A nostalgic smile appeared on Pakura's face, "I won't try to play with you, Rasa." She gently shook her head.

For a second, the world stopped for Rasa. And then... it happened. An almost invisible wave of heat flooded the area in front of Pakura with such a speed, people barely noticed before its effects became apparent. Sand changed to glass, golden dust transformed into searingly hot pieces of precious metal, the very air shimmered and blurred from the heat, catching fire that extinguished itself only to again combust in quick succession all over the area where the scorch release hit. Instantly, one-fourth of the arena was changed to a superheated scorching hell that made even the audience far away sweat like pigs, feeling the scalding heat c.a.r.e.s.s their skin.

Pakura didn't get much reprieve after her attack. Three spinning tendrils of golden dust burst forth from the ground, two on her sides and one behind her, razing their path towards her in an attempt to shred her to pieces now that Rasa knew the person standing there was the real Pakura. In his opinion, no clone could release such a devastating Jutsu.

Jumping slightly to the side and tilting her body to the left at a precise moment, Pakura barely evaded the first drilling tendril that promptly smashed its tip to the ground on her right side, gouging a good junk out of it. Turning her body to the right, the second tendril barely missed her, also smashing into the ground near her, blocking her from escaping to the left.

Sensing the danger behind her, Pakura instantly threw her body to the ground, causing the last tendril of golden dust to barely miss, passing by above her now-duked head, smashing to the ground behind her, blocking her last path of retreat. Pakura's hands impacted the ground as she channeled massive amounts of her chakra into it.

Before anyone could marvel at the newly created golden masterpiece, Pakura jumped up on top of one of the now solidified tendrils of pure gold, creating small scorching balls of the size of a small pebble around herself as her hands locked in a tiger hand seal while the corners of her lips tugged up into a playful smirk.

"Scorch Release: Scorching Rain!"

Rasa only got a brief bad premonition before Pakura started blanketing the battlefield with her balls of scorching doom in a splashing manner. She didn't target him but her attack was even worse than if she did. He couldn't safely evade in fear of jumping straight into another scorching ball. He could use Kawarimi as it was a bit disorienting afterward for a second. A second that could be quite fatal considering Pakura was madly cropping the entire battlefield with her Jutsu of mass destruction.

As if possessed, Rasa started madly shielding himself with his golden dust, dragging it from the ground and having it intercept the small balls of scorch release, in turn turning into a liquid state that was dastardly hard to control for him. With every ball blocked, he lost control of some of his gold dust which, unlike sand, wasn't easily replenishable on the battlefield. Rasa had no time to spend converting the liquid gold back into golden dust as Pakura relentlessly continued her Jutsu, making him jump right and left while putting his dust in between his body and the balls.

Two minutes later, the panting Rasa stood in the devastated arena, sweating not much from exertion as from the heat around him while the sandy ground now sported many blotches of glass or puddles of liquid gold, in some instances even both fused in a peculiar mix.

It wasn't just Pakura's Jutsu that raised the temperature in the surroundings. The gold in some of the puddles was basically boiling and bubbling, releasing waves of heat into the air. Even the already solidifying parts released a lot of heat, making the air scalding hot. The glass and sand around were almost too hot to stand on...

Rasa simply felt as if he was burning alive, his lungs screaming in protest as if the oxygen in them was smoldering him from inside, his skin tempered under the constantly hot sun of the Wind Country actually blistered and reddened, he felt teary-eyed but his eyes were far too dry for any tears to appear, the underside of his nails were irritating him to no end while his hands shook. His clothes unpleasantly clung to his body due to the heat and sweat, weighting him...

Rasa now completely understood that Pakura's biggest weapon was not the direct attack but the torturous discomfort she could cause with her heat. He fought a hard battle against his own wits, keeping his focus on his opponent who despite the massive chance to strike seemed content to just watch him suffer.

Despite all the agony he was going through, Rasa was far from finished. Noting his chakra reserves are still eighty percent full, he channeled some of it into his body to calm it down, make the heat more bearable, and prevent further damage, no matter how small.

"Huuu, still as honorable as ever, I see." Rasa dryly commented with a raspy voice, his face scrunched in both concentration and barely restrained agony, trying to sound mocking. Not that it actually worked since he looked miserable.

Sure, he was capable of channeling his chakra into his body to alleviate the effects of the heat but he was no scorch user. Pakura could stand in the center of her scorch ball and be completely fine, regarding it as a sunbathing experience. She long ago perfected protecting her body with her chakra against the effects of her own Jutsu. By now, there wasn't much heat, flames, or high temperature could do to her. Rasa, despite growing up in the deserts of the Wind Country, couldn't state the same.

At his taunt, Pakura only regarded him with a sweet smile, "I already told you that you suck at taunting, Rasa." She narrowed her eyes with delight. "In fact," She paused, creating suspense...

Rasa didn't even manage to blink as blood spurted from his neck, feeling the cold steel only after it long left his neck. His eyes widened in utter shock and bewilderment, uncomprehendingly staring at the stream of his blood dirtying the ground in front of him, he fell to his knees.

"Did you really think I only willy-nilly shot my Jutsu at you, foolishly hoping you would somehow die?" Pakura asked in a voice laced with amus.e.m.e.nt, "You are standing exactly where I wanted you. Exactly where I stood at the start of this fight. Me being a ninjutsu specialist doesn't mean I need to end the fight by using ninjutsu, idiot. Knife to the neck is much more efficient."

The last thing Rasa saw before dying was Pakura's cold smirk that could freeze even the scorching dunes of the Suna's desert as his ears registered a small, barely audible pop behind him followed by a small burst of white smoke.

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Chapter 243 - Ch243. New Kazekage 1

Temari, in numb satisfaction and quiet horror, watched as the jacket behind Rasa, the very same jacket Pakura discarded at the start of the fight burst into what she suspected was some sort of clone and in one fluid motion slit her father's throat before he even realized it. Only when he already dropped to his knees, his lifeblood flowing out of his neck did the clarity return to Temari as the realization hit her hard. Her father... lost.

Owlishly blinking, a bewildered "Ughh?" left her lips, her brain refusing to accept that her horrible father was dying in front of her very eyes. "Is it... over?" Temari turned to Chiyo in confusion, noticing the old woman had the same expression of utter bewilderment she herself most likely sported. "Just like that?"??

Temari couldn't wait for the answer from the village elder, however. She heard a choked sob next to her and realized Kankuro was also present. It was her duty as his older sister to give him at least some measure of support. She turned around and hugged her younger brother who stared at the corpse of their father with an empty look.

It was then that Temari gained a small understanding of what it means to be a ninja. How easily one's life could be lost no matter how strong one was. As she comforted Kankuro, her eyes suddenly gained determination as her mind processed the entire event.

She absolutely refused to be just another nameless corpse on the field! Not like that!

Chiyo was completely flabbergasted. She knew the fight barely started. Both combatants barely exerted a small percentage of their chakra reserves. The battle was just starting! Until it wasn't. Until it was over before it even really started. She expected a massive ninjutsu fight. She expected an awe-inspiring and arena-shattering clash of titans. She expected anything but...

A knife to the neck.

The worst and most humiliating way to go when facing a famous ninjutsu expert. A sign that it didn't even take ninjutsu to kill you. And yet... Chiyo had to applaud Pakura's move.

With this one fight, she not only gained the position of the Kazekage but also cemented it beyond anyone's doubt. She reminded everybody of her power by cornering Rasa while only scratching a surface of what her bloodline could do. Every single ninja knew facing the unknown was dangerous. When the said unknown could vaporize you in an instant? Chiyo doubted there was anyone who would try to directly scheme against Pakura unless there is some convenient buffer to absorb damage should the plans go awry.

Most importantly, Pakura has subtly shown ruthlessness and cunning that would stop many of the clan heads from acting out even if they had a scapegoat. Slighting Rasa's throat was a message.

'Piss me off at your own peril.'

Rasa, for all his good points, was a calm man with a peculiar kind of brashness. He was straightforward and if she were to be honest, he was not cut out for politics.

Pakura on the other hand?

She just finished off borderline S-rank ninja with a plan she weaved from the very start of the fight. She not only accomplished that but also ensured nobody got even an inkling of what she was planning despite the presence of so many high-ranking ninjas of Suna.

'Healthy mix of fear and respect... That's how you want to rule, eh, girl?' Chiyo sighed, knowing the following years in the Suna Council won't be easy. Her eyes glanced at the Wind Daimyo who, contrary to the expectations, didn't look as jubilant as at the start of the fight. 'Maybe…'

In the center of the stands, Mikumi, the Wind Daimyo, watched Pakura with a conflicted gaze. The way Pakura dispatched Rasa hit him like his fifth wife after she found him doing that cute little maid she promptly sacked only to have her return as one of his concubines because he really appreciated her nimble tongue.

And damn did that slap hurt!

Troublesome power-hungry woman.

The real reason why Mikumi felt uneasy at the way Rasa died was a bit hypocritical. Even he could understand that. Ninjutsu was cleaner, seemed less cruel, less ruthless. He knew that Pakura using her bloodline would be either infinitely more painful or instant, depending on how fast Pakura would decide to vaporize the man. It would have been a cruel way to go but there would be no gore and blood for civvies like him to get upset about. It looked way better than seeing Pakura's clone coldly slit Rasa's throat, his blood gushing out, covering the sandy ground in a red blanket.

Mikumi was not stupid. He knew Pakura wanted power over Sunagakure and he also knew the Uzushio Trading Company would have a degree of influence in the village through the new Kazekage.

And that was fine. As long as Rasa was out of the picture and no foreign ninjas tried to separate his head from his body, Mikumi was totally okay with losing some of his control over Sunagakure. He knew the Suna council probably won't see it like that. They would expect him to lash out, demand, threaten, whatever, just to get Pakura under his thumb. They will expect him to try to reel Pakura in, giving them a chance to grab more influence for themselves and their clan.

Alas... he would have liked to think he was smarter than that. This little display of cold-heartedness from his favorite scorching hot kunoichi just enhanced his resolve to not mess with Pakura and her new rule unless it somehow threatened his entire nation.

Plus, pleasing the Uzushio Trading Company seemed like a good way to bolster both diplomatic relations with the Uzumaki AND make his nation richer. Oh, he could almost see the money rolling it!

Pakura wouldn't be worse than Rasa. Not by a long shot. Their meetings in the last two months gave him ample time to both observe and test Pakura's skills in diplomacy, economy, and politics. Three things Rasa sorely lacked. Rasa was a prime example of why power shouldn't be the only deciding factor for the Kazekage election.

Mikumi never wanted power or even the rule, to be honest.

When the battle for the position of the Daimyo started between his remaining nine siblings, he went to the countryside, making it abundantly clear he wanted nothing to do with it. He was a prince! That had to count for something! Or so he thought. He was wealthy enough to live in luxury for his entire life, indulging in debauchery with the prettiest women of the Land of Wind. Life was good!

Responsibilities pilled up, his free time dwindled, assassination attempts started... Honestly, the only thing that was still keeping him in the position of the Daimyo was the fact his head would roll if he stopped and all the nobles willing to offer him their very eager daughters... well, his life of debauchery was the ONLY thing he was NOT willing to compromise on. He was happy as long as he had a willing woman under his table while he did his paperwork. He was happy as long as an eager and n.a.k.e.d wife lying in their bed greeted him at the end of his busy day, offering herself for his relaxation. He was happy when he woke up to a nice warm sensation from his lower member.

He was happy as long as he had his women eager to please him, no matter if it was to get more power for their families, further their ambitions, or simply to live their lives in luxury. Mikumi long ago saw that he was just a human being and decided to enjoy his life without trying to chase some imaginary dominance over other nations.

His entire life depended on a fine balance between fulfilling his responsibilities, which kept him alive in considerable luxury and his state running, and enjoying his life to the fullest alongside all his mistresses, concubines, and wives. Rasa was threatening this balance by just existing with his utter stupidity and the man didn't even know it! That's why Mikumi hated him to the core.

As such, why would he care about who ruled Sunagakure as long as they did right by their duties to the Land of Wind?

Still... Mikumi made a mental note to never piss Pakura off lest it would be his throat she slit the next time she gets the urge to soak the ground in something red. Hey, he was the Daimyo, not a God! He knew his limits!

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Chapter 244 - Ch244. New Kazekage 2

Pakura impassively gazed at the dead body of the previous Kazekage that was still leaking blood and staining the ground with it. This was her revenge against the man who sent her to certain death. And yet...

Pakura decided she didn't really feel satisfied. Not by a long shot. In fact, she didn't feel almost anything now that Rasa's corpse was rapidly cooling off in front of her.??

It honestly put a sincere smile on her face.

She never really felt shackled by a d.e.s.i.r.e for revenge but now she was certain. Now she knew for sure she didn't care either way if Rasa lived or died. She didn't kill Rasa because he wronged her. No... that didn't matter to her anymore. She killed him for Rei. For his plan to proceed.

Lifting her gaze towards the stands, Pakura quickly found Rei staring at her in silent amus.e.m.e.nt, measuring her reaction. Despite all that aloof indifference he excluded, Pakura spent enough time around him to notice the slight sign of underlying worry in his expression. It lifted her mood... to see he really cared. To see she mattered to the man she loved.

Their eyes briefly met and yet, for anyone observing them, it would be as if the world stilled into a deafening silence while they shared a silent intimate conversation. Not even a full second later, Pakura pulled her eyes away, back to Rasa's body while her lips formed a small frown.

