Power Plays

World #07 - Hokage Naruto's Konoha.

"A meeting with the daimyō, you say…?" Naruto mused.

He had been invited by the Hokage to have dinner with him and his wife. Most likely not by Hinata, though.

"Yes." The Hokage said with a long-suffering expression. "He's a bit of an ass."

"Language, dear." Hinata chided gently.

"The kids are not around." The Hokage waved her off. "No need for me to put my money in the swear jar."

"It's the principle, dear." She insisted, holding out the aforementioned item to him.

He grumbled and complied.

"Why don't you let me handle it? The daimyō thing, I mean." Naruto offered. "As a token of my gratitude for letting us stay in the village."

Sakura, Hanabi and Toru were gone, and he had no idea where they had gone. He could contact them if needed, but well, it didn't seem urgent.

Karin and Yugito were somewhere in the village, likely with B.

Ino was nose-deep in another of her projects. Something related to the effect of genetics versus upbringing; she had found that dimensional travel was one avenue they hadn't explored enough yet.

This dimension's Sasuke had refused to come to dinner, apparently. He wasn't sure why.

"…You?" The Hokage squinted his eyes, trying to figure if the younger man was serious. "I mean… I hate dealing with the man, but…"

"Don't worry." Naruto said gently but firmly. "I can replace you for the day, easily."

The Hokage gave him a doubt-filled look.

Naruto laughed. "I'm great at negotiating."

"Oh…?" The Hokage asked dubiously. "Are you dealing with the Daimyō often, then?"

Naruto laughed. "You could say that."

Usually when they begged him from crumbs of their former power.

Hinata glared at him, as though she could read him. Naruto smiled at her innocently - he had learned from Ino, who was simply the best.

"Besides, we're the same person, when it matters… 'yaknow." Naruto sealed the deal. He knew it would work. From her frown, Hinata knew it too.

The Hokage laughed. "True enough!"

Uzumaki Ino saw Naruto appear in the staircase, wearing an immaculate dark black kimono. That on its own was a sign already, as the dark black color was usually worn by the most powerful, followed by red, green and purple. On his back, he wore the Uzumaki clan's crest.

It was pretty obvious that it was something he had created.

"…Are you going somewhere?" Ino asked.

"Yes." He nodded, calling a cup of tea to his hand. "I'm going to replace this Naruto at a meeting today."

Ino tried to make some sense of it.

"Really...?"

Naruto pretended to frown.

"Are you doubting me, love...?"

"...No." She said innocently. "I would never."

"That's better." He grinned, pressing a kiss behind her ear. One of her weak spots.

"Can you make me look like him? Shorter, goofier… Well, you've seen him." He nodded wisely.

"I mean, I could…" She managed to moan dubiously. "Not sure if I should."

"You should, yes." He laughed. "Thank you very much. ...Later, though." He smiled and pulled her closer to him. She made a small, surprised noise of protest.

"Aren't you supposed to — Ah! — My research… Oh."

She really made the cutest noises.

"The daimyō can wait." He grinned sharply.

"…Who?" She said, with heavy lidded eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Ino."

He'd be late, but...

That was how good negotiations began, after all.

Shinobi were in contractual relationships with nations.

While each Hidden Village was, in theory at least, a vassal of the daimyō who was its sovereign ruler… in actuality they were in a contractual relationship of equals.

The Village executed the daimyō's will through accepting missions. Each Village was its nation's largest military force. Not the only one, though. There were plenty of ordinary soldiers, armed with spears, swords and bows to carry out safer missions such as border patrol and maintaining public order.

And not every daimyō had enough funds to continuously contract with a Village, as they were pretty expensive.

Which meant that during peacetime, every daimyō usually wanted to reduce their massive military spending.

Which was only natural, as they were in the business of collecting taxes from their citizens and redistributing it. Usually.

At least, that was what Naruto remembered of it. He had changed a few things when he took over.

Well, he would handle things the way he would back home.

...Perhaps more carefully.

"Where the hell is he?!" Amago Yoshikata, daimyō of the Land of Fire like his father before him, raged.

He was sitting in a lavish room for the meeting, equipped with the latest technologies, including teleconferencing equipment, and stocked with a mountain of sweet foods.

One of his attendants — not the one readying the tea ceremony — bowed low. Her eyes darted around nervously, trying to avoid meeting his. He was a man of power, and he enjoyed that fact.

"Uzumaki Naruto-sama offers apologies. He is running late and will be here shortly."

"How dare he?!" Yoshikata's hand slapped against his chair. Sure, he himself had missed the last meeting entirely, but there had been more pressing matters at hand than these barbarians from the forest.

