Hey all.
I apologize for the long wait.
Anyway…so last time the Finals began with Gai, Natsu and Naruka being the finalists…with Gai being unfortunately caught between a tornado of chains and an inferno, regretting life.
Anyway,…
Responces to Reviews:
marquis . shax: lol. They seem to have fixed it now, but I am not keeping my hopes up.
Perseus12: All things that may or may not be addressed later on in the story.
fortinpatric: Vielen dank, der Herr.
Monster King: I intend to, don't worry.
Joker Solomon Kane: Thanks.
Pucusi81: Kurama will make an appearance later on in the story, don't worry.
HyperA2019: Now you can look forward to Chapter 14.
Gredon1979: Why thank you.
narutouzumakinamikaze576: Right here.
Olaf74: *Takes bag of coins* Appreciate the patronage and here's your wish *Hands bag of coins to Izumi to deal with*
On with the story…
Previously on Naruto in the West
"Neji? Well,…the thing is…" she began, unsure as to how her father will take the news.
"He recently started a relationship with 2 redhead girls and all three of them are now in a three way relationship." Naruto said. "One of the girls is my cousin, and the other is a foul-mouthed girl from Iwa who is currently giving him lessons in 'Informality'."
"Hmm." Hiashi stroked his chin in thought. "I would very much like to meet these ladies."
"Sure. We were about to head back to the Colosseum so I can give the final speech after the finals." Naruto commented as they entered the main hall. "Would you like to stay with us or shall we organize you a room with the rest of Konoha?"
"Konoha please. I still need to make sure that brat from the Sarutobi clan does not do anything reckless to Hanabi." Hiashi said in a stern voice, making Naruto and Hinata chuckle.
Chapter 13
It's been mere moments after Mihawk started the final battle, and Gai was already out. Credit where credit was due, even in his weakened state, he still managed to land a solid hit on one of his opponents. Problem was, he punched Natsu just as he was about to launch a massive AOE spell. The spell went haywire, and Gai was roasted medium rare even before the resulting explosion sent him flying out of bounds, unconscious and unable to continue to fight.
Fortunately for him, Chopper and Wendy were immediately on site and began healing him.
"I wonder what roasted human tastes like." Chopper asked no one in particular.
"What?" Wendy asked.
"Hey, I am a Reindeer. You humans eat us all the time. Is it wrong for me to ask that?" Chopper asked.
"Better stick to being an herbivore then, please." Wendy answered.
Meanwhile, Natsu and Naruka were engaged in a, by Fairy Tail standards, standard brawl, meaning that to everyone else, it was intense and a comically large ever-present dust cloud was present.
And as usual in their battles, Natsu was being beaten black and blue whilst Naruka was getting a few scratches and light burns.
After approximately 2 minutes of straight up fighting, Naruka had had enough and caught Natsu's next punch.
"Time's up, buddy." She said with a smile. "Hey, Lucy and Lisa. Catch!" and with that, she threw Natsu through the barrier surrounding the arena, through the barrier protecting the spectators, knocking the Fairy Tail mages out of the way like bowling pins, only for Natsu to land on the laps of his two girlfriends.
"When are you going to learn, Natsu?" Happy asked, flying over to his friend.
"I'll get you next time…" Natsu stammered out, before falling unconscious.
The crowd cheered as Naruka was proclaimed champion by Najenda, while Naruka herself just stood there looking bored.
During this time, Naruto and Hinata returned to their podium, quietly switching out with the clones sitting there, while Hiashi appeared at Konohamaru's side, giving the boy the sternest staredown he could manage.
"What were you doing to my daughter?" he asked.
"Nothing, Sir. We were just talking." Konohamaru answered, standing ramrod straight in front of this man, sweating so much, he'd be capable of filling a bucket in minutes.
"Oh, and what is this then I hear about the two of you being on a date without my knowledge or consent?" Hiashi asked, making Hanabi turn red before she tried to explain what happened, but Konohamaru beat her to it.
