A/N: Special thanks to Midnight Lost for his contributions. Reviews, Feedback, and constructive criticism are always welcome.
Chapter Fourteen: Estimated Public Release date, July 5th.
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In loving memory of Stan Lee. Thank you for the creation of many favorite heroes and stories. Excelsior!
Chapter Thirteen: Taking action!
Naruto groaned as he sat up and found himself in the bedroom of his and Gwen's apartment, he looked to the side and saw his girlfriend was sitting next to him, reading a book about a certain 'Boy who Lived'.
He rubbed his temples and muttered "Morning Gwen. I had a really crazy dream. First we got into some naughty stuff, don't ask me what it was, then we went to the bank and met this super jolly Banker, we finally found my inheritance and it turns out that I am a freaking billionaire!"
His girlfriend nodded along as she listened to him, a big grin spreading across her face as she replied "Heh. No kidding. That threesome with Tsunade was pretty hot."
The whiskered teen tensed up, blinking his eyes as he slowly turned towards the punkish blonde. "It wasn't a dream… was it?" He asked, earning a nod from the summer who had an almost shark-like grin now.
"Congrats Naruto. You're rich." She stated while holding up a copy of his inheritance between her fingers. He took the paper and glanced it over, almost as if to confirm that his eyes hadn't played any tricks on him, yet it was true. He was now a certified billionaire.
He could scarcely believe that so much money had been left to him. He never could or would have even dreamed that such a sum would be left behind for him. To think, there was a time that he had to live off of a paltry stipend, but now? He wouldn't want for anything ever again. Kami, what would he even do with that kind of money? He had no idea.
One possibility was that he could buy a very large home for himself and his future family to live in. After all, he would need a huge place if he was to restore his clan. Another thing that he should do was try and give back or show his appreciation to those that had helped him over the years, more specifically the Ichiraku's since he owed them a lot for their kindness.
"You okay there?" She asked him while looping an arm around his shoulders.
"I'm fine. Just… processing I guess. None of this feels real yet." The whiskered teen responded, which earned a nod from the blonde Spider-Woman.
"It's real alright. I promise you. Heh. We should find a way to celebrate. It isn't everyday one becomes a billionaire. You should cut loose and enjoy this. God knows that you've finally earned it." She advised him with, which made the Jinchuuriki chuckle a bit since that sounded like a swell idea.
He would have to do something special for Gwen with his newfound wealth, but what? He wasn't sure, but it'd have to be something that would really wow her.
"You're kinda taking this whole thing in stride." He pointed out, which made the blonde drummer shake her head, a crooked little smile on her face.
"I'm still kinda processing too. Not sure which is crazier, the threesome or the fact that you're now a billionaire." She stated, which made the whiskered teen realize she had yet to turn the page of her book which suggested that she wasn't really reading it but was more focused on thinking to herself.
"I… I owe your mom an apology for snapping the way I did. That wasn't cool of me." The Spider-Drummer said as she put her book to the side and hugged her knees to her chest.
"I'm sure she'd accept your apology. You want to talk about it? You were kind of upset." He offered, ready to lend an ear to her.
She licked her lips for a brief moment before replying "Sure. I guess when she brought it up, it caught me off-guard and I was in shock, you know? I don't think I told you this, but polygamy is not very common in my world and it's often frowned upon. Me, for my part, I think I was mostly afraid of being replaced or forgotten; that I would just fade into the background or something if you found someone you liked more than me."
At her explanation, the Jinchuuriki gave an understanding nod as he spoke to her "I can see where you're coming from. Don't worry though, as per the rules we agreed upon, I won't be picking favorites or showing any unfair special treatment. Even if we didn't set those rules, I wouldn't do it anyway. You're special to me Gwen, and I love you. You mean the world to me."
She smiled at that, her cheeks flushing a little as she scooched closer to him and placed her head in the crook of his shoulder. "Out of curiosity, is polygamy common in your world?" She asked him since his mother had been a little quick on the draw to suggest it.
"Not exactly uncommon, but not commonly practiced either. It's kind of an unwritten and unspoken law amongst Shinobi Clan's that if their numbers get too low, that they should take on multiple wives to help quickly replenish the population of their clan. Though to my knowledge, this hasn't been put into practice since the Bloody Clan Wars back before the Shinobi Nations were formed.
My former 'teammate' Sasuke, for example, could have taken multiple partners. Especially given the fact he had a while freaking fan-club throwing themselves at his feet. He never showed them any interest whatsoever though. Not sure if that is because he had a single-minded focus on his revenge or if he was swinging for the other team, or both, but I digress.
I guess that my mom feels a certain obligation to her fallen Clan members to help restore the Uzumaki Clan, and I might be the last chance to do just that. She probably could have been more delicate about it, but... I can, in a way, understand her apprehension. The trouble with being the last of anything, is by and by, there won't be anything left at all." The whiskered Uzumaki explained , making his girlfriend give a nod of acknowledgment.
"At any rate. Don't think too much on it. There's no need to jump into things. How about we go train or something? I think we should do some training sessions together and see how good our teamwork is!" He suggested with a wink, hoping to take his girlfriend's mind off of things.
She thought about the offer for a few moments and then answered him "Before we do that... do you mind if we take a detour someplace?"