Sighing, Pakura was well aware of the silent crowd watching her without any cheer. For them, this was not a happy day. This was the day their Kazekage died. For most of them, this was a sad day. They understood why's and how's. They were also ninjas and this was a part of their lifestyle. They would learn to adapt under the rule of the new leader, namely her. Pakura only hoped her next actions won't irreversibly alienate some of the more important members of Sunagakure. She would loathe killing her own men. Especially the valuable ones.

Pakura raised her right hand, aiming it in the direction of Rasa's body and before anyone could even muster a thought of protest, the sandy arena suddenly lit up like a furnace when a massive scorching ball of the size of a three-story house appeared right on top of Rasa's corpse, vaporizing it alongside with everything in the immediate surrounding.

Waves of heat rolling on pressurized whiplash of wind impacted the arena and while the audience only experienced the barest minimum of the attack, they still found themselves having to shield their eyes and bodies from both the heat, bending their knees, and anchoring their feet into the ground to not be swept away by the echoes of the raging wind.

In this one attack, Pakura expended more chakra than in the whole fight against Rasa, causing the total decimation of the arena. Her purpose, however, was fulfilled.

...

Pakura leisurely walked towards Rei, slightly shaking her h.i.p.s in a tempting but not overbearing manner as she completely disregarded the fearful and resigned glances she received from the wary Suna ninjas. They didn't expect her to be so vicious as to not leave even a body for a funeral.

Pakura wasn't afraid of betrayal though. This was the world of ninja where the strong ruled and Suna ninjas lived under Rasa until now. Another seemingly ruthless and no-nonsense murder-happy leader was something they could cope with. It was something they knew and accepted long ago. This way, at least, nobody would try giving her grief by openly defying her as they would know there are consequences to certain actions.

That's why she could ignore the few hateful glares in the crowd. They were almost pathetic, to be honest. As if she cared that her impromptu incineration class pissed somebody off. Idiots...

"You just couldn't resist offing him with a kunai, could you?" Rei amusedly asked Pakura as she arrived at the center of the stands, ignoring the Daimyo who wisely stayed quiet.

"I am not sure I know what you mean." Pakura chuckled.

"Oh, get off it, woman," Rei playfully rolled his eyes. "You could have thrown the Jutsu that incinerated Rasa's corpse at the start and there would be a high chance Rasa would fall for it, not expecting something of that scale right off the bat. You and your pride," He mock-sighed, "even refusing to use Emerald for this fight."

Pakura could only blush at the admonishment from her husband, knowing he was right.

"Rasa always bitched and m.o.a.n.e.d about my fighting style when we were jonins. He always mocked me for using kunais too much and said I should focus solely on my bloodline in this utterly c.o.c.ksure self-absorbed condescending tone that could piss off even a monk." Pakura awkwardly shrugged, "I think this was poetic justice. Plus I didn't want to just steam-roll him. He was a leader using overwhelming power. I wanted to show I am different in my approach."

"If you are su-" Rei was about to reply when a childish roar interrupted him.

Chiyo was taking Temari and Kankuro to see the new Kazekage, hoping to introduce them now that they belonged to Pakura. The law about the Grudge Match for the Hereditary Ruling Position was a brutal one. The Sabaku clan made it so in order to prevent others from trying to use it against them, after all. Not only did a clan or person need a majority in the council voting in favor of it on top of Daimyo's approval... both parties put forward the highest stakes which made many people think twice before trying to go this route.

Namely, their families.

While the Sabaku clan was not affected at all, Rasa's children now officially belonged to Pakura with their social status suddenly becoming a very flexible thing. Pakura could do anything from adopting them as her own to making them into servants or even slaves. Nobody could complain because it was all in the scope of the law. What was previously added to discourage challengers from attempting to make use of the very law now could quickly become the undoing of the Sabaku siblings. Not that Gaara had anything to fear from Pakura. In this one instance, his special status was actually a boon rather than a curse.

Chiyo didn't want to see Kankuro, one of her quite gifted students, reduced to a slave because of Pakura's vindictiveness. She wanted the boy to continue in the art of puppetry and as such, she made it her mission to talk with Pakura while introducing her new charges. While Chiyo remembered Pakura from all these years ago and the woman didn't seem the slavery type but one simply never knew in the ninja world.

That's why the world spun in front of Chiyo when the very first thing Kankuro did after seeing Pakura's back was to tear himself from Temari's grip and charge at the killer of his father, roaring in rage while brandishing a kunai like a maniac. It would have been funny too if the foolish kid didn't trip in the middle of his charge and almost slit his throat on his own kunai.

Temari's heart leaped to her throat as the world slowed down, making her watch the pointy end of the kunai approach Kankuro's neck without being able to do anything about it. Only Pakura's quick reaction stopped the offending steel a half-inch from the boy's skin as she forcefully flipped him on his back, tearing the weapon from his hand.

"This," Pakura lazily waved the kunai in front of the frightened, hyperventilating Kankuro, "is a weapon. Not a toy." She admonished, adding a bit of her killing intent.

Rei could only marvel that for some reason, in Sunagakure, scaring kids witless with killing intent was deemed a totally good way to make kids attentive. 'And they wonder why the kid likes to wear make-up...'

Temari shook herself from the horror she felt and instantly ran in front of Kankuro, shielding him with her body, "Please! He didn't mean it! Please forgive him!" She pleaded while the Suna ninjas watched with bated breath how this would unfold.

Pakura snorted. 'Didn't mean it? Yeah, right. The next time I run somebody through with a kunai I will also proclaim I did not mean it and everything will be just peachy, won't it?' Taking a good look at the young blonde though... Pakura saw something interesting there.

"Tell you what, girl. You now belong to me. I might not like it but since I did challenge your father, I take you as my responsibility. I can pardon your idiot of a brother and even help strengthen the jinchuuriki's seal so he can sleep during the night," The more Pakura said, the bigger and more hopeful Temari's eyes became, "but I want something in return." Temari gulped, deep down knowing she would accept no matter what in order to help her brothers. Pakura started to really like the determined look in the girl. She reminded her of younger Maki. It was then she decided... "I want you to be my personal kunoichi."

Temari's jaw dropped while the winds c.a.r.e.s.sed the speechless spectators as yet another bomb was dropped in the already too eventful day.

As for Pakura... She only grabbed the Kazekage hat and leisurely put it on her head, enjoying the silence as she smiled at grinning Rei. "Ah... I could get used to this."

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Chapter 245 - Ch245. Pakura's days as Kazekage

The following days in Sunagakure were quite peaceful by Rei's standards. Sure, some c.o.c.ksure ninjas who just returned from missions, hence they missed Rasa's and Pakura's match, deemed it wise to challenge Pakura's new authority... and as expected, they got ass-whooping of a lifetime for their effort.

Pakura wasn't killing them. Suna was far too weak for that. She, however, made sure they learned their lesson in humility and subservience well. Few burns here, few cut tendons there, and even the bravest ninjas experienced the fear of being crippled for life with no way to provide for themselves and their family, which then fed their survival instinct, and voila, Pakura got the necessary obedience.??

The sharp decrease of discontent background noise after these events was surely just Rei's overabundant imagination.

Honestly, it wasn't even that cruel of a method and the Suna ninjas knew it. If it was Rasa in Pakura's place, he would probably execute them or someone from their family in front of them depending on their importance in the village. That didn't make the man evil. That simply made him an effective leader of a militaristic village full of trigger-happy professional killers. One simply had to somehow keep his soldiers in line.

Rei was actually glad the tension in the village eased after a few days. Pakura portrayed herself as a hardass but a reasonable leader and as such, she was accepted quite readily. It did help that the Suzumiya clan and their allies put their support behind Pakura which stacked up nicely with the financial help from the Uzushio Trading Company Rei prepared even before the actual Grudge Match. Sunagakure was on the fast track to full recovery and people noticed. It was quite hard to miss the increase of readily available and cheap food, better ninja supplies, more metal deliveries for the forges, and overall increase in the living conditions. Frankly, it really didn't take long for Pakura to be praised to kingdoms come after that.

Rei spent this time leisurely, watching Pakura's frustrated expression while drinking Sake in her office. It wasn't that he was enjoying her 'suffering'. Rei knew Pakura well enough to understand she enjoyed working. She, for some inexplicable reason, enjoyed the paperwork. She never felt it was a burden. She loved doing it and figuratively building something with her own hands. The horror! In his capacity as a responsible husband, Rei simply had to show her what she was missing by relaxing right in front of her with a satisfied smirk while she worked, no?

The suggestive and heated looks he was throwing at her most definitely had nothing to do with her frustrated expression and slightly l.u.s.tful gleam in her eyes. No, no, Rei was definitely not having fun by subtly trying to make her use her table for a more... productive activity.

The real kicker, however, was seeing Pakura interact with her new charges, the Sabaku siblings.

Much to Pakura's dismay, after re-making Gaara's seal, the young eight-year-old boy who no longer heard Shukaku and could now sleep peacefully got it into his half-insane head that she was his new mother because she had beaten Rasa. Anyone can imagine the kind of problems it caused for Pakura almost as well as the amount of amus.e.m.e.nt it provided for Rei. When one day Gaara came to the kitchen and in a deadpan voice asked Pakura what 'monkey s.e.x' was and if it could really prove his existence... well, let's just say Kankuro got a thrashing of his lifetime by both Temari and Pakura.

As for the young puppeteer, nothing much changed. Pakura was cordial to him and let him pursue his dream of becoming the best puppeteer of Suna. There wasn't much interaction between them because the boy somewhat resented Pakura. Thankfully, Temari was putting quite the effort into making him understand Pakura's side of things. If only to prevent him from doing something they would all regret.

Temari was the most peculiar of the trio. She became Pakura's personal kunoichi.

That was one very old tradition coming from the Warring States era. To be honest, it was barely even seen in use these days. Simply put, ninjas without a clan had quite a hard time bettering themselves since nobody felt like sharing techniques and discoveries. It wasn't like nowadays where Hidden Villages have whole libraries of stuff the clans are willing to share and then some from the civilian-born ninjas who made their own discoveries and shared with the entire village out of sheer stupidity, cough, propaganda brainwashing, cough, for free.

One way for those clanless ninjas during that era to get learning material was to bind oneself in service to a feudal lord who usually had their own small libraries on ninja-stuff exactly for the purpose of attracting these 'special' servants.

Temari swore the oaths and was registered as Pakura's sword kunoichi and that was that.

While there was no loyalty seal involved, Temari was fully aware she was sealing her fate and binding it to Pakura's. Rogue ninja had it hard but rogue sword ninjas had it a lot harder. Their problems were no longer just hidden villages and occasional opportunistic bounty hunters. Nobles from all countries knew about personal ninjas and laws around them and they took it very seriously even though it was rarely used nowadays. If only to prevent the idea from spreading.

There was a reason why most ninjas avoided swearing their loyalty to individuals like a plague. Defecting a hidden village meant a chance at life in another hidden village. Nobles didn't care so no really preventive laws were put into use on an international scale.

Seeing Pakura's fl.u.s.tered look as she tried to handle the three children Rei really had to admit that taking over Sunagakure was indeed worth it!

...

"Well, I must admit, I didn't expect you to provoke a Grudge Match only to do... this. Isn't it a bit much, disrupting the entire country alongside its hidden village only to... er, I have no clue how to call it without sounding ridiculous." Konan deadpanned as she stared at her husband's newest creation.

Pakura was currently handling important affairs in Sunagakure and unlike Ringo, she loved it so there were usually no shadow clones and blackmailing other people to do her job involved.

Rei thankfully didn't stay in Suna all the time. Even though Tsunade was away for a few months, leaving only a few reassuring efforts that she is on a mission to better her healing arts, Rei still had three other women whose needs he had to satisfy. Konan was glad she didn't have to drag him out of the Sunagakure by force. It would make their bedroom activities that much more awkward.

"Not really. You know we have a lot of mountains that contain gold in them. This was the fastest and easiest way to mine them all without putting much effort or resources into it. Just imagine it, Konan! With how massive these mountain ranges are, they contain more wealth than the ric.h.e.s.t Daimyos are worth!" Rei excitedly exclaimed, looking over his latest experiment, something most would frown at.

Konan raised an eyebrow and regarded Rasa's re-animated corpse with another judgemental look before closing her eyes and scrunching her face as if she was in some kind of mental pain.

"Let me get this straight, Rei. You f.u.c.k.e.d with Wind Country's food import negotiations, one of the most important events in that country. You spent two months to ensure Grudge Match between Rasa and Pakura, effectively removing the Sabaku clan from the rule and installing Pakura in their place. You made Pakura seemingly get rid of Rasa's body while covertly snatching it with your seals. You made your own fuinjutsu version of Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, the Jutsu you found in the Senju library, the same Jutsu that binds souls of the deceased into service of the user. And you did all that in order to..." Konan's even voice cracked, "to make Rasa's corpse into some kind of mining machine because you could not be bothered to research seals that could do it instead? Seals that could most likely mine more than just gold?"

Konan intently stared at Rei, her eyebrow twitching, causing him to realize that maybe he should have discussed his plans and motivations with somebody other than Mei who was in post-coital bliss before he actually proceeded with them.

"Well, when you put it that way..." Rei awkwardly rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression plastered all over his face.

In his defense... there really was a lot of gold in the mountains behind his hidden village.

--

Author note:

Fuuh~... finally finished the Sunagakure arc.

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Chapter 246 - Ch246. Tsunade, back in the Fire Country

Author Note:

For those who won't get it, this is somewhat of a flashback or Tsunade's point of view of what was happening on her side while Rei and Konan were busy with the Sunagakure.??