The attendant just bowed again, more nervously.

"That's unacceptable. Nobody makes the daimyō wait."

"Of course not, Amago-sama." His right hand answered.

"He will pay—"

"I'm here." A flat voice answered.

The sliding doors opened and Uzumaki Naruto was here.

He looked the same as ever, but there was something intense in his eyes, which seemed to be almost… glowing.

"Ah! Naruto!" The daimyō greeted him in a very false manner.

"Yoshitaka." Uzumaki Naruto answered.

There was a sudden silence, and several of the attendants turned to the daimyō, wincing. He reddened - and not only because Naruto had gotten his name wrong.

"Have you forgotten decorum? You are to refer to me as Amano-sama." He said sharply.

"Oh?" Uzumaki Naruto lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "Must have slipped my mind. I thought we were on a first name basis already."

The daimyō sputtered and settled for glaring at him.

"That's fine, Yoshitaka." Uzumaki Naruto nodded. "I was never one for formality, as you know. First name's fine… believe it."

He added the last two words, almost as an afterthought.

"That's unacceptable!" Yoshikata said, rising to his feet. Uzumaki Naruto watched his belly jiggle with a fascinated expression.

"Why?"

Yoshikata's anger was burning. But something about the man had him feeling unsettled.

"…I will permit 'Amano-san' as a token act of civility. But you don't get to use my first name. Understand?"

"Sit down, Yoshitaka."

Naruto's finger drummed against the floorboards.

"Don't you dare order me or I'll—" Yoshikata spat.

Uzumaki Naruto didn't say anything, but Yoshikata paused still.

"Or what?"

Yoshikata stared into his cold eyes and soon regretted it. These were the eyes of a shinobi, a remorseless killer. And he was eyeing him in a way that made him feel like he was standing in front of a predator.

"I — I won't be talked to like this." He sputtered.

"Oh, please." Naruto laughed. "Don't fool yourself. You need Um…— Konoha. If you really mean to cut its funding, you better be ready to deal with the consequences. You need our strength and they…— we need your wealth."

"That's not how this thing works!" The man blustered.

"Let me rephrase it, then. Big scary mass murderer leader is a lot more scary to the other countries than a… noble — and let me remind you you're just a normal human. None of that Chosen of God bullshit."

"How dare you?!"

"You don't even buy into it yourself." Naruto rolled his eyes. His eyes seemed to look purple for a second. "For once, with this whole… aliens coming here, we will need to keep some strong people around. Now another question. How long do you think you will survive without our men protecting you…? Who will assassinate you first…? A Great Village… a smaller one…?" Naruto mused. "There are so many people that would like to take your wealth… your power. I assume they'd put a puppet in your place… or maybe they would just kill you… eat your organs and wear your skin. Both Suna and Iwa are able to do something like this, yes. Fascinating stuff, really."

The daimyō shut up.

This sounded too much like a threat, and despite his rising fear, he prepared to retort something harsh.

But—

For a second, he thought he saw something behind the man. Something bigger than anything he had ever seen before. Something that was touched by the divine. In a myriad of different ways.

Or maybe that was just sheer power. Was it the Nine-Tails...?

No matter what that was...

That was not a man. It just looked like one.

And perhaps he could believe that this was the thing that had (supposedly) defeated monsters, men and gods when it was only sixteen.

There was something cold running down his spine.

"So… I think it's about time we… renegotiate." Uzumaki Naruto smiled politely.

Uzumaki Hinata had been sent by her husband to make sure everything was going well.

He was still optimistic about it, as only her husband could be, really. She sighed. Whatever he saw in that man… She couldn't see it. He reminded her of Sasuke, really. A… more dangerous Sasuke.

…Then again, maybe that was the problem, considering the fact that Naruto thought the world of his …friend.

She gathered chakra to her eyes.

'The building seems to be standing. And so is the city.'

She peered inside.

The daimyō was talking, looking distinctly ill at ease, holding on to his chair.

Uzumaki Naruto — not her husband, the other — was still sitting in the ceremonial room.

She read his lips.

"I don't like tea." Uzumaki Naruto said. Which was not true.

She saw his face.

'Gods… He's enjoying this.'

And he looked entirely too comfortable. She had expected him to be only… well-versed in the art of murdering people that got in his way.

That was worse, somehow.

"I think… that perhaps we got off the wrong foot." Yoshikata said nervously.

"I agree, Yoshitaka. You seem to be a… reasonable man." Naruto nodded.

"I think we should take a little break—"

"That's not for you to decide." Naruto cut him off.

The daimyō swallowed.

"I believe we can reach an… equitable decision that will favor both parties." He tried.

