Ch 7 - Plans Within Plans

Standing on a high balcony in Amegakure, Konan looked out over the city in deep thought. The previous ongoing plans of Akatsuki had come to a grinding halt. The Two-Tails had been captured, but Hiden and Kakuzu had been defeated shortly after by Konoha. Tobi and Deidra had disappeared when going after the Three-Tails, and Itachi had left out of the blue with Kisame following him. While Lord Pein could take out the rest by himself, time was on their side. For now, Akatsuki would sit and wait.

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Looking in the mirror again, Naruto adjusted the new long coat that had been commissioned for him. Long and green like fertile grass, with trim the same burnt orange of fall leaves. Down the back, the kanji for "Peace" was embroidered in the same color. As he looked, the blonde ninja noticed that for a brief moment, his silhouette resembled that of the Fourth Hokage, a realization that sent a quick shiver down his spine.

Shaking his head quickly, Naruto turned and headed out of the palace. It was a beautiful early fall day, and the first harvest season had begun. This was a busy time for most of the civilians; the lush fertile soil and unique topography of the land allowed for a wide variety of crops, giving the Land of Vegetables its claim to fame. Coming down the main path, Naruto could feel the eyes of many on him. But unlike in Konoha, these looks were of awe and respect, genuine smiles and waves coming his way from people he had never even met.

As he headed down the path to his favorite training grounds, Naruto caught a familiar shade of pink in one of the fields. Sakura was there on her knees next to a farmer, intently studying a large root the farmer had pulled up.

"Whatcha got there, Sakura-chan?" A familiar voice pulled the pinkette out of her studious state, causing her to jump slightly. She had been so entranced with her discovery that she hadn't heard her former squadmate sneak up behind her, and on pure instinct Sakura turned and dropped a fist right onto the top of Naruto's skull.

Experience was making the blonde shinobi wiser though, as the Naruto behind her was a clone, bursting into smoke as the real Uzumaki was smirking a good meter behind it. Collecting herself and clearing her throat ashamedly, Sakura turned back to the roots the farmer had pulled up. "These are maca root. It's one of the key ingredients in a lot of different soldier pills, but I've never seen any this size before."

Now the Land of Vegetables' Minister of Defense's attentions were drawn. He had come to this land of plenty because of an old offer made by Haruna, but the longer he lived here the more he grew to love this land and it's impressive bounty. "Are bigger roots more effective or something?" He asked as he squatted down. These roots looked no different than any other tubers he had seen, but he trusted his friend in that regard.

"Sort of, bigger roots mean more material, so you can make more with less." Dusting her hands off, Sakura pulled a scroll out and unrolled it between the two, pointing out different medicinal pill recipes that could be used. The discussion slowly spiraled out into the less talked about uses of medicinal jutsus, and the sun moved overhead.

Finally after a few hours of talking in the fields, Naruto leaned back and looked up at the sky with a grass shoot in his teeth. "So, have you given any thought to Haruna-chan's suggestion?"

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Hyuga Hinata also found herself on her knees in the dirt, however she was in a patch of the royal garden. It was a small little square near her apartments in the palace where she was allowed to grow whatever she wished, and she was glad to see her flowers were already doing well, subtle green sprouts that would soon bloom into proud stalks of lavender.

"You certainly know your way with flowers." A voice called out to Hinata as she stood up. Quickly turning to see it's source, the Hyuga heiress quickly lowered herself into a bow at the sight of the Daimyo. With a soft chuckle, Haruna shook her head and started walking deeper into the garden. "Please, Lady Hinata, come and walk with me."

The pair walked in tense silence through the gardens, a beautiful testament to the agricultural talents of the Land of Vegetables. Stopping before a wisteria tree in the gardens center, Haruna finally spoke. "Sometimes I question if you were the same girl who told off her client those years ago." She mused, not taking her eyes off the tree. "But you certainly are the same one who has that unshakable faith in Naruto…"

Blushing slightly in shame, Hinata looked down at the ground. While Sakura had taken to going out and interacting with many others during their time here, she had done the opposite and tried to keep to herself. Especially where Lady Haruna was concerned. But now here she was, alone and cornered by this woman.