"I asked the others out for a meal, but Udon and Moegi ditched us." He answered. "It wasn't supposed to be a date."
"Oh, so you don't believe Hanabi to be worth dating?" Hiashi asked, voice tinged with a hidden threat.
Konohamaru opened his mouth to answer, then closed it.
"That is a loaded question, isn't it? I answer yes, you'll kill me. I answer no, you'll kill me. Can you give me a third option where I won't end up in the grave?" he finally asked.
Unfortunately, whatever was said was interrupted by the crowd cheering as Naruto and Hinata appeared at their balcony and gave a speech, congratulating the fighters who partook in the tournament, reminding the spectators about the wars and to never forget those who died bringing peace to their home and finishing off with congratulating Naruka on winning the tournament, with Naruto placing the medal around her neck in person.
"After the amount of excitement these last few days have given us all," he then began addressing the crowd once more. "I believe that it is time to unwind. The next five days will be dedicated to the arts from all around the known world. Music to sooth the soul and artful displays to calm the eyes. Both will be held withing the confines of the civic centres within the city. Each person will be given three voting tokens for the musicians and three for the artists. They are to be handed out to those individuals or groups that appeal to you personally the most, but once your vote has been cast, there is no taking it back. So choose wisely, choose with your hearts and minds. For there will be lots to be seen." Roars and cheers echoed through the city as everyone began leaving.
As Ay was about to leave, he was approached by a member of the Assassin Brotherhood.
"Lord Raikage? The Emperor would like to meet you and sends a formal request for you to meet him this evening for talks and a meal." The person said, handing over a scroll, one of three he was carrying.
"A bit of a short notice, don't you think?" Ay commented.
"The Hokage tried to have some of his spies try to infiltrate the previous meeting with the Tsuchikage. For that, any meeting they'll get is purely on the Emperor's good graces." The man responded. "We would also like to prevent any more of his attempts to infiltrate the Emperor's own home."
"Will it be just us or…" Ay asked.
"I am not privy to that knowledge, unfortunately." He said before bidding the Raikage farewell and leaving to deliver a scroll to Mei and Danzo, the latter being a black scroll containing the mentally broken, but alive, ANBU that he had sent to spy on the Emperor, as well as a warning.
That Evening
Ay, accompanied by Bee and Darui, flanked by 2 Imperial Guards approached the gate to the Imperial Palace.
After being allowed entrance, they were led to a large dining hall to the side of the main meeting hall. The first thing he noticed was the absolutely delectable smell wafting in from the kitchen tickling his senses. Then he saw that the Imperial Council was already seated, though they stood up and greeted him and his entourage.
"Welcome, Lord Raikage. Apologies for the brevity of the meeting request." The emperor spoke up, walking over to offer a hand to the tall dark-skinned man.
"Apology accepted, your highness. I also do those things." Ay said with a small smirk.
"Yeah…all the time." Darui muttered, with Bee nodding in agreement.
"Now, our other guests should be arriving soon…" the Emperor said, just as the Mizukage and her entourage of Jonin arrived, Chojuro and Aoi having been grounded by the redhead due to lingering injuries sustained during the tournament or because of a misunderstanding (take a guess who).
"Lady Mizukage?" Ay asked.
"Lord Raikage?" Mei asked at the same time.
"Apologies. The plan had been to meet one of you today and the other tomorrow, but I suspect that both of you will wish to have a look at the art and music tournaments, and don't wish to be distracted with planning your meetings with the Council." The Emperor explained. "Please, take a seat. The best chef in the world will soon bring out her marvels of the world."
"I call bias there." Rimuru immediately commented. "She's your wife after all."
"Marital benefits, you shapeshifting, androgenous, gelatinous blob." The Emperor countered.
"Since when are councillors this disrespectful?" Mei asked Ay, who was shaking his head in confusion.
"A mix of Imperial Edicts, the fact that both of them are rulers of their respective nations and good friends." Shanks said.
""WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!"" the Emperor and Rimuru snapped at him.
"Maybe not friends." Mei said.
"See, she gets it." Rimuru said, with the Emperor nodding in agreement.
"They are more like siblings."
"…" Rimuru and the Emperor looked at her stunned, then at each other, then huffed and turned away from each other.
"Now that that is settled…" Mei and Ay turned to see a blue haired woman walk into the room carrying a large pot of stew. Her white eyes immediately made them think of the Hyuuga clan of Konoha, making them edgy.
"Before you jump to conclusions, allow me to introduce myself." The Emperor said, removing his hat and mask, revealing a face that Ay immediately recognized, but had not expected to see again. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, son of Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze and Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage. This is my wife, Hinata Hyuuga-Uzumaki."
"To think the brat had a child…but why are you here and not in Konoha?" Ay asked as he tensed up a bit more.
"We have our reasons, Ay-dono. Also, consider this an olive branch between myself, the former clan heiress of the Hyuuga, and Kumogakure." Hinata said with a smile. "I forgive you, and your village, for your past transgressions against my person."
Ay visibly relaxed at that.
"Something I should be aware of?" Mei asked.
"Let's just say that there is some history between them and leave it at that. And Hinata isn't the type to hold long grudges." Naruto said. "Now, let's eat before the food gets cold."
After the meal, the mood changed again, with everyone turning serious.
"Now then, allow me to ask you this." Naruto said. "What would the Cloud and the Mist request of the Yggdrasil Empire and its allies?"
Ay and Mei looked at each other, unsure on what to say.
"My people could use some help to help repair the damages to our homeland." Mei tentatively said.
"So, a trade deal then?" Naruto suggested, explaining an equal trading deal similar to what his Empire had with Iwagakure.
"Those are always beneficial, yes." Mei admitted. She had wanted a deal more in her favour, but she'd be happy with anything to help her people.
"What about alliances?" Ay asked, but Naruto, Hinata and the entire council shook their heads.
"The only alliances we have are those guaranteed not to drag us into another war." Rimuru answered. "And that counts for all the nations on this continent, including those we are still on a tenuous relationship with. We have just come out of centuries of civil upheaval. Nobody here wants to fight again for another few generations, even if it is still slow going to get used to the peace."
Again, everyone from the West nodded in agreement.
"So, you have no plans on attacking anyone in the Elemental Nations?" Ay asked.
"Why would we?" Makarov spoke up. "The East has nothing we want…other than Iroh's tea, the Stone's Coffee and the Emperor's inheritance that is still somewhere in Konoha, but that's why we trade with Spring and Iwa. Besides, if your history is anything to go by, if we try to conquer your lands, we will lose more than we gain. Your people are stubborn and will never acknowledge our superiority over you."
"I…we will need more assurance than that." Ay said, feeling that the individuals before him were true to their words, but knowing that his council won't agree.
"Then how about a Non-Aggression Pact?" Naruto asked. "With added clauses that can be determined when official negotiations begin?"
Ay nodded. "That will be sufficient, so long as our Daimyo is a third signatory. The old goats in my council will not accept anything less without giving me near permanent headaches with their whining."
"Might we also have one of those?" Mei asked.
"Might as well. I am assuming that the security of all trade ships from our people sailing in international waters will be a clause in your pact?" Izumi asked.
"Haven't thought about that…but yes." Mei nodded.
"All those for a Non-Aggression Pact with Kaminari no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni, and a trade agreement with Kirigakure?" Naruto asked as he raised his hands.
Almost everyone raised their hands…because Izumi was already busy compiling possible clauses for the Lightning Daimyo to read through.
"If I may ask, why are you here and not in Konoha? I know you said you had your circumstances, but surely there is more to it than that." Mei asked. "Shouldn't you have been groomed to be the next Kage?"