--

While Rei and Konan focused on Sunagakure, Tsunade holed herself up in the Fire Daimyo's library, studying various laws and putting together doc.u.ment after doc.u.ment that would help her own plan. She was no stranger to intense studying and memorization. After all, medic-nins were one of the most knowledgeable people in the shinobi ranks and she was the best of them. To treat an injury, one first had to know the cause and that, unfortunately, meant the medic-nin needed extensive knowledge of Jutsu and its effects, of genetics, of illnesses, of practically everything that could cause harm.

That said, it was only one month since she left the Village on the Other Side but after the last month practically swimming in law books, Tsunade had had enough for a lifetime. Not even the castle guards or the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Fire Daimyo dared to approach her, recognizing her crankiness the second she stepped into the room with her massive scowl and wild, irritated gait. Thankfully, she had enough presence of mind to wear her special genjutsu. If the Konoha ninjas in the Twelve Guardians recognized her, Tsunade was almost sure she would have had to crack some skulls by now.

Tsunade dropped into her designated place, right next to the most favorite concubine of the Fire Daimyo who still occasionally threw her suspicious and guarded glances. Tsunade long ago learned to ignore the polite fake who thought she would stoop so low as to try her hand at seducing the Daimyo. The same man to whom she refused to be married to in her youth. Not that Tsunade could in any way refute the suspicion or provide some kind of proof. She couldn't just start proclaiming she was the wife of the hidden Daimyo of the Spring Country, now, could she?

She was, after all, in disguise of Nadetsu Juusen, the president of the Biri-Biri company who was currently on vacation in the Fire Capital and took a shine to the Daimyo's library. It was quite hilarious too... eating right next to Sarutobi Asuma while the boy tried to flirt with her, not recognizing her even after a month of deflecting his advances.

'Poor Kurenai.' Tsunade could just shake her head. She was the head medic during the third shinobi war and that meant something. Ninjas trusted medics. They talked to them and said things they would not tell others. Especially when both the patient and the medic were kunoichi. The little academy student Kurenai Yuhi was very forthcoming with the information about her crush on the youngest of the Sarutobi boys. Tsunade already decided to approach the woman and offer her a chance at learning 'How-to-Medic-nin' from her. The girl had incredible chakra control and if Tsunade wasn't so sure she would have had to leave after the third war, she would have taken the girl into her care there and then. Then again, at that time, nothing was ever so simple. Tsunade wasn't even sure if or where her new home would be during these uncertain days. She only knew she wanted to be with Rei and that Rei was about to defect from Kiri.

'Look at me... getting all nostalgic and stuff.' She inwardly rebuked herself, trying to cover the small gentle smile that bloomed on her face by taking a sip from her hot chocolate milk. 'Fifty years of age, huh? I guess I finally left my puberty by the Senju and Uzumaki standards.' Tsunade giggled, attracting the attention of the people dining with her.

"Oh~, someone is in a good mood today." Asuma quipped, causing the Fire Daimyo to lift his eyebrow at Tsunade who simply shrugged.

"I finished with my research." She nonchalantly announced, causing the Daimyo to smile warmly at his childhood friend.

"That's good to know, 'Nade. Will you be leaving soon, then? You should inform me about these things sooner. I need to throw you a goodbye party!" He giddily exclaimed. Honestly, the man was very grateful to Rei for the deals between his nation and the Spring Country. The economy was steadily improving, the previously tarnished diplomatic ties started to repair, the still leery allies started to lose their tension caused by the f.u.c.k-up called Jiraiya's wedding... and it all was the influence of the trade agreements with the Spring Country.

Really, Tsunade did him an incredible favor by bringing her husband for a visit. The Fire Daimyo knew Tsunade's goal and had no problem with it. Then again, he would not give her active support either. Not that he deluded himself she needed him. She could simply go and take what she wanted, taking names and kicking balls. He would know. He could still feel the kick to the balls she delivered to him when they were kids after she got to know about their impending betrothal. The Fire Daimyo shuddered, thanking heaven Tsunade didn't have her super strength technique back then...

"You are already leaving, Lady Nadetsu?" Asuma butted into the conversation with wide eyes, earning himself a few incredulous looks. The man was one of the Fire Daimyo's guardians and his place behind the table was only a courtesy to his father. Him interrupting the conversation between the Daimyo and his guest was one massive breach of etiquette. Then again, he still was the son of the Hokage and as such, the Daimyo had begged Tsunade to bear with him after the first time he tried to flirt with her. Otherwise, she would have long ago sent the young monkey back to Konoha via an intimate meeting of his ching with her fist, getting a lift by the kinetic force taxi agency.

Asuma really found Nadetsu Juusen enchanting. She had dark skin, was petite with a nice curvaceous body, had a pretty face, melodious voice, and exotic hair color. She was a beautiful woman and her beauty was only enhanced by the fact she was the president of the biggest and ric.h.e.s.t international company in the entire Elemental Nations. Asuma wasn't really proud of being the son of the Hokage. It wasn't his achievement. Not really. Despite that, he was a ninja and knew how to make use of his special advantage. Yet... Hokage's son or not, Nadetsu didn't even try being polite with him. Now, Asuma had his manly pride and refused to back down.

Even he had no idea when exactly did his passing interest change to something more, something genuine. Unfortunately for him, now it seemed his pride would not be sated.

Asuma wasn't some bratty child, however. He noticed the looks aimed at him from the favored mistress of the Daimyo and his children. Not that he cared. As long as the Daimyo is not reprimanding him, the others couldn't do much. "May I inquire where you will be going, Lady Nadetsu?" He asked.

Tsunade's first knee-jerk reaction was to tell him where he could stick his question. Then, however, she got a better idea, "Ah. I wanted to visit Konoha because I honestly admire Tsunade Senju. You are from Konoha, Asuma-san, right? What do you think about Tsunade? What kind of person is she?" Tsunade calmly asked, making the Daimyo stifle his guffaw.

Asuma frowned and scrunched his eyebrows, "Oh... her?" He remarked and his dislike almost poured from him, "You shouldn't admire that woman, Lady Nadetsu," He started in a tone as if he was giving her some kind of profound advice, to which Tsunade could only amusedly lift her eyebrow at the man.

"Oh, and why is that? I heard she is the best doctor in the world. That's something admirable, don't you think?"

"I am not disputing that. She really is the best." Asuma nodded before leaning towards Nadetsu as if he was about to disclose some kind of secret, "But she is also a very traitorous person."

"Oh, my! You don't say!" Tsunade mock-gasped in surprise while Daimyo gaped at Asuma. 'Well, just wait until my plan is finished, brat! I will show you traitorous! It was your father who let my clan be hunted like animals without alerting anyone!' She inwardly seethed.

"Yes. The second the third war ended, she left the village! Nobody can find her. My father tried for years to locate her." Asuma sighed in exasperation, "He puts so much attention to that bitch who is who knows where!" He grumbled. "She had a responsibility to the village, Lady Nadetsu. I am sure you understand. You too can't just ditch the company and go do whatever you wish whenever you wish."

'That's exactly what I did though.' Tsunade inwardly deadpanned.

"Tsunade was our medic. Everything she knows, she has Konoha to thank for. My father to thank for." Asuma dramatically shook his head, "And yet she simply doesn't appreciate all the effort put into her."

'What do they teach kids in Konoha nowadays?' Tsunade mused while her eyebrow twitched, 'All of my medical knowledge is from my own research or the Senju library. Sure, the old monkey was a good teacher when he finally got to teaching me something. That said, he was far too preoccupied with Orochimaru and later Jiraiya who, according to him, didn't have a clan to support them. And now his spawn now wants me to kowtow to the old man for basically neglecting me?' Tsunade's lips started turning into a frown.

"At least, she trained her apprentice, Shizune. That woman is a very good medic too. She is a gentle and very good person." Asuma said, stopping all of Tsunade's disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e at the mention of her old apprentice. Something in how he said it didn't mesh well with Tsunade.

"Do you know Miss Shizune well, Mr. Asuma?"

"Ah... well, we dated a bit back in the day." Asuma shrugged, "She is a fine woman but I don't think she is the one for me. She was more of a fling, to be honest. I am far too free-spirited and need somebody more... exotic, maybe even feisty, who could rein me in." He winked at Tsunade who stared at him with an unamused look.

The last time Anko contacted her, Shizune was basically swooning about her Sarutobi boyfriend. It was a very peculiar situation and Tsunade was very excited to hear about it considering last Tsunade knew, Kurenai wanted to sink her fangs into the youngest Sarutobi boy too. She really wanted to see how that would go. But… As far as Tsunade knew, Shizune and Asuma did not break up... yet. She could withstand a light flirting from Asuma's side. Men had their urges, plus it was none of her business. For all Tsuande knew, Shizune might even allow him to sleep around. This, however...

"So, are you visiting Konoha, Miss Nadetsu?" The Fire Daimyo quickly interrupted as he saw Tsunade's eyes darkening.

Tsunade looked at him and pursed her lips in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, almost forming a sneer before she distractedly answered, "Ah, I think I will have to go... home. I just found out it's up for serious uprooting and springtime cleaning."

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Chapter 247 - Ch247. Uprooting 1

"Today is a good night." Tsunade remarked with a cat-like glee, "The Konoha Council is having a mandatory meeting discussing this year's taxes so it seems I have two hours for my little uprooting project." She smirked, standing up from her crouch and looking around.

She was currently in the centermost part of Konoha's underground tunnel system, perched high up on a metal beam near the roof of what appeared to be a wide training room that simply should not exist underneath Konoha. Tsunade somehow really doubted any plans of underground tunnels actually contained any sort of mention of the room below and wondered how could Hiruzen Sarutobi overlook it. How could he not know it was there, right under his beloved village. The same village filled to the brim with ANBU under his command who patrolled it on a daily basis, looking for anything out of the ordinary.??

She really didn't like the conclusion her mind was delivering though... It was simply yet another thing to be disappointed about when it came to her sensei.

Lazily putting her fingers into a cross-shaped seal, rather because of habit than any real necessity, Tsunade summoned a singular shadow clone and instantly dismissed it, giving a signal to her wood clones stationed near every single entrance to the Konoha tunnel system.

It took her entire day of stealthily scouting via the abusive overuse of the wood clones' ability to meld themselves into the terrain, not unlike the Iwa's Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. Fortunately for Tsunade, these clones came with an ability to suppress their chakra to an incredibly undetectable degree, superb senory prowess, and actually transmitted their experiences otherwise her five hundred clones would be detected by some ROOT ninjas who, after all, specialized in assassination and stealth, or it would have taken her months to map all of the underground tunnels if she couldn't make effective use of the clones.

The second Tsunade's wood clones got the signal, they instantly approached the entrances and used a Mokuton Jutsu to change themselves back into the wood. Ten feet thick wooden lid covering the entire entrance made of chakra-enhanced Mokuton fixed in their place, blocking their respective tunnel thanks to large spikes that penetrated deep into the walls, to be perfectly precise. Upon dispelling back into wood, each clone sent Tsunade feedback, confirming the blockage was in place.

Tsunade got the memories of the last clone and excitedly grinned in anticipation of what was to come, "Well, then..." She punched her palm, "today, nobody is leaving here alive! Let's see how Danzo fares without his loyal minions!"

Tsunade's shout instantly alerted the ROOT ANBU members practicing under her but before they could react in any meaningful way, she was already quickly dropping down from the metal beam. Her fist impacted the ground and all hell broke.

In that instant, the citizens of Konoha experienced a minuscule earthquake. It wasn't anything to worry about and only caused them a bit of imbalance for a short period of time but the village certainly felt it.

And while the citizens shrugged it off almost instantly, the unfortunate ROOT members in the underground training room had to put in a lot of effort to keep standing on their feet through all the shaking as the walls cracked. This was only made more difficult as they also had to avoid the big spiderweb-like cracks forming in the ground that made for great pitfalls where feet could get stuck quite easily with just a single misstep. The occasional shrapnel made of earth sent flying by the impact of the punch didn't help their cases either since they had a hard time standing, much less dodging.

From sixty-three members of ROOT present in the room, two got crushed because of a slab of earth rising due to the punch and burying them underneath. Twelve were unlucky to be hit by the earth shrapnel in fatal places while an additional five were currently helplessly bleeding out as their arteries were struck. One poor lass showed his immense skill by tripping on his own foot during the quakes and breaking his own neck.

Sixty-three versus one instantly became forty-three versus one who proved to be a badass. Tsunade quite liked those odds. Especially since another twenty-two opponents had various degrees of injuries on their bodies, ranging all the way from missing balls... earth shrapnel doesn't discriminate... to a few insignificant bruises because of losing balance and hitting the ground.

The air stilled as the uninjured and injured ROOT ninjas emotionlessly readied themselves for the upcoming battle, showing just how effective Danzo's training was. Tsunade had no doubt neither of them would ever hesitate from delivering a lethal strike. Not when they completely disregarded their own injuries and even the injuries of their supposed comrades in favor of taking down their assailant... her.

As she lowered her stance, she idly thought it was a somewhat sorry sight. Not that her pity would make her hesitate. She came here today to enact slaughter, not play a caretaker. For now, her medic-nin self had to take unpaid vacation. It was time for a more brutal part of her personality to take over.

The moment of suspense passed as quickly as it appeared, and the ROOT ninjas charged at Tsunade with abandon. Tsunade, on the other hand, simply stood in her place and waited for them, opting to take a more defensive approach.

The first wave of her would-be attackers finally reached her and all three of them sprang to the offensive like a well-oiled machine. One from the front while two others attacked her from the sides.