"Sure. Where to?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, though for some reason... he had a fairly good guess where she may be wanting to go. Instead of answering him, she simply pointed to her Gizmo and gave him a small wink as if to say 'Trust me'.
Meanwhile. With Tsunade.
The Godaime Hokage grinned to herself as she looked over her reflection in a mirror, admiring her handiwork as she found herself liking the paint job on her old armor. The new color scheme would be able to help her easily blend into the forests surrounding Konoha, while also being capable of blending into the shadows.
She donned a full face mask to hide her appearance, followed by a pair of colored contacts to disguise the color of her eyes, which were now a dark green color. Now nobody would ever suspect that the Godaime Hokage was secretly a vigilante in disguise, which would also help protect those she cared about, just to be on the safe side.
She traced the new Spider symbol she had painted onto the chest guard with a huge shit-eating grin. She wasn't sure why, but wearing this new costume gave her a sort of rush. It had been some time since she had done any field work, but she was very much looking forward to it, especially since she would be doing something far more productive than sitting behind a desk all day doing paperwork.
After all, she didn't become Hokage just to become a damned glorified paper pusher. Now then, she needed some sort of 'Hero Name'. Spider-Woman was a bit too plain and on-the-nose in her opinion. Ah well, she supposed that she could figure that part out later.
She performed a few stretches and huffed a bit, feeling a little constricted on account of the chest bindings that were meant to hide her distinctly large breasts. Even if she hid her face behind the mask, people could still possibly identify her due to her… top-heavy physique. Damned gigantic tits.
"Time to go to work." Tsunade whispered to herself as she climbed out her office window and shut it behind her. She smirked beneath her mask and leapt off the side of the Hokage Tower, the wind rushing past her until she landed on a rooftop and began running and jumping her way towards the Haruno residence.
While she could have easily used the 'Body Flicker' technique to quickly transport herself towards her destination, she wanted to enjoy a light jog for once. She easily leapt over a water tower and then softly landed on yet another rooftop that was just across the street from the home of the Haruno's.
From here, she could easily see what the family was doing through the windows. Sakura was in her bedroom, sitting in front of some sort of shrine… featuring Sasuke? Okay. Yeah. That was definitely unhealthy to say the least. If she were to task Inoichi Yamanaka with perhaps altering certain aspects of the pinkette's personality, would that be criminal or charitable?
The Sannin shrugged and decided to put a pin on that for now as she observed one Mebuki Haruno who was sitting in the living area, watching TV. Some kind of soap opera from the looks of it. Kizashi however, wasn't in sight, suggesting that he was either in a blind spot or perhaps wasn't home.
The Godaime was going to take a closer look to be certain of the former Shinobi's presence or lack thereof, but as luck would have it, she observed him leaving his home. How fortunate! She had caught him just in time! Now then… where was he going?
It seemed kind of late to be running an errand, and the bank should now be closed at this hour, so what was he up to? Going to meet someone, maybe? She narrowed her eyes a bit and decided to follow after him, either he would lead her to something interesting, or she could isolate him someplace and interrogate him. Either way, she was going to get something out of him, that was for certain. She wasn't about to leave empty-handed!
She kept to the rooftops, following her target from a safe distance. Every so often he would take a glance over his shoulder, as if to check and make sure he wasn't being followed. Either someone was paranoid, or more likely was doing something that he shouldn't be doing in the first place. How curious.
First he took a left, then a right, left again, then another left, and another right. There didn't seem to be any sort of logic to his movements, which gave the impression that he was lost or going in circles… to the untrained eye. In truth, it was easy to see that he was going in random directions to make sure that he wasn't being followed. Which would be smart if he had the brains to check the rooftops for potential followers. The idiot.
Clearly, leaving the Shinobi corps had dulled his senses and he had allowed himself to go soft. Big mistake. Finally, Kizashi's movements became more purposeful as he walked with a more confident stride, evidently he now felt certain that he no longer had any potential pursuers and was thus making his way towards his real destination. At last! Some potential information was now within the Slug user's grasp!
He approached an old warehouse, the kind of place where people that were usually up to no good would gather for a private meeting. She imagined that such gatherings were held in such places due to it possibly being a neutral location that provided both privacy and security, not to mention there were multiple exit points in the event that they needed to make a quick getaway.
Kizashi knocked on a door in a specific rhythm, and it quickly opened, allowing the pink haired man to slip inside. Seems like there was a guard at the door(s) which meant she would need another entry, fortunately these types of buildings usually had plenty of windows or skylights that a ninja could easily take advantage of. The Sannin smirked as she used her newfound Wall-Crawling abilities to scale the side of the building quickly and quietly.
While she could use Chakra to climb up, using her new Spider-Adhesiveness would allow her to more easily suppress her Chakra in case there were any Sensory type Ninjas keeping a lookout. She reached the roof, and sure enough, there were several open skylights. No doubt they were kept open to allow some form of ventilation.
Sloppy work. If they were smart, they would keep only a single one open and post a guard to keep an eye on it. Then again, she wouldn't be surprised if these people had possibly gotten lazy, careless, or senile, especially given the fact that they had been out of active duty for so many years. She supposed it didn't matter since it made her job a little bit easier.
