Author Note: I really appreciate the continued support and reviews. Please enjoy the rest of the story.
Chapter 16
"Wow. I didn't notice because of the blizzard, but your city is gorgeous."
Hinata marveled at the view. From the height, she could see for miles.
"This is the highest point in the city. I wanted to bring you here to show you the splender we have built."
The shogun bowed toward Naruto and Hinata. Naruto walked past the man towards the edge of the tower they all stood on. He put his foot on the wall and looked over the edge. Naruto whistled cheerfully as he laid his eyes upon the vast snowy city.
"No joke. You've really built something special here."
The shogun kept his bow.
"Not me of course, but our family before us. We simply do what we can to maintain and respect our history."
As Naruto enjoyed the view, Hinata's eyes settled on a particular section of the city in the distance.
"What part of your history is that place?"
The shogun followed her eyes to an area of the city who's architecture was notability shabbier than the rest. The shogun narrowed his gaze.
"I apologize for that eye sore. That is the Providance district. You might think of it as a slum. The occupants primarily belong to the Nazareen people. They are the group from which the rebels stem."
Naruto perked up from that information.
"Are you saying that is the rebel home base?"
The shogun shook his head and moved forward to stand beside Naruto.
"From our intelligence, no. The rebels primarily take refuge in the outer villages."
The shogun gestured far off in the distance, past the city gates.
"Our domain is primarily made up of villages, and our capital. Our capital is the center of commerce, but many residents of the country live in villages. The rebels stem from these villages."
Naruto tapped a finger against his chin.
"Why not just burn the villages?"
Hinata froze when Naruto made that suggestion. A satisfied smile grew on the shogun's face.
"We have. Many in fact. But we have not been able to completely erradicate them. The Nazareen people represent a large portion of the total population of our country. Not all of them are combatants, even though they house rebels. We have done what we can but you can imagine how difficult it is to face gorilla warfare."
"These villages that you've burned. They are rebel encampments?"
Hinata finally spoke up. The shogun looked from Hinata to Naruto before clearing his throat.
"I mean no offense by saying this, but, have you ever faced gorilla warfare?"
Hinata glared daggers at the man but didn't answer. He shook his head and turned his attention away.
"There is no such thing as a rebel encampment. They live among the people, blending in. We have good intelligence that lets us know the suspected location of key rebels, and we strike. I assure you that any unintended casualties are worth the important targets we take out."
Hinata was forming a very clear picture of the war.
"Makes sense to me. It sounds pretty inefficient though. Maybe you should just burn them all and be done with it."
Hinata's eyes widened in horror. The shogun looked surprised at the suggestion.
"Well, we have considered that but…"
"But…" Naruto pressed.
"...but the logistics of such an act is prohibitive. We also have to consider the political fallout of such a mass cleansing. It may damage our support from our allies. Not to mention the resource cost."
Naruto waved his hand dismissively.
"I can handle all that. I mean, they are just rebels."
The shogun couldn't hide his excitement.
"Wait!" Hinata spoke up suddenly.
Naruto and the shogun looked at her curiously.
"Maybe it would be worth it to talk about why the rebels are rebelling. Maybe peace can be reached. Isn't that a better alternative than massacring an entire people" Hinata proposed.
The shogun was trying his best to hide his disdain.
"There can be no peace with those people. Many of them are bandits, preying on our merchants. They steal and kill in an attempt to get their way. They attack our infrastructure, causing death and immense financial damage. They are a blight, plain and simple."
Hinata didn't back down despite the man's harsh language.
"Why would they resort to being bandits when they have land to support themselves?"
The shogun finally turned away from Hinata, the man visibly annoyed.
"Who can understand the mind of a bandit?"
"He doesn't care at all," Hinata thought.
Hinata looked at Naruto with determination.
"I think we should take more time to understand the conflict. Maybe we can visit some of the villages, talk to the people. There may be a more peaceful solution."
"Hm."
Naruto scratched his chin in thought. The shogun gritted his teeth in frustration before growing a small smile.
"I would support any decision you make, Emperor Naruto. If you want to go the route of negotiations we can work on getting you in contact with their leadership. Know that our values are diametrically opposed so there is virtually no agreement we could make that we would all agree on."
Naruto frowned.
"Why do you say that?"
The Shogun took a small book out of his inner kimono and presented it to Naruto.
"This is the core book of their beliefs. Their lifestyle is completely opposed to ours. If it was up to them your empress would never have achieved the power she has. I even noticed some female soldiers among you, another thing which would be made impossible if they had their way. They restrict the freedoms of their women, stopping them from seeking higher education, careers, or joining the military. In addition, the men only seek lower class work. They don't believe in investing or saving. They own a large amount of land but waste their resources on worship and sacrifices to their god. Their beliefs are so extreme that they can't afford to pay the fair taxes we give them, which is why many of them resort to banditry to make up the difference."
Naruto took the book and scanned through a few of the pages.
"In short, they are an economic blackhole with backwards beliefs. Beliefs that infect many of our young and spread like a plague. They ancor the growth of our great nation. If they had equal say to us, we would become a charity nation within the empire, sucking you dry."
Hinata clenched her fists in frustration.
"I am sure burning their villages doesn't help them pay their taxes very well. And what happens when they can't pay?" Hinata pointed out.