"Good." Naruto smiled. "I'm willing to hear it."

The Daimyō agreed to Naruto's terms, in the end.

Naruto made sure to place a deep compulsion within the man. Just an added contingency, in order to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid… like order for an assassination, or any form of retribution.

He was pretty bad at Genjutsu, of course. That was exactly why he had crafted the Ring of Compulsion.

To avoid the sort of retribution that was more likely to affect innocents… or that would force him to intervene directly. He didn't use it for the negotiations themselves… Those, he enjoyed.

Hinata was waiting for him, almost managing to look casual.

"Did that go well… dear?" She smiled blandly.

"Of course it did. Let's go home… dear."

He held his hand to her and she took it, only gripping it slightly too hard.

They reappeared in Konoha.

The Hokage brightened up. Sasuke… was here too. He didn't brighten up.

"How did that go?" The Hokage asked eagerly.

"Great." Naruto nodded. "Yoshitaka is now your best friend."

"His name is Yoshikata. And... You didn't… threaten him, right?" The Hokage asked slowly.

Sasuke frowned. He was the one who threatened Konoha and Naruto's enemies if needed.

"Nah."

The Hokage looked at Hinata.

"…Not really." She admitted.

"Great!" The Hokage clapped his hands. "…Say, do you want to meet my son? I was thinking that you might be able to teach him a few things. He's great, a bit rebellious — not like I was at his age, of course, the village is still standing — but still. He might like you - you remind me a bit of myself when I was younger." He laughed at his own joke.

Sasuke scowled. He could teach Boruto better than this man could. Maybe he would have to actually speak with his own daughter, now.

"Dear, I think… Naruto might be busy—" She began, staring at the other Naruto.

"Nonsense." Naruto clapped his hands again, laughing. "He has clones doing his job for him."

He put his arm around Naruto's shoulders. "You have to teach me this, someday! I'd be able to spend more time at home."

"Sure." The younger man nodded. "You're just going to need a Rinnegan."

Sasuke frowned. He had a Rinnegan, too. Probably better than that man's, who didn't even have a Sharingan on top of it.

"Oh, that's it?" The Hokage blinked. "Sasuke has one, and he's not really using it, maybe we can swap?" He asked hopefully.

"You'd have to ask him." Naruto just nodded. "Or he can just lend you his power."

"…You can do that?" The Hokage frowned.

Sasuke didn't bother answering.

"Man, you're a life-saver!" The Hokage laughed.

Sasuke shrugged, pleased. "This is nothing—"

"Not you, Sasuke." Naruto waved him off.

A window shattered.

"Don't sweat it, my Hokage-in-law." Naruto nodded gracefully. "We do happen to have a stockpile of Rinnegan. Soon… You will be able to reclaim your freedom soon."

The Hokage stared at him. "…Where did you even find Rinnegan laying around?"

"It's a wild wild world out there, friend." Naruto nodded sagely. "Plenty of people with them, too."

The Hokage continued to stare…

"Don't worry, they were bad guys." Naruto said.

The Hokage grinned.

"Dinner's on me!" The Hokage offered.

The Edgiest, Foxiest Sob-Story

World #237 - The Heir's Konoha.

Sakura, Toru and Hanabi found themselves… somewhere else. Sometime else, as well.

Toru had found her easily, and she had somehow managed to rope both he and Hanabi into coming somewhere else.

So for a reason he wasn't entirely sure of, Toru let Sakura pinpoint the coordinates of their next jump.

There was no danger of getting lost for real, not with their bond reaching through there now.

"…So, what are we doing here…?" Toru asked.

"Exploring." Sakura muttered.

"I know Konoha already." He grunted back.

"Not this one." Hanabi said.

"Can you see young me?" Sakura asked Hanabi.

"…What is this about?"

"I just have to warn her."

"…What about?" Hanabi frowned.

"Staying away from Uchiha."

Toru made an offended sound.

"Not you, Toru." Sakura shook her head. "If you even exist, that is. But if I can't save all of them… one shall be enough."

Hanabi smiled. "I will help."

"...Of course you would." Toru grunted.

"Wait, guys." Hanabi frowned.

"What is it?" Sakura asked. "Can't it wait? I'm sure young me lives around here."

"No. There is… something strange."

"Like what?" Toru frowned.

"Do we have a… uh… Namikaze estate back in our Konoha?"

"Of course not." Sakura laughed.

"So… no maids, no nothing?"

"Nope." Toru confirmed. "I think we'd know about something like this, too."

"…Well." Hanabi pointed at an ostentatious manor, far into the distance.

"What the fuck is that…?"