The Godaime climbed through one of the open skylights and clung to one of the support beams, making sure that she was at a healthy enough distance that would allow her to both listen in on whatever was said but at the same time, would allow her a quick escape in case things went south. She glanced around, and as expected, took notice of several Shinobi and Kunoichi that were standing guard at all the doors. At first glance, they appeared to be Anbu… except they all wore blank masks with the Kanji for 'Root' that were marked on the forehead region.
So then… the supposedly disbanded Root Anbu were still active then? It seemed that the rumors were true, though this unfortunately didn't prove that Danzo was behind this despite her suspicions that he was. Most unfortunately she would need solid evidence if she was to have him formally arrested and put on trial, and failing that, if it came down to it… she could make him vanish. Honestly speaking, she would prefer to have him get his day in court, if only so that he and his cohorts would be publicly exposed as they were dragged through the streets for all the village to see before being literally given the axe.
She narrowed her eyes a bit as she witnessed her quarry take a seat in a folding chair, and sitting across from him was the form of one of the Elders, more specifically Homura Mitokado. "Okay, I'm here as you requested, Old man. What's this all about? The Kyuubi brat? I don't have the slightest idea why you're so interested in a loose cannon like him." Kizashi spoke with a sneer.
"It is precisely because of the fact he is, as you so aptly put, a 'loose cannon' that he must be monitored. Given recent events, we can safely conclude that Jiraiya is not in charge of the Jinchuuriki's training any longer. There is also the girl that your daughter described to you, which you in turn relayed to us.
We have searched but have found no signs of anyone matching her description. It is most likely that she is a foreigner. As of yet, we do not know who this girl is, nor do we know who is in charge of the Jinchuuriki's training. These unknown elements give us great cause for concern." The Elder stated with a deep grimace as he adjusted his glasses.
"So what?" The pink haired man questioned with a shake of his head, not understanding the point that the Sandaime's former teammate was trying to make. This made Homura sigh deeply, feeling like he was trying to explain a simple subject or concept to a really bad student as he shook his head.
"Just imagine it, Tsunade gives him far too much leniency as it is. If that foreigner gets her hooks into the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, she could turn him against the village. Furthermore, we do not know who is training him, what he is being trained on, or how strong he is becoming. Under Jiraiya, we had certain projections and calculations because the Toad Sannin is both a known and easily controlled quantity." The Elder explained in a blunt manner.
"So you want to weaken the Jinchuuriki? How does that even make sense? Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Isn't the point of a Weapon of Mass Destruction like a Jinchuuriki for it to be powerful? To decimate our foes? Or at least subdue another Jinchuuriki, as was the case during the Oto/Suna Invasion?" The Haruno asked as he reclined in his seat.
"True, a weapon should be strong, but if he were to become too powerful to control, how could he be stopped if he decides to turn against the village?" The spectacled Elder asked with a raised eyebrow.
Up above, the hidden Sannin scowled as she listened in and thought to herself 'Decides to turn against the village, or against you and those trying to control him? Damned Elders. They're nothing but control freaks! This kind of reminds me of something that my Granduncle once told me. How did it go again? 'The Elder Generation is meant to support and pave the way for the Next to help build a brighter tomorrow, but beware when the previous generation begins to drag down the next and impedes progress'. Or something like that. I might be paraphrasing.'
She shook her head to break herself out of her musing and continued to listen to the meeting. Kizashi gave a haughty and arrogant scoff as he spoke "That's your problem. It has nothing to do with me. After all, what should I be worried about? I've never done anything personally to him, as a matter of fact, I'm not even a thought in his mind, which is how I like it.
Also, need I remind you that I only agreed to bankroll your operations because I thought it would be profitable? So far, my investments haven't yet made any significant returns. Furthermore, I think I should bring up the fact that you people had one job, and one job only: Keep an eye on Sasuke Uchiha. A task that you miserably failed at! How hard is it to keep an eye on one boy that openly flaunts his Uchiha status?!"
Homura glowered at that as he replied "We were confident that Kakashi Hatake's supervision would be sufficient. We had to deploy all of our agents to observe the other Nations in case they decided to take advantage of Konoha's weakened state after the Oto/Suna invasion. What we didn't count on was the fact that Sasuke would encounter his elder brother so soon, and then almost immediately abandon the village afterwards."
"Excuses! Nothing but excuses! Do you have any idea how much money I invested in that little brat? Meals, groceries, Shinobi Gear, I footed all of his bills! Then he runs off and goes to Orochimaru! Now the fate of the Uchiha holdings is up in the air." The pink haired man grumbled with a scowl.
"Technically speaking, Sasuke has yet to be officially declared as a Missing Nin. There is still a chance at salvaging that situation. In the event that Sasuke is to be terminated, then there are other ways for us to reap the rewards of the Uchiha Holdings, for which you will be well-compensated… provided you keep your mouth shut and continue to provide your services." The Elder pointed out, which seemed to appease the Haruno as the man now sported a little smirk.
The Godaime Hokage raised an eyebrow at this. That's what this was all about? Money? That was it? That was all Kizashi was concerned about? His own personal greed? What a weak and pathetic little man. Still… the Uchiha Holdings? That was a very significant fortune. Probably worth hundreds of Millions.