As she was ducking under the high kick from her right side while also tilting her body to narrowly avoid the stab from her left, Tsunade had to admit the teamwork and organization of these ninjas was quite polished. There were over forty of them and yet, only three attacked at a time, knowing to not overcrowd her, and instead, they spread out in the room in fear of being taken out by some large-scale ninjutsu while also limiting her available place for dodging.

Or at least, that was the general idea...

Tsunade quickly hooked her arm around the elbow of the ninja in front of her whose punch she evaded, and then she twisted. With a resounding crack, the ROOT ninja's arm snapped at the elbow, and yet, he and his comrades didn't even flinch. The only thing indicating the man even felt his bone-breaking was a single muted grunt as his other hand already whipped towards Tsunade's temple while he used his now broken limb as an anchor to keep Tsunade in place. Worse yet, the two other attackers recognized the opportunity for what it was and Tsunade found herself about to be knifed to the neck from her left side and kicked to s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e muscles on her t.h.i.g.h from her right. She could also see seven other ROOT members taking advantage of her positioning by throwing kunai in her direction in a way that would not pose a threat to her three attackers.

Tsunade found herself almost impressed by the flawless coordination...

Then again, she was not a normal kunoichi. What would in another situation work as keeping the opponent in place, didn't really work on her. Exerting her muscles to an inhuman, even for the ninja standards, degree, Tsunade grabbed the shoulder of the man in front of her and effortlessly lifted him into the air, causing him untold pain as his broken bone ground against her steel-hard biceps, before throwing him to the right as if he was yesterday's trash. The thrown body impacted the knife-wielding attacker on her left, sending both of them tumbling on the floor. Tsunade might or might not have used a bit too much force, judging by the cracks that resounded every time the bodies hit the ground. Ah, well, spilled milk and all that.

The third attacker wasn't much of a threat, to be honest. His kick aimed at her t.h.i.g.h missed because of the spin necessary to throw her first attacker. Unfortunately for him, Tsunade didn't stop after the throw and used the momentum to swap into a punching motion, caving the third attacker's face before he flew back, right into another ROOT member who experienced how it felt having his brains paint the ground from the sheer force of impact.

It was then that the ROOT members momentarily stopped, realizing this would not be as easy as they previously envisioned while Tsunade huffed at her inability to get a rise out of them despite her apparent brutality.

'Heh... let's see if I can pull a genuine emotion out of these human machines.' Tsunade smirked, enjoying the situation as the kunoichi side in her stirred awake.

The fight continued...

Chapter 248 - Ch248. Uprooting 2

Tsunade jumped up to avoid the thrown kunais while also throwing a handful back against her assailants. From her five kunai, only two hit a purchase, telling her the ROOT ANBU could dodge. Huh... who knew.

This surprised Tsunade for the briefest split of a second since the strength behind her throw was something no B-ranked ninja could ever evade without getting at least a cut to show for it. Two of the three who managed to dodge were instantly filled as A-ranked threats in Tsunade's brain, causing them to jump right to the top of her 'to be eliminated' list while the last lost a bit of muscle from his upper arm in the attempt.??

ROOT didn't have many A-rank shinobi in their midst. They were mostly B-rank. Capable, good at working together, ruthless, emotionless, completely fine with dying to get the job done... but not A-rank powerhouses. That told Tsunade the three who dodged were one of the best Danzo had in the room.

Danzo did not train powerhouses. He trained capable but controllable assassins. That meant his ninjas had to be easily disposed of the second they did something he didn't like. It wouldn't be good to make someone in ROOT strong enough to oppose him. Yes... together, his ROOT ninjas could face and take down A-rankers and even some weaker S-rankers depending on the circ.u.mstances and the acceptable losses ratio. Alone, however, they were mostly high B-rank ninjas who overspecialized in stealth and assassination.

Tsunade dropped back to the ground, frowning as she noticed the support pillars in the room having cracks all over them. With a sigh, she let the downward momentum from her fall lead her arm down and slammed her palm into the ground while channeling Mokuton chakra into it.

The playtime was over...

"Wood Release: F.u.c.k you!"

Thick tree trunks smashed through the floor, unstoppably growing upward and causing the ROOT ninjas to jump around in an attempt to avoid the surprisingly razor-sharp bark on the trees. Worst, however, were the branches that sprang up shortly after. Seeing one of them shredded to gory chunks of meat and organs, the ROOT ninjas instantly recognized the threat of the wooden hell they found themselves in. They didn't have too much time to contemplate this though. The created forest got thicker the higher the treetops reached until they hit the roof of the room, causing it to violently shudder as the trees creaked under the sudden pressure put on them. Finding it impossible to grow upwards now that they supported the roof, the trees did something that actually managed to get an emotion out of the scratched and gashed ROOT ninjas. They grew in volume, spreading to the sides, filling the room in more and more razor-sharp branches that had the same cutting power as wind-enhanced chakra-metal. Needless to say, the roots were reintroduced to despair.

Tsunade impassively stood in the middle of the occurring massacre with her eyes closed as she focused her senses to flow her chakra through the trees, guiding their growth and sharpening the bark with a smirk on her face. A girl gotta love her superb chakra control.

It was utterly impossible to see anything in the room through the overgrown branches but that didn't matter as Tsunade could finely sense every living being in the room. Frankly, at first, she only created the forest to make new support pillars for the room but then she reconsidered. She was not dealing with Danzo's real elites. These were all just grunts. Some of them were skilled but they were essentially still unimportant run-of-the-mill grunts.

As such, Tsunade decided to use this opportunity for a chakra control practice.

The ROOT ninjas might have had a chance if the fight was fought above the surface. Alas, it was not. They were currently trapped deep underground with nowhere to run now that the environment itself was turned against them, aiming to kill them.

Despair gripped their hearts as they realized the hopelessness of the situation. Some of them dying completely blank, incapable of feeling even the slightest emotion, while others cursed their fate and the cruelty of the world. Not one of them actually chose to become a ROOT ninja and now, they would die because of it. Sadly, such was the nature of the shinobi world...

Twenty seconds.

That's how long it took for Tsunade's half-assed, more of a chakra control exercise created on the fly than a real Jutsu, Wood Release Technique to shred the ROOT ninjas to bloody pieces without any way for them to resist as their blood painted the forest crimson.

Tsunade, on the other hand, was elated. Not because of the death she caused. That didn't even enter her mind. She long ago made peace with her existence as a killer. She became genin at six and killed her first person when she was six years and seven months old. People usually forget and focus on her reputation as a healer but it is the healers who make for the best killers. The number of lives ended by her hands far outstretched the numbers she saved, And she was considered the best medic in the world! Honestly, Tsunade couldn't really bother caring anymore as she registered the twinge of guilt and showed it into the dark recesses of her mind, forgetting about it a second later. These ROOT ninjas were not worth more thought than the training dummies in her courtyard.

No... Tsunade was elated because she slowly started to figure out how to make her forests permanent like Grandpa Hashirama! She simply had to jump and shriek from the sheer joy she felt!

Her primary mission and the reason why she even bothered to infiltrate Konoha and ROOT base pushed back, Tsunade proceeded to happily whistle and experiment with her newfound knowledge while the Konoha's underground tunnels changed into an orc.h.e.s.tra of pain-filled shrieks, despairing screams, and blood-curling wails, all melding into one a soul-chilling symphony supporting her happy tune of whistles and hums.

'Danzo might have been onto something with his fixation on roots.' Tsunade admitted inwardly as a mischievous smile spread through her face. 'In that case, let me create the real roots of Konoha!'

That was the last time anyone could access the underground tunnels of Konoha without fearing for his life because of the living razor-sharp vines that suddenly appeared in there and killed anyone brave enough to venture too far down.

Nobody ever discovered what laid in the center of Konoha's underground tunnels.

And Tsunade?

Well, she had a new safehouse.

...

The council meeting finally finished, tired Danzo arrived home, utterly drained from all the bickering between the ninja council and the civilian council about who gets to pay what taxes. Not for the first time, he cursed Hiruzen for not slaughtering the impudent powerless fools on the civilian council. Sure, he made good use of them, manipulating them to get what he wanted, but even he could recognize how much their very existence weakened Konoha.

'Sarutobi sure as hell became more cut-throat after the Uchiha massacre.' Danzo let his impassive facade slip into a natural scowl as he remembered that debacle, 'I didn't even acquire ONE damned pair of these eyes. Damn Uchihas! Damn Itachi! To think he would destroy every single pair of eyes as he killed his clan... I can't even gut his little brother as the twerp doesn't even have his Sharingan awakened yet!' He seethed.

The Uchiha massacre that happened a few months prior was the biggest mistake of his career as the Yami no Shinobi. The only real haul was Shisui's eye and while that was marvelous, it still hurt to see all that coordination, all that work, literal years of spreading rumors and distrust against the Uchiha clan, go to waste just because he didn't foresee Uchihas utilize something similar to Hyuuga's Caged Bird Seal that destroyed their eyes upon their deaths.

The irritated Danzo finally reached his living room, stiffening right after he entered the room. His mind briefly wondered what was wrong before the answer sprang into its forefront as instincts kicked in...

He smelt a faint scent of blood.

Danzo quickly switched the light on and... for the first time in the last twenty years, he bent at the waist and puked his guts out.

His whole living room was caked in liters of blood, pieces of organs, splinters of bones...

The worst were the hundreds of eyeballs put on the table, arranged to stare right at him.

The most disturbing were the p.e.n.i.ses mockingly hanging from the ceiling.

The most informative was the two hundred and sixty-seven eyeless and tongueless heads of his ROOT operatives nailed to the wall of his living room straight through their forehead with wooden spikes.

Danzo quickly realized the rest of their bodies was currently scattered through his living room in the likeness of a poorly shredded mush, giving off such a strong putrid scent even he couldn't take it despite all of his experience.

As he retched, Danzo inwardly thanked Kami that five of his best ninjas were with him during the meeting so their heads were still firmly attached to their bodies. Anyone who could cause... this... would most likely have no problem dealing with them and it would be a heavy hit to lose Torune or Fu.

Danzo briefly wondered if Hiruzen got far bolder than he imagined but that notion was quickly forgotten. No... this was not Hiruzen. Danzo refused to believe such an assumption. Pigs would fly sooner than the old shitflinger monkey learned how to fling his shit again.

Taking a deep breath, Danzo looked upwards in a search of a brief reprieve from the gruesome sight and potent smell of blood... only for his eye to widen as he discovered the intestines of his late subordinates nailed into the ceiling and forming a message,

'A tree with shallow ROOTs can be easily uprooted. By the way, thank you for the Sharingans. Sorry for not leaving even one for you. You know how it is. They are quite rare! Signed, your friendly neighbor Yozora.'

Needless to say, Danzo was not amused.

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Chapter 249 - Ch249. Anko's iddle while

It was a quiet summer day, as hot as they came in the Fire Country that was named after its never-ending warm climate, and Anko enjoyed her moment of peace by drinking cool beer and enjoying the occasional pleasant breeze while sitting in the shade on the porch of her house in the Senju Compound, listening to the soft chirping of crickets.

No overly cheerful Naruto demanding she teaches him techniques he is not even prepared for. The kid was smart and knew his shit but he was just so exuberant towards her ever since he found out she genuinely cared... ??

No steaming Hinata suffering from overheating anytime she was close to the orange-wearing empty-head pretender, and fainting, leaving Anko to take care of her until she woke up. God, she was getting used to unexpected visits from concerned Hiashi about Hinata's condition...

Anko shuddered as she remembered the flirtatious note in the old Hyuuga's tone the last time he demanded a discussion about his daughter's progress. Sure, the man probably held Anko in high regard considering she stopped portraying all that 's.l.u.t' image and actually managed to break Hinata's shy shell in matters of days, making a complete mockery of his years-long attempts, but flirting with her was a bit too much.

It was sweet though, seeing that Hiashi actually cared about Hinata and he simply had no idea how to raise her into a strong woman. That's where Anko came in and now the girl only acted ineptly around Naruto and has actually already beaten her younger sister in a spar. Yay, she won against her four-year-old sister! Anko somewhat couldn't take that as a worthwhile achievement... But well, whatever makes the stuck-up white-eyes happy. Eh, Hyuugas were weird like that.

Anyway, Anko made it her mission to stop any subtle advances Hiashi Hyuuga tried on her. She was barely leaving her teenage years and an old half-stuck-up stickler for rules was eyeing her just because she helped his daughter gain a measure of self-confidence? All it took for her to get attention was to stop wearing clothes that proclaimed she would sleep around for Dango and whatnot?

'Not... happening. Don't go there, brain. Go back to sleep! Anko Hyuuga has a really bad ring to it.' Anko disgruntedly mused, thinking up excuses to avoid Hiashi the next time he gets it into his head to invite her for a family dinner. 'Then again... It's still better than that marriage proposal from the lone survivor of the Shimura clan.' Anko shuddered again, this time in disgust, momentarily choking on her beer.

Yeah... now that she was officially accepted as an honorary Senju, some really fishy and decrepit individuals tried to sink their claws into her.

'Idiots, as if Lady Tsunade let their dirty paws anywhere near the Senju wealth or library.' Anko snorted at the notion that they could get anywhere near it through her while gazing at the sky in contentment. Despite all the uncomfortable situations, Anko was grateful for Lady Tsunade offering her this chance which completely changed her life for the better.

There was only one of her supposed students Anko didn't miss.

The Uchiha.