"The Namikaze estates, apparently." Hanabi nodded.

"…Why is it so large…?" Sakura muttered. "It's almost sickening. Why would anyone want a home this big…?"

They walked closer to it.

Close enough to see the gold encrusted doors.

Toru and Sakura shared a disbelieving look.

"This really doesn't feel like anything the Fourth Hokage would live in, does it?" Toru asked.

"How should I know? As far as I can tell, the history books glorified him into this very relatable figure. Maybe he sacrificed babies in his spare time, who knows?"

"Ask Naruto about it." Hanabi said dryly.

"Good point."

The doors opened with a loud sound.

"Lord Uzumaki-Namikaze will see you right now." One maid announced.

"…Who?" Sakura frowned.

"It's this world's Naruto." Hanabi nodded. "He's up there... sitting still in the darkness."

"Oh gods, he's even worse here, isn't he…?" Toru grunted.

"Well, let's see."

"What about saving young me…?" Sakura scowled. "You promised to help me."

"I didn't specify a time limit."

Sakura laughed, punching her arm. "You're such a ninja."

There was a flurry of flames — not leaves, like most plebeians — and a young teenager appeared in front of them.

The maids bowed in deference.

The boy's eyes were alight with fire and incredible…

Passion.

'…Why is that kid so intense?' Sakura asked.

'Naruto has always been a little extra.' Toru nodded sagely.

'Not like this, though.' Hanabi sent.

"My name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto. I hate a lot of things, and I don't really like anything." Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto began, eyes hooded in darkness.

"I don't think I asked you anything, kid." Sakura snorted.

"I do not have a dream… Rather, I have an ambition. Because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan."

"Which one?" Toru asked.

"Both." He said bravely, lighting fires of imaginary heroism in the maids' hearts.

It was natural for them to admire him, as in this world, it was apparently normal for men and especially women to admire a great man; Sakura mused.

A great man, one such as this thirteen-year old boy.

"...Just say that you want to fuck your maids right away, then." Sakura said. "I think they're waiting for it."

"What…" The teenager sputtered. "No." He hissed.

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"Don't encourage him." Hanabi hissed.

"Oh. I'm sorry, then." Sakura said. "You shouldn't fuck your maids, Uzumaki-Namikaze-kun." She nodded wisely.

"I wasn't about to." Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto said, eyes flashing flint and fire and ambition. Sakura didn't know how he could do that, really. "There is only one acceptable woman for me."

"…I really don't like the way you're looking at me, kid." Sakura frowned.

"Not you—" Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto hissed.

"Is my wife not good enough for you?" Hanabi stared at him menacingly.

"You've got such terrible manners, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto." Toru tutted.

The atmosphere in the room changed suddenly.

"There's a simple enough reason for that…" Young Naruto looked away dramatically. "I never had anyone before her."

As young Naruto spoke, a mysterious sad koto song was almost heard in the background. The sky seemed to turn darker, somehow.

He lifted steel cold, big blue eyes toward them. He spoke with a maturity that really didn't fit.

"Ever since I was a child." Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto roared, calmly. "The villagers have hated me. They beat me in the demon hunts. My entire life was nothing but pain. The civilian council was the worst. There were entire mobs hunting me down. I had to hide my true ability so that I could remain the dead last—"

"…why." Sakura frowned.

"They stomped me, set me on fire on a weekly basis, to punish the demon fox while it was weak." He spat, remotely. Because he didn't care about the past nor the present. Here was a man who lived only for his future.

"That sounds like stupidity with extra steps. Why would anyone provoke the most dangerous kid in town…?" Sakura frowned.

"You don't understand." The most dangerous kid in town became agitated." I couldn't let anyone not notice how super powerful I had become. I had to make myself suck so hard I stayed dead last."

"But why?"

"...Because the love of my life said so." He said at last.

"Okay… Who is the mysterious teenager…?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "Hinata…? Ino?" She saw Hanabi's expectant face. "…Hanabi?"

"Hinata's sister is seven!" Naruto growled.

"Oh."

"The love of my life is called Kurama." Naruto said wistfully. "The finest of wines, able to lull in the heart into the sweetest intoxication..."

"…Uh. Kurama, you said?" Toru asked hesitantly.

"Like the Nine-Tails?" Sakura frowned.

"Don't call her that." Naruto spat. "You wouldn't get it."

"Isn't it… she a fox?"

"No." Naruto retorted hotly. "She is a human, and people have been misguided about her for thousands of years."

"…Are you sure you're not being manipulated…?" Toru squinted. "Why would a thousand year old… chakra creature be interested in... uh love, exactly? With… no offense… a thirteen-year old boy? No offense meant to you, Yoisen... if you're listening in."

Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto scoffed.

"Such simple minds."

"…I beg your pardon?" Toru tilted his head.

"We are the same, her and I." Naruto just said.

"…She's a little imbecile too, you mean?" Toru asked politely. "You're about to find yourself eaten soon, I think."

"I won't." Naruto said. "I am the master of my desires—"

"The fuck are you even saying. You're thirteen."

"She and I have empires to build." Naruto said evenly. "You have wasted enough of my time."

The three of them stared at him.

"…What are you even doing that's so important?" Hanabi asked.

There was a pause.

"I'm making myself, Hanabi." He said firmly.

"Ah." She nodded, as though she could find a modicum of sense in his words.

"Did the fox tell you to do this, too?" Sakura asked, somewhat concerned. Which was always a bad sign.

"I don't think we should let you listen to it... her any longer." Toru frowned.

"The question is not who's going to let me… Uchiha Toru." Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto said.

"How do you even know my name…?"

"The question is… Who's going to stop me?" Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto smirked.

There was a shimmer of wind, and his leather trench coat billowed, as the air rippled with power. Young Naruto showed them his sweet combat boots.

There were two red and black katana strapped to his waist — Akuma and Chikara, the kanji read.

Toru chuckled.

"Very dramatic, yes. Are you on the hunt for creatures of the night, or something similar…?" He asked.

"Aren't we all?" Young Naruto smirked again… devilishly.

"…Not really."

There were footsteps. Footsteps that sounded... distinctly arrogant, in a sort of Uchiha-ish way. It was very different from Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto's footsteps, which simply sounded confident... in the way only the just and the rightful could manage.

Uchiha Sasuke appeared suddenly. His dark eyes held the typical sort of Uchiha deviousness.

"You thought you could hide from my eyes…?" He asked.

Hanabi closed her eyes in consternation.

Sasuke held his hand out expectantly.

"Dobe, as the last of the Uchiha, I demand you give me your jutsu!"

Sakura groaned.

Naruto's face became cold like the glaciers on the remote sea. He laughed, cool and remote, like a mountain's laugh.

"No."

Naruto unsheathed his swords, each of them folded a thousand times.

"Impossible!" Sasuke cried. He threw all sorts of fire jutsu at Naruto, but it didn't work.

Naruto teleported behind him.

He sheathed his swords and Sasuke fell, defeated.

The battle had one more observer.

"N-N-Naruto-kun." .

Naruto's impeccable senses noticed her, of course.

"Hinata." He nodded.

"W-What… D-D-Do you think of me, Naruto?" Hinata blushed bright red, before fainting before hearing his answer.

"I do not think of you." He said firmly. "I only think of what must be done."

"…I think I lost any desire to stay here any longer." Sakura declared.

Naruto looked at the night sky and thought about what must be done.

"I was weak, once." Naruto said, as he lit a cigarette — he was the master of the elements. "No longer."

"…I'm out of here." Hanabi shook her head.

"Wait." Toru called. "This is kinda… fun."

"Please bring us to the others." Sakura shook her head. "Young me shall find the way by herself."

World #07 - Hokage Naruto's Konoha.

"Cherry red lariat, excess is just my character. All black swords, ninja's shoes lavender. I never needed respect from you foreigners—"

"Whoa there!" A Konoha man threw something at B. "You're pushing it!"

B scoffed and let the fruit hit his face. He wrote something down.

"…Outsiders…? Insiders…?" He mused.

"You're probably going to run into the same problem if you pick outsiders." Karin nodded helpfully.

"You might be right about that… Karin. Only problem is… I'm past caring." B chuckled.

Yugito shook her head. Why had she thought that B might perhaps become more manageable over time…? That was the guy who usually told the Raikage to fuck off, if he didn't feel like doing something. Her old mentor.

Karin turned to the south for a second.

Five minutes later, Sakura, Toru and Hanabi joined them at the bar.

"I think we just met the worst Naruto." Sakura simply said.

"…I thought that was ours." Yugito frowned, sipping on an aloe drink. Non-alcoholic, of course.

"So did I." Toru nodded.

Their Naruto and the Hokage chose this moment to enter the bar.

The Hokage was in the middle of a very dramatic story, and Naruto was listening politely. Hinata just smiled painfully through it, and corrected the incoherencies that popped up here and there. Behind them, Sasuke looked sullen.

"…Why does other you have a Rinnegan in his left eye, now…?" Karin squinted her eyes, staring at the Hokage... who grinned proudly.

Toru groaned and just began ordering drinks. Not for Yugito, of course, in spite of the fact that she looked like she could use one.

Then Kakashi came in.