Obviously, with the Uchiha's being a co-founding Clan and with the money they made back during the Clan Wars, they were exceptionally wealthy. There was also the fact that they had their very own district that remained empty to this day, just waiting to be repopulated. Though said repopulation of the Uchiha's seemed less and less likely given Sasuke's self-destructive behavior. Even so, suffice it to say, she could kind of see why Kizashi would be so interested in the Uchiha's fortune.
Speaking of which, this made her wonder if he had pushed his daughter Sakura into pursuing Sasuke so that she would marry him, and allow him to legally gain access to said fortune? Not to mention there was also the possible political implications and endorsements to be had for having a hand in helping restore the Uchiha's and their bloodline.
"Fine, fine. If you're so concerned about the Kyuubi brat, why not just put some sort of Seal on him to control him?" Kizashi questioned while crossing his arms.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a proper seal master? Also, Seals are experimental at best and unreliable at worst. What if something were to go wrong and he were made into a vegetable? He'd be useless to us! No. We have to be subtle about it. Nevertheless, if absolutely necessary Danzo claims that he has a means to control the boy himself." Homura stated, which caused the hidden Sannin to scowl.
So Danzo claimed to have something that would allow him to manipulate Naruto? What was it? She highly doubted that it could be blackmail. Perhaps some sort of Genjutsu technique? Something else? She had to know.
"Is that so? If he can really do that, why hasn't he done it already? How do we know that old Warhawk is good for his word? He has promised me a lot of things but hasn't yet fulfilled any of them." The Haruno questioned with a raised eyebrow, but received no reply from the spectacled Elder which made the pink haired man sigh as he then continued "Fine. Whatever. Don't answer. Though I think you should be more careful how you treat your banker. I'm taking a tremendous amount of risk being involved with you people, and I am becoming increasingly convinced that this isn't good business."
With that said, Kizashi got up from his seat and proceeded to leave the meeting with his hands stuffed in his pockets, though before he left he got in a final word as he called out "I did my part and kept you in the loop! The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is your problem! Next time, don't bother calling on me unless it involves cash!"
Tsunade hummed in thought as she observed the pink haired man make his exit. She now had to make a choice. Does she interrogate Homura who seemed to be more deeply involved in these affairs, or should she go after Kizashi, their banker? It was a tough call to make, but she ultimately reasoned that by taking out 'the money' then it would greatly weaken whatever it was that the Elders were doing.
She stealthily climbed back up towards the open skylight she had entered through to follow after the Haruno. From what she could tell, it didn't seem like he had any real protection, which meant he would be isolated and alone. Good. That meant she could snatch him up and question him privately without any interference. Who knows? He might actually have some information that she could use further down the line, regardless, cutting off the Elders from their banker would definitely hurt them in the long run.
The Godaime grinned as she ran along the rooftops, sticking very closely to the pink haired man before she went out ahead of him and softly landed in a darkened alleyway. It was now or never. She took a readied stance as she prepared to put Kizashi into a sleeper hold the second he stepped into view.
His footsteps were heavy, and she could hear him grumbling as he approached her hiding place. She smirked as he stepped out in front of the alleyway, prompting the Hokage to put him in a chokehold and pull him into the darkness. He struggled briefly as she squeezed and cut off the blood flow to his brain until he fell unconscious and went limp in her arms. Now then… she would need a place to hide and interrogate him without any fear of being discovered or walked in on.
Fortunately, a solution quickly came to her mind as she carried the pink haired man over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and then disappeared from view in a swirl of leaves.
A little later.
"Wakey, Wakey." Tsunade called out as she threw a bucket of ice cold water directly into Kizashi's face, making the man sputter and cough as he quickly snapped awake and found himself hanging upside-down with Ninja-Wire binding his legs, wrists and fingers tightly. He was naked, save for the rather uncomplimentary tighty-whities that he was wearing which was now the only thing keeping his modesty intact.
"Poor choice of underwear." She stated with a saucy grin as she stood in front of her captive with her arms clasped behind her back. A look of confusion appearing on the man's face as he looked around and asked her "Who are you? Where are we? What's going on?"
The new Spider-Themed vigilante cracked her knuckles as she responded "Who I am is irrelevant. Where are we? The Uchiha district, more specifically, the former home of Fugaku and his family. Feel free to scream as loud as you want. No one will hear you all the way out here, especially since the district is still empty to this day. As for what's going on… I have questions for you." She added the last part in a menacing tone as she picked up a lead pipe and gently poked the Haruno in the stomach with it.
"Did you know that it's physically possible to bleed to death without actually spilling a drop? It happens all on the inside." She stated, smirking a little as she made a show of taking a few practice swings at her captive's stomach region, making him begin to sweat bullets at the obvious implications.
"What did the Elders promise you? What are they up to? Why do they want to control the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki so badly?" She questioned him, while she didn't like to refer to Naruto as 'The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki', she couldn't risk referring to him in a manner as if she personally knew him.
"If I talk, Danzo will kill me!" The pink haired man responded while shaking his head, refusing to answer her questions. Scowling, the disguised Sannin struck the Haruno in his mid-section with the pipe, making him yell out in pain as he felt his ribs crack from the blow, making him wheeze and sputter.