One nice calm afternoon, her bright orange-wearing idiot-wannabe-actor dragged in screaming and kicking Sasuke Uchiha, enthusiastically proclaiming he found a new friend, utterly ignoring the piercing and irritated looks the duck-butt-haired broody kid was throwing his way. In the end, the Uchiha relented and joined their training sessions.

Anko might not have liked it but she came to care about Naruto too much to just say 'f.u.c.k off' and ruin it for him. That said, the look in the Uchiha's eyes was still unsettling. She knew what he felt. She was there... not at the same level of low, but she was pretty close after Orochimaru betrayed her. Anko had nothing against the kid himself. She simply didn't believe somebody in so much repressed emotional pain should be anywhere near her. The Uchiha did not need her or her tutelage. The kid needed a hard-core year-long session with Yamanaka.

Then there was all the political bullshit when it came out she was training the last loyal Uchiha headcase. 'Heh, even the Elders called the kid unstable in between the lines.' Anko giggled before bursting into genuine laughter. 'Then again, they have called me worse! No wonder they have a problem with me teaching the kid... one depressed headcase teaching another. Hmm~… throwing those kunai so close to his jugular might not have been the brightest idea. Eh, who cares? A hospital stay would do him some good.'

It was all in good humor, after all. A few nonwashable blood-stains near the neck area would teach the kid he is not invincible.

Fun thoughts...

"I must give it to Naruto... dragging Uchiha here was a prank worthy of Prankster God." Anko whispered as she took another sip from her drink.

Civilians simply didn't know how to react when the last loyal Uchiha princeling appeared together with the Uzumaki demonish menace. Oh, Anko had no delusions that Naruto befriended Uchiha out of some misplaced sense of camaraderie. That was the first thing she has beaten out of him. She made sure to hammer all Konoha propaganda out of his head early on. If given a chance, Anko doubted Naruto would become a ninja for Konoha after her tutoring sessions. She, however, made it damn clear he has no such chance because of his tenant.

No... Naruto befriended Uchiha to mess with the heads of civilians and council alike.

Honestly! The kid was becoming as bad as Hatake Kakashi. She should have never explained psychological warfare to him...

Using Kakashi as an example of what NOT to do might have been a bad idea too...

Well, who knew being a big sister was such hard work!

The first time Naruto attempted to come late to their training sessions, Anko dragged him from the Ichiraku ramen stand by his ankle so erratically, he puked all the ramen out on himself by the time they reached the Senju Compound, and then she made him practice taijutsu katas without letting him change his clothes all the while she was throwing senbons at him, aiming at the most painful but otherwise harmful places. She might or might not have added a bit of pain-intensifying poison to the mix but hey... she is here to teach the kid, not to coddle him!

Anko was resolved. On the briefest sign of relapse, she would beat the Kakashism out of him, no matter if it was the last thing in the kid's life. Kyuubi Jinchuuriki or not, there were easier ways to destroy Konoha than creating another Kakashi Hatake wannabe.

"Being a teacher is such a drag..." Anko muttered with a sigh.

"You will get no argument about that from me." A voice resounded from nearby, jolting Anko to full awareness, causing her to jump on her feet and grab the kunai hidden in her sleeve near-instantly. She prepared for a fight.. only to owlishly blink as her eyes landed on a blond-haired woman watching her with smug satisfaction at her bewildered look.

"Vacation?" Tsunade inquisitively lifted her eyebrow at the literal stack of beer and sake bottles strewn around the porch.

"Uh..." Anko furrowed her brows before she realized what Tsunade was looking at, causing her to blush from embarrassment. Realizing she wasn't setting a stellar example, she ducked her head and tried to give Tsunade an innocent look, "Welcome home, Lady Tsunade?"

Only to be smacked upside down by Tsunade, sending her gently, according to Tsunade's standards, face-first into the ground. Tsunade just rolled her eyes at the now downed unruly girl, not even attempting to hide her small amused smile.

"Yeah... I am home."

The sarcasm in that sentence was felt even by the fabled fence-sitter back in Iwa, causing him a shudder.

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Chapter 250 - Ch250. Back Home

After greetings, Tsunade sat down around a small wooden table on the porch, enjoying the shade and refreshments Anko quickly brought out from her secret anti-Naruto stash. The two women leisurely drank sake as Anko was giving Tsunade a slow update on what was going on in the village.

Anko really couldn't help but cherish the leisure atmosphere. She knew Tsunade wasn't one for formality and neither was she so not having to bow or rigidly stand while giving her report was quite appreciated by the young snake mistress. Nevertheless, she was indeed very curious about this sudden visit of her wayward Clan Head.

"Lady Tsunade? It's been two hours already... Er, don't you think Lord Hokage is taking his sweet time? I thought he would be knocking our gates down the second he was informed about your arrival. You know how much resources the man put forward to locate you." Anko grimaced, "Honestly, he is asking me about your location at least once per week."

"Ah..." Tsunade smirked, "I have sneaked in through one of the old hidden entrances Uncle Tobirama created for our clan. There is nobody to notify the old monkey about my presence as of yet."

Anko owlishly blinked at Tsunade... and grinned. "Ah, is that so?" There were only so many reasons Tsunade could have to avoid detection when coming home. If it was Jiraiya, Anko wouldn't have wasted her time, knowing the man simply skipped the gate in order to get a few minutes more for peeping. Then again, that might have been the reason why the man was such a good spy. Nobody expected him to do anything but perving on women.

Tsunade, however, was a completely different jar of cookies...

Well, Anko still couldn't forget how the woman played her like a fiddle when they met for the first time. Sure it was for Anko's own benefit but still! No matter how grateful she was to Tsunade for opening her eyes, that meeting made it abundantly clear that scheming Tsunade was dangerous Tsunade. 'I wonder how much mayhem she is gonna cause now that she is actually present in the village...'

"That so..." Tsunade lazily nodded and took another sip of sake, "Meh, it wouldn't do to alert him of my presence. I have a few goals to accomplish here..." She hummed and looked Anko straight into the eyes, "There are two things you forgot to inform me about when it comes to the recent happenings of the village."

Anko stiffened, mentally trying to figure out what she could have missed. The spy network she set up in Konoha was not the best but it was sufficient. She didn't want to disappoint Tsunade. "What... exactly do you mean, Lady Tsunade? I told you all I know." She said, feeling a bit awkward as she tried to defend herself.

Tsunade simply waved her free hand in a dismissive matter, "I am not blaming you or anything. Stop being so serious. Geez. Relax." She rolled her eyes, "Yesterday, I killed every single ROOT ANBU I could find in the ROOT base under Konoha, and then I made the said base permanently unusable for any other function than a graveyard." She stated in a disinterested tone as if she was talking about the weather, causing Anko to gape. "I then left a bloody present for Danzo Shimura in his living room. Heh, he took the bait hook line sinker. Apparently, there will be an emergency meeting of the Council tomorrow thanks to the old mummy."

"So that's why the ANBU were so frantically running around the village during the night. Wait... You massacred over two hundred people to make Danzo call an emergency meeting?" Anko asked weakly in an incredulous tone, not knowing how to take that bit of information.

Sure, Anko was one ruthless kunoichi. She had her fair share of assassination missions behind herself, and these were her favorite, but it is quite different to kill one person because of a cause you believe in and simply get rid of hundreds just because they were in the way.

'Heh, maybe that's why I wouldn't be good as a leader.' The thought briefly flashed through Anko's head.

"Of course not." Tsunade rebuked as if she just heard something ridiculous, causing Anko to release a relieved breath. "I killed them because trying to subvert their loyalty to Danzo would be a pain in the a.s.s. How do you persuade a brainwashed individual that his brainwasher is a bad person?" She flippantly added with a gentle shake of her head.

Anko threw Tsunade a deadpan gaze but inwardly, she had to admit that it might be a bit bigger problem than one would think at first. But... Tsunade was, from what Anko experienced, quite good at persuading people to see her point.

Seeing the doubts in Anko's expression, Tsunade elaborated, "This is a ninja village, Anko. The only people who are allowed to have their own forces are Hokage and Clans. Hokage is the de facto leader of the whole ninja force while there is no way to forbid the clans from having their own loyal ninjas short of slaughtering them all. Clan ninjas are ALWAYS loyal to their clan first and only then the village. There are very few exceptions to that rule and it's for this very reason that the Hokage is kept in check despite being somewhat of a dictator."

"Danzo Shimura is neither." Anko added. She never really thought about it from this angle. Why would she? Mitarashi might have been quite a strong clan focusing on various poisons during the village founding but now she was the only one left. Heck, after Orochimaru defected, leaving her behind, the clan assets somehow mysteriously disappeared before she could inherit anything. When she inquired about it, she was bluntly told Orochimaru stole everything from scrolls to money. When they told her that, she was just a kid but lately, Anko didn't know how much she believed that to be the truth.

"Therefore ROOT should have been integrated into the village after making sure they will be loyal. Their very existence meant this village went to shits. The second sensei overlooked Danzo taking in orphans and then making them into emotionless drones Konoha became something any Senju would loathe, proving the whole Council corrupt beyond repair." Tsunade continued, not minding the brief thoughtful expression on Anko's face,

"But killing two hundred ninjas?" Anko furrowed her brows. "The village has around four thousand active ninjas, which isn't much considering Kyuubi and Uchiha Massacre. We are still recovering our forces. Hah~, I simply think killing them was wasteful."

"In the past, ROOT ANBU was filled by ANBU who wanted to give more to the village. They took the most dangerous missions behind the enemy lines during the war. They helped the village a lot. But sensei disbanded ROOT and from then on, Danzo decided to go about it in a different way. He started again, training kids and making them loyal only to himself... this extermination was a long time coming and, to be honest, I am very disappointed it had to be me who performed it and not the village's ANBU." Tsunade sighed before offhandedly adding, "Then again, it can be counted as my first act as the Fifth Hokage."

"I see..." Anko nodded before her head caught up to what Tsunade told her, "Wait, WHAT!? You are taking over the village!?"

Tsunade threw Anko a funny look, "Isn't that obvious? Pray tell, why else would I come back? It's high time someone kicked Hiruzen's a.s.s out of his comfy chair. That said, I will need you to run some errands for me first, before the emergency meeting." She gave Anko a knowing smirk that brought the young woman an unwelcome sense of foreboding.

Seeing it, Anko closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Hyuugas?" She resignedly asked.

"Hyuugas." Tsunade gleefully confirmed. "Mah, mah, don't be so disheartened. After you finish with it, I am going to fulfill another part of our deal. I made sure to create a nice and utterly painful training regime just for you! If you want to kill Orochimaru, you will have to suffer for it first, ne?"

Needless to say, Anko was not a happy camper.

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Chapter 251 - Ch251. Old...

The evening was approaching and Anko finally returned from her 'errands' for Tsunade, providing the said woman a very humorous sight. She might have looked pristine but her expression told it all without her even having to open her mouth. From the utterly fed up and aggravated look, Tsunade instantly knew Anko had a very demanding few hours. And if the exasperated frown wasn't any indication, then the way she clutched a bouquet of roses, crumpling them without even noticing, gave Tsunade a pretty neat idea of what happened.

She totally did not peek from behind the curtains when she noticed Anko's and Hiashi's chakra signature stop in front of the Senju Compound...??

"So..." Tsunade drawled, comfortably sitting in an armchair in the living room, lowering her book a bit to look at Anko with her sparkling eyes. "When are you getting married?" She teasingly asked, and had to instantly duck as the bouquet of roses flew through the place where her head was just a split second earlier.

"Not. Another. Word!" Anko angrily huffed, squeezing a kunai in her hand, causing Tsunade's mouth to shut with an audible click.

Tsunade's lips stretched into an amused smirk. Oh, she was going to milk this from all it was worth!

...

Anko huffed and puffed, laying on the ground in the courtyard behind her house while Tsunade stood above her, smiling at her in a very irritating way while clicking her tongue in 'tsk, tsk, tsk' gesture. The ruthless woman even added waving her pointing finger at her just for dramatic purposes!

Alas, Anko was far too tired. The only thing she could muster to do was give Tsunade a stink eye but from the still-amused expression, Anko reckoned it was not as scary as she hoped.

"I must say, you have quite a bit of stamina." Tsunade grinned.

"Y-you... did thi...this... on pur-purpose! Haaa~." Anko huffed out, realizing she had been had.

"Of course I did. I had to see what exactly you are capable of if I am to make a proper training schedule for you." Tsunade rolled her eyes at Anko, "You would never go all out against me unless you were angry beyond measure. Our little discussion earlier today told me you would have subconsciously held back." Tsunade shrugged, not saying 'because you look up to me.', in order to not embarrass Anko more. It was quite endearing to see Anko so hung up on what she thought of her... if a bit misguided. A shame she would have to beat that out of the girl. It wouldn't do if she compared herself to Tsunade too much and stunted her growth because of it.

"Ther-..." Anko took a long breath, "THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS THAN RELENTLESSLY TEASE ME FOR TWO HOURS STRAIGHT!" She let out at once, needily gasping for more air right after she was finished saying it.

"Small details." Tsunade crouched down and put her hand on Anko's chest, slowly feeding her lungs with medical chakra, reinvigorating her stamina reserves. "Don't worry, a few years of training and you will be ready."

Anko's expression eased up and a grin formed on her face almost instantly. She could almost imagine her sensei's broken body, beaten black, blue, crimson, right under her feet as his life was leaving him...

Anko shuddered from a sudden rush of pleasure due to her imagination.