"Tell me, Lady Hinata." Haruna spoke again, still not moving her eyes from the wisteria blossoms. "Do you hate me for taking him away from you?" The words cut deeper than any assassins blade, forcing forth the emotions that Hinata had been trying so hard to avoid. After all, how do you come to grips with the fact that the man you have loved since childhood has taken another as his partner?

A soft wind blew through the gardens as the tension in the air grew thicker. Finally, Hinata took a deep breath and replied. "No." She had to be honest, to remove this feeling from her chest like one would a poisoned arrow. "I wanted to be for so long but….no. The only one I am upset with is myself. I was always in his shadow, loving him from afar, but I could never bring myself to tell him how I felt…even when he was always there supporting me, protecting me." Still staring at the ground, a tear ran down her cheek. "When I was on my first mission, Kurani-sensei told me that inaction was sometimes more deadly than any action….at the time I thought she was just talking about the mission we were on but…"

A deep pain grew in Haruna's chest as she listened to Hinata's confession. But she herself had fallen for his infectious charisma when they were younger, and the feelings had only grown in his time here. It was entirely possible that there was another world where the two women's conditions were reversed. "When I hear the stories of his childhood, it fills me with sorrow. It is a great joy to me to find someone who will always be in his corner in the case I cannot."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Hinata took the words in. Yes, she had lost the chance to be with Naruto as a lover, but she could still be his shadow. She could have his back the same way he had hers all those times. "I would do anything to support him and his dreams, Lady Daimyo."

A soft smile grew across Haruna's face. "Glad to hear you say that, because I have an idea of how we can make that happen."

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"I don't like this, not one bit." Nen commented aloud as he stood lookout, rolling a coin between his fingers nervously. There was no one around, nor did they expect there to be, but the sheer directive of their mission made him uncomfortable. "And how in the world don't you have an issue with this?"

Sensui sighed loudly as he continued wrapping up their prize, making sure to take care of the item in question. "Well to start, this is not my first grave robbery." He responded in that dry tone that made it impossible to tell if he was being serious or sarcastic. "And think of it this way. If this was some great artifact of your clan, wouldn't you want it back?" The older shinobi asked with a raised eyebrow before returning to their work.

Nen tried to come up with a retort, but as always Sensui had him dead to rights. Before he could say anything else though, a noise in the distance caught his attention. On reflex, he tossed the coin he had been playing with hard in the sound's direction. His guess was rewarded with the sound of metal on metal, as if someone had deflected it with a blade.

"Come on out, whoever you are." Nen commanded, unleashing his ninja wires as he stood upright. His tension grew as he saw the cloaked figure shamble out of the darkness towards them, staggering through the grass. "Well, this night just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting…."

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As the full moon rose in the sky, Tori tiredly made her way up the steps to the palace. There she was greeted by a samurai, none other than the leader of the guard herself. "Good evening, Captain Himoko." The negotiator spoke out through bleary eyes, making the familiar hand signs to show she was a friendly, signs that were matched by the samurai in question. "I assume it is too late to speak with the Daimyo?"

Nodding, the tall redhead stepped up to meet the diplomat. Abrahime Himoko was a born and raised child of the Land of Vegetables. As Captain of the Guard, she had been among the first and loudest to object to the shinobi coming into the military. But like he had done countless other times, Naruto had talked her over to his side and proved the benefits of the ninjas. "Sorry Tori, but yes. The Daimyo and her consort have retired for the evening."

"Her consort? That's an interesting way to put it, but then again they aren't married yet." Tori replied dryly. Even in her tired state, she was still able to keep things professional. "I think I might follow their lead, and so I entrust this to you to present to them in the morning." Pulling a thick scroll out of her kimono sleeve, they handed it to the samurai.

Taking the scroll carefully, Abrahime looked it over like it was a snake that could bite her. "What is this?" She asked nervously.

"My magnum opus." Tori replied crypticly as they turned around, headed to their own shelter. "Guard it with your life, Captain, and make sure it gets to the Daimyo."