"What makes you think that I won't? Scratch that, how do you know I won't do even worse?" She asked him while gently tapping her weapon in an open palm as if to emphasize her point. It didn't take long for whatever resolve that the Haruno had to quickly crumble as he almost immediately folded under the pressure. Pretty typical of a coward.
"Okay! Okay! The Elders approached me some years back! Said they needed me to help finance their operations! They told me that it was all for the good of the village and that I'd be richly rewarded! It seemed like a win-win! I don't know what their obsession is with that kid, but they seem to think that he's some kind of game-changing Wildcard or something! They've been getting more and more nervous and paranoid since the Oto/Suna invasion and when Itachi appeared to try and snatch up the Kyuubi brat." Kizashi spoke as he quickly spilled the beans.
"What exactly are they using their funds for?" She demanded while tilting her head slightly, whatever it was they were doing, it was easy to see that they very much wanted to keep it off the books, which suggested that they weren't doing anything legal.
"I don't know! They don't tell me and I don't ask questions!" He responded nervously, which she found very convenient. No doubt he didn't directly involve himself so that he may have plausible deniability.
"So you mean to tell me that you don't keep track of what they're doing with your money?" Tsunade asked in an obviously disbelieving tone, her words making the pink haired man stiffen up.
He swallowed dryly before answering "Well… I… I did a little research. I don't know what they're using it all for, but I do know with certainty that they have been sending sums of cash to various orphanages." At that, the Hokage raised an eyebrow. Orphanages? Why would the Elders be sending money to places like that? They didn't seem to be the altruistic type.
"Why? Why would they send money to those places?" She demanded angrily, her grip tightening around the pipe in her hands.
"I dunno! Maybe they just like little kids!" Kizashi blurted out… which turned out to be the wrong thing to say as the disguised Sannin sputtered for a few seconds with a deep snarl escaping her lips.
"You mean for sex?!" She demanded, which made the Haruno cry out in fear as he yelped out "I don't know! Maybe? I don't ask! What they do is their business!"
"So you mean to say that so long as you get your money, you don't care that they might be touching children?! I should kill you!" She yelled out as she delivered a blow to the Haruno's mid-section and began to wildly swing away as if she was trying to bust open a Pinata.
She then reared back, preparing to completely obliterate the pink haired man from existence with a full-powered swing but stopped as she saw him looking up at her, tears in his eyes as he pleaded for his life "Please! Please don't kill me! I'll tell you whatever you want!" This caused her to pause as she thought back to a memory that she had almost forgotten about, one that led back to the Shinobi War.
Flashback.
"Don't kill me! Please! I have information! I'll tell you anything!" A Kumo Shinobi pleaded, his hands raised up in surrender with one of his eyes swollen shut and blood flowing from his mouth as the Slug Sannin held him by the throat with her fist clenched, her knuckles soaked in blood as she punched him, making him spit up more blood.
"Shut the fuck up! Why the hell should I listen to some rapist bastard that likes to force himself on captured Kunoichi?!" She demanded, gesturing towards a number of prisoners that she and her unit had just released from a POW camp with many of them clearly being traumatized after being taken advantage of.
Out of all the Shinobi villages, she perhaps hated Kumo the most when the Sandaime Raikage implemented a new policy that involved the collection of any Shinobi and/or Kunoichi that possessed Bloodlines so that they may be used a breeding stock.
A policy that quickly branded Kumo as 'The Village of Rapists'. She was about to kill the Kumo Nin for his crimes, but was stopped when a voice called out from behind her "Tsunade! Stop!" This made her look over her shoulder and see the form of her lover Dan looking at her with a disapproving expression which made her scoff and ask "You want to protect this asshole? After what he has done?"
He shook his head as he replied "I don't like it any more than you do, and he should indeed pay for his sins but this isn't the way. Nobody should be judge, jury, and executioner. Think about it Tsunade. What if he has information that could help save lives? If you kill him, you could be throwing away a chance to help others who are also trapped in camps just like this one!
I know how you feel right now... but we can't let anger control our actions! You can't give into your darker impulses! If we stoop to their level, then not only are we no better than scum like him, then it makes what we're fighting for utterly pointless! You can't go down that path. Don't do something you'll end up regretting later on! Please. You're a healer. You save lives, not destroy them! You have the power to protect, don't use it to hurt. With responsibility, there must also come accountability. Please, do the right thing and be better than them Tsunade!" Dan called out at the end, his words echoing in her mind as she finally relented and released the Kumo nin so that he may be interrogated and put on trial by the proper authorities.
Flashback End.
She growled as she tightened her grip around the pipe in her hands before she tossed it aside. The Kumo Nin that her lover had saved was an absolute piece of human trash... but Dan was right. She couldn't and wouldn't become like them. She was a doctor, a healer, someone that protected the sick and injured. "An eye for an eye and the world goes blind." She whispered to herself, remembering Dan's words. He was right, with responsibility there must indeed come accountability.
As such, the disguised Sannin couldn't allow her anger to get the better of her. No, she would take him alive and allow him to stand trial. The people needed to see this man and his conspirators for what they were and that they were helpless, feeble, and unable to escape from justice.
As Hokage, she had to uphold certain standards and ideals, she couldn't give in and pursue petty vengeance just to make herself feel better. She had to lead by example and show others that there was a better way, that they had moved on from the bloody history of the Clan Wars. That they could rise above their baser instincts and become something greater than themselves.