"Fair justice," the shogun stated simply.
Naruto ruffled his own hair in frustration and closed the book.
"This is becoming more hassle than it's worth. I'll just burn the villages, and we can work on starting over," Naruto said in a nonchalant manner.
"No!" Hinata suddenly blurted out.
The shogun looked from Hinata to Naruto in amazement. Not only him, but several guards slightly turned their heads towards Hinata, before resuming their disciplined posture.
Naruto was stunned at Hinata's declaration. Hinata, realizating the situation, suddenly bowed her head and fidgted.
"I mean…I just think they deserve a chance to prove themselves. It would be such a waste to just kill them all. They are not even all rebels. We would be killing countless innocents along with the rebels."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and groaned.
"I am really over this drama. This is only one nation of many. I don't want to spend any more time here than I have to. We will give the villagers a few days to hand over the rebel leaders and gather their belongings. We can use the land they still have. We'll create a temporary camp to house them as we relocate them. The best thing to do with two groups of people with so much bad blood is just to seperate them. Any of them that won't leave, will be burned along with their village."
Naruto declared resolutely. The shogun bowed.
"A wise decision, Your Majesty."
"No, we can't just kick them out! They won't leave their ancestral homes. You're basically condemning them all to death. Please reconsider Naruto-kun," Hinata pleaded.
Hinata moved towards Naruto and tugged gently on his shirt. Naruto narrowed his gaze at her.
"It's decided. I'm done explaining myself," Naruto warned.
Hinata looked up at Naruto with a desperate, teary gaze, only to be met with a harsh and stern look from him. Hinata shook her head in despair before turning on her heels and sprinting away in tears.
The shogun bowed respectfully.
"Please forgive me, Emperor. I did not mean for this matter to come between you and the empress."
Naruto waved his hand dismissively.
"Just be ready to move out on my command. Like I said, I don't want this issue to last longer than it needs to."
"As you command, your highness."
Later…
Hinata lay on her bed, her face buried in a pillow. She sniffled into the fabric while thinking about all the people who were essentially sentenced to death.
"I'm sorry," she thought bitterly.
Hinata tensed when she heard her room door open. She knew who it was without ever having to look. There was a small table and chair on the opposite side of the bed. She listened in silence as footsteps moved towards the desk. She heard the person sit down.
"You embarrassed me today, Hinata-chan."
Hinata trembled and forced herself to sit up. She looked over to Naruto and immediately froze. She couldn't remember the last time he looked at her with such a disappointed gaze.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I just, really believe…" she began.
"It doesn't matter what you believe!" Naruto barked.
Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin.
"You made a promise to follow me no matter what, and today you broke that promise. Deliberately contradicting me, arguing with me in front of others. You crossed the line."
Naruto's voice was low and calm, yet Hinata could feel his words piercing her like a knife. She wrapped her arms around herself in a vulnerable manner.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun."
"Words aren't good enough," Naruto hissed.
Hinata's entire body shook uncontrollably. She didn't know what to do.
"You will sleep in another bed until further notice. I want you to really think about what you did and reflect on your promise."
Hinata's eyes widened in horror.
"Naruto-kun, that's too cruel. Please don't…"
"Silence!"
Hinata bowed her head immediately, burying her forehead into the bed cushion. She couldn't help the stream of tears that poured from her eyes.
Naruto rose from his seat and walked over until his imposing shadow cast over her. When she looked up she saw Naruto's judgemental gaze bearing down upon her.
"Get out of my sight and only return when you are ready to give a true apology."
Hinata rose up slowly and reached shaky hands towards Naruto's face, attempting to caress him.
"Naruto-kun, please don't do this."
Hinata froze after Naruto pulled away from her attempted grasp.
"Don't touch me," Naruto hissed.
Hinata looked up at Naruto in disbelief, her tears blurring her gaze. Silently, she crawled off the bed, her arms squeezing around her own body, her back hunched. She opened the bedroom door and began to close it behind her. She looked back one last time. Naruto had returned to his seat at the table and was writing something on a piece of paper.
He was ignoring her.
Hinata's heart sank. As soon as the door closed the girl collapsed on her butt, burying her face in her hands and bawling uncontrollably.
Far down the hall, behind a corner was the regal white visage of the princess. She bit into her knuckle, a bright grin plastered across her rosey lips. She walked away, moving towards her room. She arrived at her chambers shortly and opened the door to see the shogun standing on the far side, looking out the window at the snowy city.
"Well?" He questioned.
"It went far better than we could have possibly hoped for, father."
The shogun couldn't hide his delight.
"Then tonight?"
The princess moved towards a large vanity mirror and settled down. She picked up a comb to begin grooming her silky, thigh-length white hair.
"That's far too bold. We should simply watch for a few days at least. I'll only get one chance. We are playing a very dangerous game."
"If it means wiping those vermin off the face of the earth, the risk is worth it. Do whatever is necessary to come between them and make sure he follows through with his plan. If they make up, she may convince him otherwise."
"You can trust me father. I learned from the best."
The shogun nodded and headed towards the door without another word.
"Don't disappoint me," he warned.
"Have I ever?" She cooed sweetly.
The shogun nodded in acknolwedgement and left her alone. The princess looked at herself confidently in the mirror.
"Just a matter of time."
That's the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading. Please review!