Tsunade inwardly snorted, 'Well, no wonder she looks up to me that much. Considering how ecstatic her face looked when she imagined beating the crap out of Orochi... What the heck did he teach her anyway? There is definitely something very wrong with that girl.' Tsunade awkwardly thought, 'Maybe that's why Hiashi fell for her so quickly!' A sudden realization dawned on her. 'He is a Hyuuga and they are ALL closet masochists! Growing up while practicing the chakra pokes of excruciating pain would ensure that. Figures Hiashi would look for a sadist to match him.'

Then again, Tsunade couldn't begrudge Anko her personality quirks. She was a ninja and they were supposed to be weird. It was just an unspoken rule of the profession.

"Are you sure I can do it?" Anko asked in a quiet unsure tone, like a child seeking reassurance from her parent.

Tsunade gave the young girl a genuine smile. "I am supposedly the best medic in the world. If I can't break your body enough to make it stronger... strong enough to beat down Orochimaru, then no one can."

"I will do my best." Anko promised, looking at the darkening sky and the rising moon witnessing her resolve.

"Heh~," Tsunade's eyes glinted with untold cruelty, suddenly making Anko feel a massive desire to back out. "Of that, I have no doubt. I will either break you or I will break you and make you stronger. Don't worry. An untold amount of pain is guaranteed. I will use my medical expertise to veeery slowly rip all your muscles apart, heightening your pain tolerance, and then rebuilding them a bit stronger all the while you will study chakra and Jutsu, focusing through the pain, training your concentration."

Anko creased her eyebrows as a droplet of sweat rolled down the side of her face from the intense glee Tsunade was showcasing at the prospect of tearing her apart from inside out. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea? "Er... you know I am a sadist, right? I don't enjoy pain. I enjoy causing it."

"You will learn." Tsunade quipped, making Anko experience a chill rushing up her spine.

Anko was about to open her mouth to protest when the back door to the courtyard suddenly flew open and Naruto rushed outside, "Anko, Anko, Anko! I won against Sasuke today! I..." The excitable ball of orange stopped in his tracks as his brain finally caught up to his eyes, registering the situation.

Anko was on the ground, looking very fearful, while a strange blond woman crouched near her with amusement sparkling in her amber eyes. He honestly had no idea what to think... so his brain went with the first thing it came up with.

The blond one was clearly attacking Anko!

Naruto had to do something! He... pointed at her and screamed, "Oi, what are you doing, Aunty!?" ... Causing Tsunade to almost trip.

"He really is annoying, isn't he?" Tsunade mumbled, glancing at Anko who groaned, the back of her head hitting the ground in a huff.

"Oi! I am not a-" Naruto started screaming bloody murder.

"Naruto, stop pretending. She knows!" Anko screamed louder, knowing that only being louder than him would stop him once he started going with his facade of an idiot.

Naruto quieted down, looking at Tsunade as if studying her with his eyes... before he turned back to Anko, "So... who is she? Your friend? Why did you tell her? Couldn't you at least ask me first? You know I don't like people knowing about my secrets! Is she trustworthy? Are you sure? Do you know her well? Won't she tell som-"

"NARUTO!" Anko interrupted his tirade of questions, knowing he only did that to get a rise out of her. Unfortunately for him, she was far too tired to go and play kunai-tag with him through the village. She sighed, idly rubbing her forehead, lamenting her fate. She just knew Naruto will try to mess with Tsunade but... oh, well. "That's Tsunade Senju. Our... landlady if you will."

Deafening silence spread through the courtyard, strangely contrasting with the orange-clad figure who was giving Tsunade a complicated stare.

Tsunade instantly understood. The boy knew she was a part-Uzumaki and most likely was currently deciding how to behave around her. On one hand, she was a family. On the other, he never even met her and didn't trust her much.

Anko, intimately aware of Naruto's thought process, scrambled to the side of the courtyard, as far away from Tsunade as possible, the second she saw his eyes brightening in a mischievous light.

"No way... isn't she supposed to be like... ancient?"

"Oi, did you just call me old, brat?" Tsunade evenly asked, her eyebrows twitching.

Naruto, reacting to the word 'brat', put his arms on his hips and cheekily swayed from side to side, "I only said the truth! ... Grandma!"

"Oi! Don't call me that, brat! I am barely in my late forties!" Tsunade loudly rebuked, irked.

Naruto just pointed at her and shouted, "Yeah, that's exactly what I mean! By average ninja life expectancy standards, you long overstayed your welcome!"

Needless to say, after that, she had beaten the everlasting crap out of him in an attempt to teach him some manners of talking to a lady, completely ignoring his screams about child abuse and brutal old women... or something.

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Chapter 252 - Ch252. Emergency Council Meeting 1

Danzo impassively stared at the worry-free clan heads as they slowly filled the council room, walking in lazily and without any motivation despite the large threat that appeared just a day ago. Their attitude was frankly unforgivable in his opinion. This was supposed to be how the people supervising clans full of trained killers acted?

Nara looked as if he pulled an all-nighter, ready to fall asleep where he stood.??

Akimichi gorged on his third bag of chips, the previous two crumpled empty bags discarded in front of him on the table.

Yamanaka who watched his two friends looked like a helpless sissy.

Hyuuga looked as if he desperately needed to go to the toilet but tried to hide it behind a straight face. Danzo also noticed him from time to time glancing at Mitarashi who sat in the Senju seat by proxy... now that was simply a disgusting thought.

Mitarashi herself had her feet on the table, rocking in her chair while looking as carefree as possible. As if she could hide anything from him! The girl was clearly in pain from the bruises her surprisingly modest clothes hid. For a moment, Danzo pondered how she got these bruises but then he discarded such thoughts. Considering Mitarashi's personality and rumored hobbies, he didn't really want to know what she did in her free time. She was not nearly skilled enough to be much of a concern anyway.

Aburame was the only one who showed at least a smidge of decorum but Danzo really had no idea if it was because of the man's stoicism or something else. The only visible thing from the man's face was his nose and that was not a good thing where body language reading was concerned.

Inuzuka... not important.

It was at times like this that his resolve to get the hat increased. How could he leave the village in the hands of these... slobs!? Oh, Hiruzen, the willfully naive fool. He desperately held Konoha together while the clans grew complacent. Clearly, the village needed a strong militaristic leader who would rule with a firm hand, not afraid of dishing out just punishments in his quest to set things straight.

Just look at the orange menace pranking the village! The kid was what? Seven? Eight? And he already managed to evade some chunins? What does that say about the quality of Konoha's forces? Really... Danzo always thought of himself as a needed man. The recent happenings in the village just confirmed it for him.

The Uchiha planned a coup.

What was he supposed to do? Wait and let them do it? Of course, he would counter-strike first! That was the whole point of having an inside informant! So they wouldn't be caught off-guard. But no... Hiruzen simply had to try and negotiate with Fugaku, showing the man the village's higher-ups knew about their treachery, making Itachi distrusted.

At that point, the whole thing was at the point of no return. The Uchiha clan simply had to go.

And if he managed to grab some of the Sharingan eyes lying around? Well, the better for him, no?

Unfortunately for Danzo, the YOZORA smashed that plan to pieces, smug bastards! They even dared to slaughter his ROOT and brag about robbing the Uchiha eyes from him? He would not have it! It was time Konoha got serious and hunted these fools.

'Now... the only thing that remains to be answered is how should I manipulate my fellow councilmen to make Yozora pay.' Danzo pondered as he noticed everybody was ready for the meeting to start.

...

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he watched the eyebrow of his long-time friend, Danzo, minusculely twitch every three seconds or so. It was a clear tick that the man was irritated. That would be fine. Irritated Danzo was grumpy Danzo but it was nothing world-ending. At best, it was a sign of a headache-inducing meeting. But no, the whole thing became a serious problem when Hiruzen noticed the corner of Danzo's mouth twitch alongside his eyebrow. That meant Danzo was enraged. And that was not good for anyone. Especially not him.

'Oh, I can already see the paperwork that will rain upon me like a vengeful banshee once Danzo does something reckless!' Hiruzen frantically thought.

He was aware of what got his friend so upset. Anybody would feel a bit off if a group of famous rogue ninjas decided to repaint your living room with blood and intestines. Well... at least it was not Danzo's blood and intestines, right? Hiruzen couldn't see what was the big deal.

Covering his eyes with the hem of his hat while chewing on his pipe, Hiruzen pondered, 'The last thing I need is Danzo lobbying for hunter ninjas to be sent after Yozora. Now... how to manipulate this meeting to prevent that, I wonder?' Letting out a frustrated breath, Hiruzen deeply sighed. 'If only everybody was as easy to fool as Naruto. The world would be a better place.'

...

Anko sat in her seat, trying to avoid Hiashi's gaze while inwardly feeling giddy, anticipating the happenings of the upcoming meeting. She could discern that Shikaku felt the same as her. The man was subtle but Anko noticed he tried to hide his smile by laying his head on the table in the guise of being sleepy. It was such a natural sight she would have dismissed it if she didn't spend hours meeting various heads of clans allied to the Senju.

Inoichi also threw her a short worried glance, showcasing he was aware that something concerning the Senju clan would happen during the meeting. The question of involvement of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans took hours to resolve because Shikaku wanted them to know while Anko was vehemently against it. In the end, they decided it was fine to inform them that 'something' is gonna happen and that they should support Shikaku if it came to that but no important information was to be divulged to them.

Choza seemed uncaring, happy with munching on chips while Inoichi was as always too curious for his own good. Honestly, the man was bigger gossip than most of the old ladies in the marketplace. He just hid it well.

Aburame seemed comfortable. And stoic. Too stoic for his own good. The man was a mask of hard-to-surprise coolness. There wasn't much that could cause him to show a reaction. Anko sometimes wondered if they have bugs bugging the entirety of Konoha.

For example, the man didn't even twitch when it was revealed Itachi slaughtered the Uchiha clan. Everybody reacted but Shibi. Even the perpetually asleep Shikaku was for once awake and had this put-out look as if he just heard something extremely unpleasant and disappointing. Smart bastard... Anko was sure the man deduced what the massacre was about in under a few seconds after the announcement while she needed Lady Tsunade to explain to her what that entire thing was about.

As for the Inuzuka matriarch... not important.

Just then, the Hokage deeply sighed before wearily standing up from his seat, sweeping the room with his tired gaze, showing a vulnerable look despite knowing it fooled nobody. The man had to enjoy his manipulations far too much if he didn't stop even in a room full of people knowing about his tendencies. After all, there was a reason why no clan head let Hiruzen in the talking distance of their heirs unless it was for the pre-academy motivational speech.

"Shall we start, then?" He more stated than asked and gestured for the ANBU to seal the door.

Hiruzen then started calling the names of the clans, doing attendance checks. The civilian representatives who had no idea that something was going on... Nara... Yamanaka... Akimichi... Hyuuga... Senju... Senju... Senj-

"Hey." Hiruzen pointedly narrowed his eyes at the unperturbed Anko, "I ask for the third and last time. Is the Senju clan present?"

"Weeeell," Anko drawled, putting some chakra into the seal on her wrist. A second later, a loud crash resounded from the direction of the door as an ANBU flew through them while breaking them, and then rolled on the ground until he stopped a few feet in front of the Hokage seat. Alive but in a whole new world of pain. "You gotta ask her that." Anko simply shrugged, pointing at Tsunade who stood in the middle of the door, yet another beaten ANBU guard groaning on the floor behind her, while she was giving Hiruzen a predatory look.

"Yes. The Senju clan is present." Tsunade grinned in the same way Tobirama always did when he was going to enjoy hurting somebody.

Somehow, both Danzo and Hiruzen couldn't help but suddenly feel nervous as they remembered their sadistic teacher.

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Chapter 253 - Ch253. Emergency Council Meeting 2

"Tsunade?" Hiruzen exclaimed in surprise, "When did you come back?"

He was the Hokage, dammit! One would think a presence of an S-rank ninja in HIS village, no matter if she belonged to HIS own forces, would be noted and relayed to him...

'Damn Izumo and Kotetsu... new at the job and already slacking? Exactly like their fathers!' Hiruzen glumly thought.

"Just yesterday," Tsunade waved her arm as she slowly walked towards the center of the room, closer to the Hokage, instead of heading to the Senju seat. This was instantly noted by the other clan heads.

Hiruzen, though, had his head spinning because of something else. 'Did she say yesterday? An S-rank ninja was inside of MY village for more than twenty-four hours and NOBODY noticed? No report from the barrier team? The barrier is set up to flare like crazy the second one of my students enters the village. As their sensei, it is my duty to prove myself all-knowing, and being aware of their comings and goings was a big part of that! How could she just sneak in? Worse yet... No patrols spotted anything unusual? No casino showed a marginal improvement in their earnings? No bar complained about drunk violent blondes? No Danzo complaining about CRA for Tsunade? When the hell did the world become such a strange place!?' He pondered his life choices as the leader of a village full of trained killers, now that they proved utterly incompetent.

Naturally, Hiruzen completely disregarded that Tsunade was Senju, and therefore knew many secret entrances to the village not known even to him. For him, she was still the small flat girl who wanted to be the best medic in the world after witnessing her beloved grandfather dying during her childhood. Same as Orochimaru was still that little pale kid with a penchant for snakes who just might have been a bit morally deranged. Yeah... sending him to work with Danzo might not have been the best decision for his already crumbling moral compass.

'Poor Danzo... who knows how Orochimaru corrupted him.' Hiruzen wistfully mused, 'He did become a bit heavy-handed in recent years.'

While Hiruzen was experiencing the effect his old age had on his sentimentality, Tsunade finally arrived in the center of the room, standing tall with her arms crossed below her chest with a very self-satisfied grin on her face.