"You're lucky. I'm not going to kill you... not today at least." She spoke, which made the Haruno breathe a sigh of relief as the disguised Godaime approached him and grabbed him by the hair as she whispered to him "I'm going to put in an anonymous call to the Anbu. You're going to tell them and the Hokage everything that you told me. You will testify before the courts what you and the Elders are up to. Try and run, and I will hunt you down personally. Do not expect a third chance at life."
"Oh... and tell the Elders that I'm coming for them next." She spoke with a small smirk, her words making the Haruno ask "Who do I say is coming after them?"
She thought for a moment, wishing that she had picked out a name. 'Spider-Hime' didn't sound right, that would be more suited for a younger girl. She then recalled how Dan would sometimes affectionately refer to her as 'Queen' when he talked about becoming Hokage and taking her as his wife back in the day, a stupid nickname that she had sometimes scolded him for in a playful manner.
Grinning to herself she replied in a confident tone "Call me Spider-Queen." With that said, she departed, leaving a confused and bleeding Kizashi to continue to helplessly hang around until the Anbu came to scoop him up and question him.
While he didn't wish to incur the wrath of Danzo... he also knew that this Spider-Queen would be equally if not even more relentless than the old Warhawk. At least with this 'Spider-Queen' he may have a chance for mercy if he obeyed her wishes. Suffice it to say... he was now deeply regretting his involvement with the Elders.
Meanwhile. With Gwen.
"Okay now Gwen Stacy. You can do this. God… why does throwing fists with a potentially murderous Primordial Wasp Goddess sound more appealing than this?" The Spider-Drummer whispered to herself as she glanced off to the side, noticing her boyfriend who was standing nearby, leaning casually against a wall as he gave her a look of encouragement.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door in front of her, she swallowed hard, her palms feeling sweaty as she felt her confidence quickly draining away. A part of her wanted to run and hide, but this was something that she knew that she had to do or she may regret it forever. The door swung open as the occupant looked down at her with a surprised expression. She smiled at him and spoke in a gentle voice "Hey Dad."
Her father, George Stacy could only stand there, his mouth agape as he stared down at the form of his daughter. There was a long and tense silence between them, with Gwen becoming increasingly anxious as she wondered how her father was going to react to her sudden and unexpected return. Only two outcomes seemed possible to her at this moment… acceptance or rejection. Either way… she just wanted to close this chapter and be done with it so that she may move on without any regrets or 'what ifs'.
"Gwen… you're… you're here." Her father spoke, just barely above a whisper, almost as if he was asking himself whether or not this was a dream. She observed her dad, he seemed tired, much more so than usual whenever he got home from his job. There were also dark circles under his eyes that suggested a lack of sleep.
Before she could react, her dad embraced her in a hug, his body and breath becoming shaky as he began to cry and sniffle. She was stunned for a brief moment, but then returned the embrace with a warm smile… her father clearly missed her.
"I'm… so sorry Gwen. After what I did… I thought I would never see you again. God… I spent so long trying to chase after what I believed to be a murderer… and all along it was my daughter and I… I could have killed you… I could have…" He spoke in an almost broken voice, prompting the young Spider-Woman to gently make shushing noises to calm her dad down.
"Dad… I missed you so much… but… I was scared to come back. I had no idea if you would try to arrest me again or if we could reconnect or… well… I was in a bad place." She tried to explain but before she could further elaborate, her father simply gave an understanding nod.
"Hey, it's okay. You don't need to say anything else. It was all my fault. I'm the one that chased you away. I can't blame you for thinking that way after what I did. I'm… I'm just glad that you finally came back." George spoke as he wiped his tears away, though they were quickly replaced by a fresh cascade of even more joyful tears as he then gestured for her to enter inside.
"Come on… we have a lot to talk about and catch up on. Just know… that I am sorry for what I did… I don't know how to make it better… but I hope you can forgive me. Just know… that I'll have your back from here on and that your home is and always will be open to you, as it should be. You don't have to run and hide anymore." He spoke to her, wanting nothing more than to have his daughter back in his life again and support her to the best of his ability. He owed her that much and a hell of a lot more.
She sniffled and teared up a little, a little smile on her face as she then said "Thank you… that means everything to me. I'm sorry for hiding my true nature from you… but that's over now. There's no reason to hide anything anymore. Also… I had a little help working up the courage to come home. I want you to meet someone." She then gestured to a certain figure that was currently out of the Police Captain's line of sight.
He heard soft footsteps approach and his eyes widened at the sight of a young teenager he didn't recognize stepping into view. Gwen then cleared her throat and spoke "Dad… this is Naruto Uzumaki. He's my boyfriend." This news made the Police Captain jaw-drop, it was one thing that his daughter had returned home at long last… but with a boyfriend in tow? That was… not at all what he would have ever expected.
George pursed his lips for a moment as he asked the whiskered teen "You… encouraged her to come back?" In response, the Uzumaki nodded and extended his hand towards his girlfriend's dad. He was hesitant at first but then smiled as he shook Naruto's hand as he spoke to the boy "Thank you… so much for helping bring her home."