Naruto sighed. "It's because I am a Jinchuriki, and…"
"…his parentage was kept secret from him to prevent Iwa from kidnapping/murdering him." a new voice spoke up. Mei and Ay looked up to see Tsunade and Jiraya enter the room. "Sensei had good intentions, but someone on his council either leaked information about Naruto's status, or tried to make his mind fragile so he could become easily manipulated." Tsunade explained.
"Given everything that happened recently, my money is on Danzo orchestrating the whole thing…he always wanted to have my Godson under his thumb." Jiraya added.
"Tsunade-sama, Lord Jiraya!?" the eastern delegations asked. "What are you doing here?"
"They tried to get my help to overthrow Danzo…I said no but offered them a place here. Tsunade is a high-ranking doctor here in the west, and Jiraya is still on probation after being caught peeking on Tsunade in the hot springs, thereby violating about 6 laws and 35 unwritten rules, and now has to remain close to Tsunade for at least another 2 months. She has full authority to deliver punishment as she sees fit." Naruto chuckled at Hinata's comments.
"Heh…the power of teamwork." Ay chuckled. "Trust the women to keep the males in line." This earned a round of laughter from those in the room.
Next day, central courtyard of the main Civic Center
Hinata, was sitting on a raised dais, strumming her harp and smiling as several people were arguing with her guards or tournament officials about not being able to vote for her.
The song she was playing made everyone think of a breeze, flowing down a mountain, through a pine forest and then across a meadow, the pine needles swaying and flowers bending in the breeze.
"I'm telling you, sir, Lady Hinata is only performing the opening ceremony to the second and third tournament. She is not actively competing, due to wanting to give others a chance to win." A guard explained to one of her hardcore fans. i.e. one of those who still deny the fact that she was married to 'some blond punk who happens to be the emperor'.
Oh well, there will always be some of those guys around…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the courtyard, she sensed the ire of some of the Konoha members, who were denied the ability to get near enough to speak with her and Naruto, who was sitting near her in a chair, eyes closed and head swaying in tune to her music, a content smile on his face.
Why you ask? Well, it's quite simple. The 'Emperor' and 'Empress consort' were present, and Konoha, who were already on thin ice, could not afford to make a potentially stupid move on either Naruto or Hinata.
Those from the west who knew who Naruto and Hinata really were, just kept quiet, knowing that Naruto was just having some fun.
Didn't stop Naruto sensing that certain elements of Konoha tried to approach him though.
After the performance, a horn went off, signalling the beginning of the arts and music tournaments.
With the Konoha group
"Well…those two seem to be happy at least." Ino said, smiling at seeing Naruto and Hinata interact. "They seem…happy here."
"Troublesome…it is unlikely that we can convince them to return, right?" Shikamaru commented.
"Indeed. Why you ask? Because the people here seem to be treating Naruto with the affection he never had while living in Konoha." Shino said, blunt and stoic as ever.
"Damn…to think that the class deadlast managed to end up with the biggest tits of our Academy year group…lucky bastard." Kiba mock complained, but in truth, he was happy for his former teammate.
Moegi, Udon and Hanabi meanwhile were trying to keep themselves between Konohamaru and Hiashi…if only to keep the former's nerves in check, while walking around the civic centre and listening in to the music and having a look at the arts.
And then there was the group that had other ideas…such as Sakura, who was internally swearing about how life was unfair, that she was better at the academy than Hinata, so why was she as flat as a warped board (She refused to acknowledge the fact that she was completely flat) and Hinata and Ino, people below her, had rocking bodies?
And Sasuke thought the entire thing boring, because none of it would help him fulfil his goal.
Finally, there was Danzo and those members of the civilian council that came with him, plotting and scheming on how to force Naruto and Hinata to return to Konoha.
Meanwhile, in another civic centre, Gaara was approached by Naruto and Hinata…the real ones.
…
AND DONE!
Sheesh, I know it took a while, but most attempts at writing this chapter just didn't feel right. Those of you who are authors probably know what I'm talking about…that feeling that the chapter just doesn't match up with the rest of the story…