Her eyes glanced at Danzo in a way the man would notice. Catching his attention, Tsunade very slightly lifted her forearm, making her breasts bounce. Today, she had a generous cleavage and even an old, supposedly emotionless, coot like Danzo was not immune to her charms. Especially not the small temptation genjutsu targeting only his chakra signature. Well, for all Tsunade knew, the man could have been a eunuch or batted for the other team with the amount of time he and her sensei spent bickering! She had to safeguard her plan would go off without a hitch...

Danzo indeed found himself affected and glanced at her cleavage... stiffening the second he noticed the mark on her left breast. He knew that mark well from his research these past few days...

'What the... Yozora!? Wait... wooden spikes made of mokuton? ... She slaughtered my ROOT!' His eyes filled with horror-induced panic as he frantically looked at Hiruzen. He knew the old monkey was a pervert ranking on the upper levels of Jiraiya's scale and indeed, the old man was blushing while also glancing at Tsunade's chest. 'Nothing? He is saying nothing? ... Wait! He... doesn't see the mark, does he?'

Danzo remembered. Tsunade had perfect chakra control and knew a genjutsu that hid the effects of her old age even from Sharingan and Byakugan users.

'Of course, nobody is seeing it! The bitch!' He silently seethed, glaring in rage at the blond woman.

He couldn't simply accuse her of being in an organization full of rogue ninjas, telling the council he needed somebody to study her naked chest to provide the proof. That sounded like something Hiruzen would come up with. Ridiculous...

It was the same situation as his arm or eye. He was seen as a cripple. Telling him to show them his supposedly mutilated arm or missing eye was incredibly rude and if somebody did that, it would have been the equivalent of making enemies on the council. He could have easily wiggled out of that accusation with some simple word-play, abusing his status of cripple alongside his position on the council and his lifelong loyal service to the village. After all, what would be his motivation to betray the village when he gave his body parts to serve it? After spending his entire life safeguarding it? Accusing him of anything without a certain factual and irrefutable proof was political and career suicide.

Tsunade was the last Senju. She was the last member of the founding clan of Konoha. Saying she betrayed the village without providing iron-clad proof was like saying she shat upon all of her dead clan members' graves. And everybody knew how she loved her clan. She even left the village in grief after the second war, supposedly unable to withstand the pressure. Her brother's death was just the last straw. Tsunade was a hardened ninja, after all. One death would not cause her to completely crumble. But receiving every other week an invitation to a funeral of yet another dead family member since she was ten? Even Danzo, the believer in the necessary ruthlessness, had to, at the time, admit that if anyone deserved a long break, it was her.

Moreover, she was the hero of the second ninja war and the most beloved person in Konoha right after the Yellow Flash! Literally nobody died in the hospital in the third war because of her. People noticed. As long as an injured person reached Konoha's hospital, he would survive even if half of his body was missing. Tsunade was just that good. People still loved her despite her long absence from the village.

Accusing a person of such a reputation of an act of treason?

Danzo might have been old but he was not senile. All he could do was silently stem in his rage and quietly watch the meeting. He did not have his ROOT anymore. He had five guys who would get slaughtered if they tried anything against Tsunade. He knew when he was beaten. No, it was time for a tactical retreat and regroup. He could always remake his ROOT. Konoha had enough orphans for that.

'Oh, I will have my revenge, Tsunade. Just you wait. A few years and I will make your life a hell upon earth! Yozora will fall once I become Hokage.' Danzo inwardly swore.

Smirking, Tsunade gave Danzo a winning look, enjoying the emotional torture she heaped upon the old Warhawk with just a single gesture. Yeah... he now knew her allegiance. Big deal. What was he exactly gonna do about it? Call her up on it? How she wished he would be that stupid. Label of a pervert would suit the old cripple nicely, driving his already butt-hurt ego into the ground.

Better yet, it would give her a reasonable excuse to clobber the old coot through the entire village too, crippling him for real. After all, accidents happen all the time, no?

'A girl can dream.' Tsunade wistfully sighed and turned back to Hiruzen, taking out a miniature scroll from her pocket, enlarging it with a single flare of her chakra before throwing it to the old man.

"That is why I came here." She answered his questioning look as he caught the document, "You wouldn't believe all the things I learned about my place in this village in my visit to the Fire Capital. Eh, sensei, when were you going to tell me about it, I wonder?"

Hearing that, Hiruzen didn't need to be a prophet to know what the scroll was about. Needless to say, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the seal of the Fire Daimyo.

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Chapter 254 - Ch254. Emergency Council Meeting 3

"I would have been happy ignoring Konoha my whole life... but no. You just had to do the stunt with the Uchiha clan, had you not?" Tsunade pointedly gazed at Hiruzen whose eyebrow involuntarily twitched at the accusation... which could as well be a full-body flinch considering the people in the chamber knew at least something about reading the body language. "Well... no more. My grandfather didn't create this village to be a chessboard for some old bastards' amusement." Her cold stare briefly stopped on every single Elder, causing them to frown, ending on Danzo, to whom she gave a look a few degrees frostier than the others. "For those who still didn't get it..." Tsunade glanced at Tsume, "Itachi didn't go quite as mad as he was portrayed. He simply followed orders, didn't he? Eh, Sensei?"

Even Tsume Inuzuka understood Tsunade's meaning after she pointed it out so bluntly. Inuzuka's were fiercely loyal to the Third Hokage due to their pack mentality. He had a half-century to cement his position as an alpha in their minds and he certainly did not slack off in that regard. Hiruzen became shocked and inwardly winced at the piercing look Tsume threw him.

He found himself between Tsunade and a hard place. On one hand, he could play stupid but he knew the suspicion was cast and this could potentially tear the village apart in the near future. He definitely didn't miss how Hiashi Hyuuga narrowed his eyes at him. Him! He protected the village with his life for over half-century and now these... these upstarts wanted to take his pound of flesh? As if!

"It was all for the Will of Fire, Tsunade-chan." He said in a calm voice, adding the suffix to show her her place. He knew there was no point in trying to keep these facts hidden. "The Uchiha clan wanted to rebel. The final result was definitely unfortunate but not unexpected. Treason is treason, after all. No matter what I did, they simply wouldn't let it go. And in the end, I never ordered their massacre." He sadly shook his head.

"Bullshit. You, Hiruzen Sarutobi, LET. THAT. HAPPEN!" She emphasized her words by banging her fist on the table nearby while staring at her sensei, "You knew something was wrong for years. You were the reason why they were relocated to the outskirts and lost most of their political power in the first place. All because Danzo told you so. You know how prideful and vain Uchiha's were. You must have had an idea how this would end up. Especially with that twit Fugaku as the clan head. Don't try to screw with me by telling me you had no idea, Sensei. You are not called the Professor because you like Icha Icha: Schoolyard Crush." Tsunade deadpanned, making Hiruzen feel self-conscious as a small blush appeared on his wizened cheeks.

"Tsunade-hime," Koharu decided to interrupt the dressing down Tsunade was delivering to Hiruzen, "Even your grandfather would see the greater good in the unfortunate demise of the Uchiha clan. He always preached that others should see the village before their own clans. Uchihas simply went too far."

"I would think I knew my grandfather better than you, old hag." Tsunade snorted, stopping Koharu short, earning herself a glare from the short old woman, "No matter how hard you try to portray my grandfather as some idiot who would sacrifice anything for the village, I have known him. As big of a goof as he was when it came to politics, he was still a ninja and knew the importance of backup plans. Say what you want, but my grandfather was Senju first, Hokage second. Anyone who knew him more deeply was aware of that fact. That's also why Danzo holds more respect to my uncle, rather than my grandfather. My uncle simply hid his preference for our clan better." Tsunade stated, causing everyone to ponder what she just said. "How could it be any different? He created the village for his clan, for the children so they wouldn't have to fight. How could you sit there and tell me he would gladly sacrifice these same children for the village? Are you daft?"

"What do you mean?" Tsume asked, now fully invested in the discussion.

"Ah~, what a drag." Shikaku murmured, "Itachi didn't spare even children. Considering our esteemed Hokage and his Elder Koharu just indirectly admitted that it was an order of some sort..."

And the chamber grew somber at that.

The various clan heads felt their very own turmoil of emotions because of the revelation.

The Elders furiously thought about how to word their defense in order to prove what they did was fully for the village.

The civilian representatives simply stared, feeling out of the place and suddenly scared to let out even an 'eep'. After all, if an entire clan was eradicated just because they got out of hand... They all started considering their previous behavior during those meetings and sudden fear started to creep up their spines.

The Hokage just mournfully puffed his pipe, passively watching the whole council room. It was interesting how just a few words could accomplish what he in his entire career could not. Tsunade in just a few seconds shut up the entire council room. He found himself impressed despite it being at his expense. 'Maybe it really is time to retire, huh?'

After a brief silence, Tsunade started speaking again, "My grandfather certainly didn't create the village for you, the conniving bastards who scheme how to use the labors of my family to get more power and influence, corrupting this place in the process. How dare you take his name into your mouth, bitch?" She returned Koharu's glare, adding her killing intent on the top which instantly shook everybody in the room awake from their own contemplation as cracks appeared on the walls from the pressure emitted from Tsunade, making Koharu flinch as far back in her seat as she possibly could at the very physical representation of Tsunade's intent to do her harm. Inwardly satisfied, at the horrified face of the woman due to the inhuman levels of killing intent saturating the air, Tsunade looked back to the Hokage, finding his pipe fell from his mouth. She coldly smirked, "Hiruzen lost his marbles long ago. He believes in the Will of Fire so much, he became deranged. He let civilians run our ninja village as if they owned us." At that, many of the sweating civilians cringed, fearing for their lives. "He let his Elders walk all over him in order to appease them because of some misguided sense of camaraderie." Elders frowned, not daring to interrupt again due to their instincts screaming at them to be quiet, "And the saddest of it all, he totally forgot or willfully disregarded most of what my uncle tried to teach him. That Will of Fire was just a guideline that made all the clans closer. Nothing more than that. Alas, as long as something fit Hiruzen's image of the Will of Fire, all was a fair game." Tsunade glanced at Danzo in a way that would be painfully obvious to Hiruzen what she meant.

And notice, he did. It wasn't hard to put two and two together for Hiruzen. He knew ROOT did more bad than good but he still didn't want to believe Danzo fell so much into the darkness. After all, if he couldn't believe in his oldest friends and comrades, then who could he believe?

"The Senjus created this place." Tsunade continued, "We were never the biggest fans of formality but the hierarchy set up by my uncle and grandfather should have told you what place my ancestors envisioned for our clan. The very lands Konoha stands on are fully owned by my clan. We are the founding clan. We gave each of your clans a sanctuary. We handpicked four noble clans of these lands, giving them stature similar to nobles in the Fire Country. We promised a better future for the clans. And we delivered." She swept the clan heads with her unflinching and hardened gaze as if they were a bunch of misbehaving children, "Yet... when the Senju clan needed help, where were you exactly? Eh, Sarutobi? You knew Senju were hunted down but what did you do? You let it happen. That's what." Tsunade turned to the shocked clan heads. "I had enough. I have already signed the paperwork with the Daimyo and enacted the preventive clause of the Konoha Creation Act. From now on, Konoha is an autonomous territory within the Fire Country under the rule of the landowners, the Senju clan." She declared with finality.

The civilians and clans who had no idea what would happen were left speechless, not knowing what exactly to do. Who could blame them? Their homeland just became a different country right in front of their eyes and the only thing they could do was to gape.

Danzo's breath hitched. This was the whole reason why he helped Senjus on their way to the afterlife during the first and second wars. 'Damn you, Hiruzen! You and your sentiment! Why couldn't you just let me deal with your bitch of a student when I offered?' Naturally, Hiruzen knew about some of it. After all, it was in the time when the ROOT program was just starting, hence the organization was still a legitimate part of the village. They both discovered these clauses of the Konoha Creation Act. The Senju clan were simply too dangerous, being able to take the power from the Hokage at their whim.

Hiruzen wasn't even protesting. He was just so tired of it all. He knew Jiraiya would never become Hokage. That only left Tsunade. That was honestly half of the reason why he was searching for the whereabouts of his wayward student during all these recent years. He was well aware she was the only candidate fit to become the Hokage. What was the point of trying to prevent this? It would have happened sooner or later and he hoped sooner rather than later. He actually felt enormous pride that at least one of his students had it in them to oppose him in such a blatant manner. That at least one of his students would have the balls to keep Konoha safe. He also found it somewhat hilarious that, in the end, it was not Orochimaru or Jiraiya but Tsunade with these proverbial balls.

He has spent so much time trying to prevent her from learning about her birthright, and now, here they were. He, completely glad she actually learned about it and took the reins as there was no other option either way. Life was funny like that. To think it would throw him such a curveball in his old age.

At least, one of his students was not an utter failure. For the first time since the Kyuubi attack, he felt oddly at peace.

Tsunade raised her head high and looked straight into Hiruzen's eyes, daring him to say a word. "And as my first order as the owner of these lands, I hereby declare you, Hiruzen Sarutobi, fired from the position of Hokage." Her composed but firm voice rang through the room, astonishing the occupants even more.

'Well, she could have said it more politely, couldn't she?' Hiruzen sweatdropped.

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Chapter 255 - Ch255. Emergency Council Meeting 4

"Sensei, you and your advisors," Tsunade glanced at Koharu and Homura, "have a day to vacate your offices."

Hiruzen just resignedly nodded whereas both Homura and Koharu widened their eyes in astonishment at being dismissed like this. The lifetime of service was not worth even a polite dismissal? That rubbed both of them the wrong way.