"Of course. Gwen has helped me out a lot and this definitely meant a lot to her. I could tell it was eating away at her." The Jinchuuriki replied, his tone sincere and humble. George then nodded as he invited the two teens inside, wanting a chance to reconnect with his daughter… and perhaps learn a little more about this new 'boyfriend'.
As they stepped inside, the Captain asked "I'm curious… how did you two meet? Are you… like my daughter? What I mean is, do you have powers too?"
The two teens exchanged looks, both of them reaching a silent understanding and agreement not to tell her father that they had been intimate or that they were going to engage in polygamy. Best not to dump too much at once on him after all. "I was bitten by a spider and gained my powers, but immediately after I was found by a group called the Spider-Society, the organization that we are both part of to protect the universe. Me and Gwen met on my very first day and we… just clicked."
"Just clicked?" George parroted with a raised eyebrow, earning a nod from the Uzumaki who was about to speak… until his hand began to tremble without warning. "Crap." The whiskered teen muttered, which prompted the Spider-Drummer to take his trembling hand into hers and began soothingly and tenderly stroking the back of it while making some gentle shushing sounds as she whispered to him that it was going to be alright.
The Police Captain stared at the scene with wide eyes. He had seen the signs in his fellow cops plenty of times and immediately recognized what was happening. PTSD was no joke. He wasn't sure what had happened, and he wasn't going to ask about it at this time, but he knew that, without question, something very bad must have happened to the poor boy that caused this.
Once the trembling subsided, the whiskered teen thanked the blonde drummer and sighed as he rubbed his own hand and spoke "Sorry about that. It kind of randomly kicks in every so often. I've been trying to... work it out. You know? Gwen has been a huge support for me. Before you ask me if I love her, the answer is 'Yes'. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, yes.
As for 'when I knew'... I'll tell you straight up that the very moment I knew that she was the One... was when she put my head in her lap and started to sing to me to comfort me. Before that moment... no one had ever held me like that. Ever. I just felt... so happy to be simply held by someone that cared for me... and I just knew. I love her. I promise you, that I will take care of her and protect her, that I will always love her and provide for her. Ever since I met her, things have gotten a lot better for me in a number of different ways. She's the best thing to ever happen to me and she means everything to me, and the idea of ever being apart from her or not having her in my life damn near breaks my heart."
Naruto's words touched Gwen, bringing tears to her eyes as she hugged him, the two of them sharing a tender embrace "That was beautiful." The Police Captain said, a bit emotional himself. He wasn't expecting something like that. This boy... There was no room for doubt that he truly loved Gwen with all of his heart, especially after saying all those things. George could tell... if it came down to the wire, there was no lengths that he wouldn't go through for his daughter... and he could also see from the way she looked at him that she loved him back.
This wasn't teenage infatuation or a crush, this was real love. He could see it. It kind of reminded him of both himself and his late wife. "I wanna make things proper and official..." Naruto then added as he cleared his throat and stated "I would like to ask for your blessing to be with your daughter, Gwen."
George smiled at him, a bit of pride swelling up within his chest at how respectful and courteous this boy was being. He took a deep breath as he spoke "I literally met you, less than three minutes ago, I know absolutely nothing about you... and yet I can tell how much you care for her. The fact that you straight up asked for my blessing shows that you have a lot of integrity. That being said... I definitely want to get to know you better. Also, the answer is yes, you do have my blessing. BUT! If you ever hurt her, I swear I'll hunt you down with the entire police force right behind me."
"If I ever hurt her, you can skip over due process and just take me straight to the electric chair to ride the lightning." Naruto replied with a big grin, which made the Police Captain give a hearty laugh as he then spoke towards his beloved daughter "I like this kid."
Naruto then smirked as he suggested "If you want to get to know me better, how about over dinner? I'll be more than happy to answer any questions that you have. Oh, and… I'm cooking."
"You can cook?" George asked with a raised eyebrow as he glanced towards his daughter with a questioning expression, which made her giggle a bit.
"It'll be fine Dad! Naruto knows his way around a kitchen. We take turns cooking. Just wait till you try some of his homemade Ramen." She stated with a big grin, hoping that this meal would be a chance for her boyfriend and dad to bond with one another. Then again, Naruto was a likable guy and it seemed like they had hit it off quite well, not to mention that somehow or other the Uzumaki had almost immediately got her dad's blessing in less than five minutes which didn't seem possible, and yet, here they were. Right now… everything seemed just about perfect and she couldn't be happier.
Only one problem… how were they going to explain the whole 'We need to engage in polygamy to restore Naruto's Clan' situation? Ah well… that could be saved for a much later date. Besides, they weren't yet ready to have kids anyway. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the company of both her dad and boyfriend.
Meanwhile. The Ichiraku Residence.
Tayuya sighed as she finished giving herself a proper haircut and dying her usually crimson hair a light brown color. Now she didn't have to rely on a Henge to disguise herself. A good thing too in the event that the technique should fail. She was currently wearing a spare set of pajamas that Ayame allowed her to borrow. She would have to get some clothes for herself soon, though given the insane amount of tips she had gotten… that wouldn't be much of a problem.
Kami, she was looking forward to a good night's sleep after so long… and for once, she wouldn't need to sleep with one eye open as she always had to in Oto. She entered Ayame's room and looked around a bit. There was a futon laid out on the floor for her. While Teuchi had offered to take the couch so that she may sleep in a proper bed, the Flute User was satisfied with a futon, which was all she really wanted or needed. Suffice it to say, she didn't give the Ramen Chef the option to argue or refuse.
She glanced at the various pictures of the Father/Daughter duo, it seemed that they had been cooking together and running their beloved ramen stand for many years and shared a deep passion for making delicious food for other customers as she noted the many smiling faces of the duo with their most frequent customers. The Ex-Oto Kunoichi picked up one particular picture and saw a familiar face… a certain whiskered boy that she immediately recognized.
It was that dumb kid that ran off to go chase after the Uchiha bitch-boy. He could be seen happily digging into a bowl of ramen with gusto with the forms of Teuchi and Ayame grinning from ear to ear. Seemed like they were close to that kid. There were a number of pictures here with him involved. Ah well, that wasn't her concern.
He and his friends were doing their jobs, just as she had done hers… although in her case, she didn't have much choice in the matter. She had far more important things to worry about, namely finding the Shinigami's mask. She was aware of the fact that Orochimaru had a number of labs hidden in Konoha which may contain clues… unfortunately she didn't know where said labs were or how to find them. It'd be suspicious if she asked around about them, which meant that she would just have to find them herself.
She then noticed a small box that was gathering dust on Ayame's dresser… it seemed almost like… a flute case? Growing curious, she opened the box and found her suspicions to be confirmed as she found a flute inside. It seemed like it hadn't seen much use in quite some time. With expert proficiency, she disassembled and took the instrument apart and inspected it, finding that while it was in need of a good cleaning, it was still in pretty good shape.
After reassembling the flute, she brought it to her lips and began to play a calming tune with practiced ease. "I didn't know you could play." Spoke the familiar voice of Ayame who was standing in the doorway, observing the scene which made the Curse Mark Bearer blush a bit.
"Sorry… should have asked first, but yeah." Tayuya apologized with a hint of embarrassment and refraining from swearing since she shouldn't have snooped.
"No, it's okay. You can have it if you want. I was never very good at playing that thing anyway. When I was little, I wanted to be a musician and be part of some famous orchestra… but it turns out I don't have any real talent or skill. The last time I tried to play that flute, I caused the windows to crack and my dad began to bleed from his eyes and ears. It was horrible." Ayame admitted with a chuckle.
"You sure? I don't wanna take what belongs to you." Tayuya asked, earning a nod from the waitress who then replied "Yes. Please take it. I'd rather it go to someone that can make use of it."
"Appreciate it. Truth be told… I kinda do need this. A lot of my techniques involve the use of a fucking flute." Tayuya responded gratefully, never before having received such a generous gift that didn't come with strings attached. Kami… these Ichiraku people just kept on treating her with nothing but kindness and compassion. It was unreal.
"Really? That sounds cool. You're obviously really tough. So… where did you learn to play? Did you parents teach you?" Ayame asked as she took a seat on her bed in the lotus position, wanting to get to know her new roommate a bit better.
The Flute user sat down on her futon and replied "Never had parents. I lived for a few years in some crap orphanage. Every so often these weird assholes in masks would come and take a few kids with them… not sure where they went, but I never saw or heard from those kids again. Some of them were my friends. I didn't want to go wherever they were taken to, so I ran away, went off on my own.
Got myself a nice little setup in some fucking podunk town near Kusa out in the ass end of nowhere. The kind of place that you could easily disappear if you wanted. Made a nice living playing my flute, people would toss me some good coin for my playing and I never really went hungry. If anyone screwed with me, I had a few tricks up my sleeve to kick their asses… unfortunately I caught the attention of Pedomaru. I ended up a prisoner."
Ayame listened attentively, a sympathetic look on her face as she spoke "Kami… I can't imagine what that must have been like. What… what happened to you? In Oto?"
The Curse Mark bearer grimaced as she simply answered "You don't want to fucking know." Ouch. That sounded like a really touchy subject.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked. That was really insensitive." The waitress apologized sincerely, feeling a little bad if she had touched upon old wounds or scars.
"Don't worry about it." Tayuya replied in a dismissive manner as she hugged her knees to her chest. A swirl of emotions flowed through her as she tried not to think about her time in Oto or when she was trapped in a cell. Kami… she wished that she could have simply disappeared and remained invisible, completely unnoticed by Orochimaru and his bitches.
"Umm… Tayuya? How are you doing that?" The waitress questioned with a clearly puzzled expression.
"Fucking doing what? Why're you looking at me like that?" The Flute user asked in an equally confused manner, wondering what Ayame was referring to.
"Look at your hands!" Was the waitress' answer, prompting the Curse Mark bearer to inspect her hands… only to find that they were now invisible. Parts of her body seemed to be fading in and out of existence as they became camouflaged somehow.
"What the fucking hell?" Was all the Flute user could say as she wiggled her fingers… and then a line of webbing shot from her wrist that hit the ceiling, much to the girls mutual shock. For a few moments, Tayuya could only open and close her mouth like a fish out of water… until finally she managed to speak out the only intelligent words that came to mind. "What. The. Actual… FUCK?!"
End Chapter Thirteen.