And while Homura was the calmer of the two and stayed silent, only observing the happenings while thinking what to do to salvage his situation, Koharu had a bit of a temper.

"What!? Why!? You can't just kick us out without a proper reason!" She screamed while involuntarily standing up without even realizing it until her bones protested with a dull ache.

Tsunade looked funnily at Koharu, her look relaying exactly what her thoughts about the old woman's intelligence were. "I can and I just did. Every Hokage can appoint and dismiss the advisors at his leisure. Hiruzen's dismissal from the Hokage seat automatically means your own dismissal. Your lifelong appointment to the position was only because of Hiruzen's relationship with you. I find it funny you actually fought so much against him on so many issues and yet he didn't use his right to outright dismiss you. After all, you two were supposed to be his greatest allies. That's what the Hokage advisors are there for. To support the Hokage. You must have forgotten that bit in your old age." She snarked. "You two grew far too complacent in your seats. You think you can do whatever and nobody would give a shit. Well, think again!"

It was obvious Tsunade was not amused by Koharu's attitude. After she delivered her verbal bashing unto the old woman, she calmed down and decided to completely nail their careers to the ground without any chance to save them.

"And if you want a proper reason..." Tsunade momentarily halted, causing Homura to stiffen as the old man knew nothing good would be said next if Tsunade's tone was any indication. "I know well it is impossible to properly falsify a mission order... like the one for the Uchiha massacre without you two knowing about it. You not only betrayed your Hokage and went behind his back. You conspired to end an entire clan, from elderly to toddlers, and as such, you were part of what most of us would call high treason. Shouldn't you be happy to not be thrown into prison straight away? Where the heck do you get the balls to argue against your dismissal I will never know..." She amusedly shook her head at the two old people who looked as if they sucked a moldy lemon.

The clan heads now looked at them with a mix of disgust, wariness, and hostility. Sure, most of the time, they were at each other's throats. There was also the fact that nobody really liked the arrogant Uchihas. But they were clans and could sympathize. They could easily imagine themselves in the position of the Uchiha clan.

It was far too easy to imagine the Yamanaka clan as a threat with their mind Jutsus.

It was far too easy to imagine the Nara clan as a threat with their inborn smarts and shadow Jutsus.

It was far too easy to imagine the Hyuuga clan as a threat because of their Byakugan abilities.

In short, every clan had something that made them dangerous and different. They all had to have a measure of trust between themselves to cohabitate a single village. Every clan had their secrets, their own ways they could endanger the village at any given moment. But that was how Konoha was always supposed to work. The entire premise of the village upon its founding was based on building at least basic trust between clans and making them work together for a common goal. These political spats in the council room were just that. Momentary spats that faded from the mind the second the clan heads left the council room.

Frankly, the biggest dispute between clans could be said to be the past Hyuuga-Uchiha hatred... and even then the Uchihas and Hyuugas could seamlessly work together to accomplish missions without a single complaint. They simply preferred not to interact and usually stood on the different sides of many issues. But that was it.

Konoha depended on trust between clans and the government. The second the Uchiha clan was pushed to the outskirts the village broke a very vital requirement for the coexistence between the clan and the village.

Tsunade felt ashamed for her sensei when she heard he could not appease the Uchihas. She couldn't really comprehend how hard it would be to let them back to their previous compound in the center of the clan district? That was all he needed to do. Let them go back home and leave them a free hand to do what they wished like any other clan. As for the Uchiha becoming too ambitious after getting the said free hand... the other clans would simply hammer their ego down whenever they tried to stick out. That's how Konoha worked for almost fifty years. The clans kept each other in check.

As for Danzo... he was still reveling at the fact Tsunade did not mention him. He was not an Elder of the Advisory Council. He was now in the Konoha Council in one of the elected civilian seats. Danzo refused to believe Tsunade didn't know it was him who forged Itachi's orders. Narrowing his eye, he wondered what she was playing at.

"Now... I could become the new Hokage." Tsunade started, "But I already am an equivalent of Daimyo for Konoha. Hence, the new Hokage will be Shikaku Nara." She offhandedly said, causing a loud bang to resound from Shikaku's direction, followed by a painful groan of the man whose head just impacted the table due to his almost heart-stopping shock.

Shikaku couldn't believe his ears. He lifted his head from the hard wooden table, completely ignoring the bruise right in the middle of his forehead. Whipping his tired body up, he leaned forward with a frantic expression. "You can't do that to me!" He shouted almost hysterically, getting weirded-out gazes from most of the clan heads while Inoichi and Choza simply mirthfully chuckled. Only Shibi was as stoic as ever but even his amusement could be deciphered from the buzz of his bugs.

"Ah, lucky you!" Choza boomed and patted Shikaku's back, laughing his ass off at the misfortune of his friend. He knew how much the Nara men despised any notion of becoming the Hokage.

"Yoshino will be pleased." Inoichi joined the teasing, making Shikaku's face scrunch in a grimace.

"Eh, don't worry, Shikaku." Tsunade grinned. "I only need you to do the paperwork and tend to the council. I am sure you will enjoy the fulfilling experience. I already sent a job offer to Yoshino for the spot of your secretary! Aren't I thoughtful?"

Shikaku could just flop back into his seat as despair started to claim his soul.

'This is just a nightmare. Yes... I will wake up in the morning and the world will be a lot less insane. I am sure of it. Becoming Hokage? Having my nagging wife as my secretary? God! All that paperwork! All that nagging! All that nagging during the paperwork! All that nagging to do the paperwork! Yes... simply a nightmare.' He thought as he started to close his eyes in hope to wake up.

"Just imagine Yoshino's reaction when she finds out you are the new Hokage and she is your secretary." Tsunade slyly said, causing Choza and Inoichi to snort, knowing well Yoshino's personality.

'Hmm, all that nagging to do Yoshino instead of the paperwork? Maybe Tsunade is right and this isn't such a bad idea? ... Oh, who am I kidding! She is just trying to manipulate me! Such a drag...' Shikaku wearily sighed in defeat. It was far too troublesome to argue his case.

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Chapter 256 - Ch256. The Best Man For The Job.

"Troublesome blonde!"

Yoshino heard a frustrated scream from the Hokage office and briefly stopped organizing the appointments before mirthfully chuckling and continuing her job.

'I will have to send Tsunade chocolate or something. Now that Shikamaru is mostly in the academy, I was getting bored at home.' She hummed.

Inside the Hokage office, Shikaku was frantically reviewing papers, signing off on some of them while discarding others into the trashcan while mentally cursing the inefficiency of Konoha's administration system.

Alas, fate is a bitch. Once upon a time, he spent innumerable working hours in his capacity as the Jonin Commander laughing his ass off at Hiruzen's suffering, knowing nobody in their right mind would ever choose him to be the Hokage, and yet... here he was.

Life sucked.

"What do you want?" Shikaku gruffly asked, not even deeming it important to look at Tsunade who came for a sudden unannounced visit. His Daimyo or not... he was not happy with her right about now. He didn't see a proper bed for over twenty-four hours and that's considering the Emergency meeting was just two days ago. He could already imagine his bleak future...

"Nothing. Can't I visit my third favorite Hokage in my free time?" Tsunade jested, emphasizing the word 'free', causing Shikaku to spontaneously snap his pen in half.

He slowly lifted his fed-up and unamused gaze towards her, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Tsunade, from her position on the couch, shrugged in indifference, "Yeah... Do you even have to ask?" She lifted her eyebrow at him, "We both know you had enough time to put the facts together and analyze your situation from every possible angle imaginable during your paperwork time. Entertain me. What did you come up with? Why did I make you the Hokage instead of taking the hat myself?" She was really interested in the conclusion Shikaku's mind would deliver.

He threw the stacks of paper a vindictive look before sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Well, I guess I could take a bit of a break." Looking back at Tsunade, Shikaku gained a thoughtful look. "The only thing I came up with is my experience in administration from my tenure as the Jonin Commander. That is really the only thing I can offer to the village in this position." He reasoned.

Jonin Commander was a bit misleading term. It was not the person sent on the most dangerous missions as one would believe. No... Jonin Commander was a full-time desk job. Shikaku was not away from Konoha even once since he became the Jonin Commander. His duties primarily laid in deciding which team would be sent on which high-rank mission, reviewing missions to make sure there is nothing immediately fishy-sounding in them that could get their ninjas killed, and then he had to deal with paperwork consisting of things like finished mission reports and the like. It was a job that required incredible analytical capabilities coupled with heaps of practical experiences in the field.

The only time a Jonin Commander played an active combat role in the village would be during a war, where he was supposed to be one of the main tacticians. Hence, it is a position held only by Nara.

And it was also a good job where you got paid for slacking the day off during peacetime, hence the Nara clan made the deal with the First Hokage to be 'prioritized' for it.

"Let's be honest," Shikaku lazily continued with a measure of amusement in his tone, "If we measure one's worth by his rank and abilities, I am solid three. I am an Elite Jonin who, depending on their prowess and Jutsu repertoire, could comfortably fight three other average Jonins. On that same scale, Sarutobi is a solid twenty-five, which is quite impressive in itself when one considers an additional opponent means the combat prowess has to rise exponentially to cope with the increase. That's most likely why the Second Hokage chose him instead of Danzo as his successor. Danzo was better at plotting while Hiruzen had more immediate combat potential. They were at war and such a choice was a no-brainer."

Tsunade snorted, "Sensei always told us he was chosen because his Will of Fire was the strongest. Allegedly, that is really how my uncle justified his choice." She started, beaming with mirth. "When I was a kid, I found it fascinating. Now? I think that my uncle pulled the most available and cheesiest bullshit to quickly justify his choice before he went on a suicide mission that, in the end, won us the first war. It's sad that sensei took his words as gospel and became almost fanatical about the Will of Fire." Tsunade sighed. "I am sure Sensei's retirement will be a bittersweet thing for him. His own punishment of sorts where he can only watch how his beloved village changes from what he thinks is best for the Will of Fire while he is unable to intervene." Shikaku was looking at her weirdly but wisely kept quiet as she monologued. Noticing herself rambling, Tsunade looked back at the man behind the Hokage desk, "But back to you."

Shikaku slowly nodded, his mind processing what she just told him. "Back to me... there are high tens of Jonins who are more or less on the same level as me in the village. And that is not even counting those who mastered elemental Jutsu that naturally counter to my Shadow Manipulation. " He distractedly mused. "I may be smart but that is not necessarily a necessity to become a Hokage either. It is heavily assumed that somebody who got so far as to be considered for the Hokage position is actually smart. But what is most important is the combat capability, or rather, his war deterrent value to the village. Hence the entire administration mess I have to deal with now. Maaan~, couldn't Sarutobi at least try to make it less troublesome? He was in the office for the last forty years. What the heck was he doing!?" He petulantly complained while wearily rubbing his forehead.

'So he figured it out, eh?' Tsunade chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mirth as Shikaku gave her a deadpan gaze.

"You simply chose me to be the poor sod who has to rehaul the administration system of the village." He concluded, causing Tsunade to smirk.

"I stand by what I said in the past. I did it to reward the Nara clan for their continuous and loyal service to the Senju clan. It is high time that your clan's standing increased." She said smugly.

"Bullshit." Shikaku muttered.

"Plus..." Tsunade wryly continued, ignoring Shikaku's cursing, "You are far better paper-pusher than me." She had to duck under the flying paperweight.

Shikaku's eyebrow was twitching in annoyance while the corner of his lips twitched in amusement. He was indeed not the best candidate... no, scratch that, he was not even one of the considered people for the position. But he could also understand what Tsunade did.

Now that she was back in the village, there was no need to have a strong combatant as a Hokage. The village still had Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and now Tsunade available. The overall war deterrent of the village soared despite the Hokage being a 'weakling' as Kumo would undoubtedly dub him. Instead, Tsunade put Shikaku, someone good at administration, into the position of Hokage, something that has to do most of the time with administration.

If this was Shogi, Shikaku would praise her resourcefulness and willingness to say 'fuck you' to traditions. From the reports, Shikaku knew that Suna had massive economical problems because their Kazekage, while strong on the battlefield, was shit at administration and diplomacy. To a lesser degree, the same could be said about Iwagakure, a village that was far too militaristic to work properly, Kumogakure, a place that was mostly stagnant, hence their drive to obtain bloodlines, or Kirigakure, which was just a few months prior a right mess.

The Kages were all strong people with strong beliefs and convictions but the important thing was what they were not. They were not the best people for the job. They were not administrators. They were fighters, killers, assassins. Their mindset was not primarily set to build and develop their villages but to destroy their enemies. It was a ninja thing, honestly.

"Haaa~. Just tell me what you want with me so I can get back to my paperwork. God forbid Yoshino finds out I took a break..." He tiredly said, making Tsunade smile at him.

The dynamics of Yoshino's and Shikaku's relationship may seem unhealthy at first glance but the Nara men knew what they needed in life and the two get on shockingly well under all that Yoshino's nagging and Shikaku's 'troublesome' complaints. Tsunade knew they were happy and Yoshino was always able to verbally kick Shikaku's lazy ass back to work. Frankly, that was the reason why she made the woman his secretary.

"Who said I am here for you?" Tsunade remarked, making Shikaku raise an eyebrow at her. "No, I am here for the guy who is heading this way." She elaborated.

"And who is that supposed to be?" Shikaku asked but was interrupted as the door opened, revealing a sheepish Yoshino.

"Er... Danzo Shimura is here to see you, Shikaku. Should I let him in?"

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