Eroninja - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Letting Go! (2)




Yuugao stepped out of the shower and after a brief toweling off, left the bathroom of the suite that she was staying in. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she rested her elbows on her knees as she cupped her face in her hands while mentally asking herself, “What am I doing?”

Much as had been the case when she had asked herself the question previously, she didn’t have an answer, as despite the apparent intentionality of her actions, in truth, she was moving in more of a manner born of muscle memory. As she was moving in accordance with a plot that she had first begun putting into place within weeks of the Suna/Sand Invasion of Konoha. A plan, whose completion she had begun acting towards almost as soon as she had come face to face Kabuto after he had asked, “How would you like to know who murdered the man you loved?”

Closing her eyes, she revisited the moment that she had returned to the entrance of the Training Ground after having left some of the worst performing members of the Anbu with instructions to try to locate and subdue within the hour. Yet, after shunshining away in order to head towards a fortified position that she had previously prepared, she had instead almost immediately begun returning to the entrance as she could heard the telltale sounds of combat. Although tempted to simply use the Body Flicker technique to return, she refrained as she wasn’t sure what the situation would be so wanted to first have a chance to ascertain what the threat was. A choice she began to regret as she hadn’t even covered half the distance she needed to when the sounds of fighting ceased.

Yuugao crept the final few meters towards the training ground’s entrance hoping to catch the unknown attacker unaware, and for the most part believed she had succeeded, as she found the hooded brown-robed figure kneeling over one of her men. She was confused at first, as she could see they were coated in the green chakra used in medical ninjutsu. However, upon noticing the scaled white hands the glowing chakra was covering, her confusion was replaced with fury as she knew exactly who they belonged to. Silently bursting forth from the foliage that she had been hiding behind, she drew her blade intent on separating the hooded man’s head from his shoulders. Yet, just before she got within range to strike, a blur of motion shot out from beneath his robe. Yuugao just managed to leap back, however before she even touched the ground a vice like grip grabbed her around the throat and she felt a pair of teeth sink into her neck. Almost immediately, she felt her body go numb as her sword slipped from her slackened grip as the snake which had appeared from the robe held her in the air.

Without turning to face her, Kabuto finished attending to the Anbu before moving to another of her men as he said, “Captain Uzuki, I’ve long desired to make your acquaintance.”

Although slightly slurred and sluggish due to the venom the snake had injected her with, Yuugao managed to ask, “Why’s that you monster?”

Kabuto chuckled as he knelt down to begin healing another of her men as he said, “Monster, and pray tell, what exactly have I done that has earned me such an epitaph?”

“Are you joking?” Yuugao replied angrily.

“Perhaps a little,” Kabuto replied with a slight chuckle. “Oh, I’m sure there are a litany of crimes that you could level at me. But honestly, those offenses are just arbitrary rules that your superiors say I broke because they are upset about who they were committed against. Mainly them and their interests. I mean, what would they call you if I dropped you off in say…Iwagakure.” Yuugao was about to answer with a retort, but the snake’s jaws around her throat tightened and cut off her ability to speak while Kabuto continued, “Oh, I’m sure you’d tell me that you were just acting in accordance with your duty when you murdered or committed acts of sabotage. But, outside of the victims from your acts falling on your superior’s list of acceptable targets, what truly makes us so different?”

The snake’s jaw relaxed allowing Yuugao to respond, “My actions were meant to protect the people of Konoha and we never targeted the innocent or those who couldn’t defend themselves.”

Kabuto turned to face her, and shook his head disappointingly as he responded, “Come now Captain. It may be true that you perhaps haven’t taken part in such actions. But that was only because you had certain forces that would do the unsavory things that you are currently thumbing your nose at.”

“Root, was abolished long before…”

“Don’t try to deny it,” Kabuto said angrily as his face hardened and the snake’s jaw began clamping around her throat again. “Your precious Third Hokage may have gone through the motions of abolishing Root. But that was only after they had achieved enough of an advantage that he thought he could start doing things without their particular brand of enforcing his will. Yet, we both know that the Third Hokage conveniently looked the other way when inconvenient signs that Root wasn’t as abolished as he was told appeared. Not to mention the times that he would consign innocent men to their deaths so his precious peace could continue for just a little while longer, while also displaying complete cowardice in bringing to justice the monsters that operated right under his nose.”

“Like… Orochimaru,” Yuugao managed to state despite the tight grip around her throat, which she expected would tighten even further due to her insulting the man’s dead master.

Yet, to her surprise it lessened as Kabuto smirked while stating, “Another selfish act, by a selfish man that built a world of peace on lies and hypocrisy. The Hokage who would ask an innocent boy’s father to kill himself for peace, was unable to similarly sacrifice the young student he loved for that same purpose. Well, at least until that student nearly destroyed the thing all those lies and hypocrisy had built that is. I suppose if he was consistent in one thing, it was in how inconsistently that he applied the penalties of his principles to himself.”

Yuugao felt her own blood begin to boil at Kabuto’s insults towards a man most in the village still viewed as the kindly old grandfather they all had shared. But she was forced to admit that many of the insults stung so strongly because they were hard to refute with everything she had learned. So rather than retorting, she settled for asking, “What is it you want, you bastard?”

Kabuto turned away as he moved to heal another member of the squad that he had defeated and replied, “How disappointing. Relying on insults just shows that you’ve lost the argument.” Yuugao refused to be baited any further so remained silent, which prompted Kabuto to state upon reaching the Anbu whom he had been moving towards, “And now the silent treatment.” Crouching to begin treating the kunoichi’s wounds, he stated, “I suppose I’ve teased you enough. So, what is it that I want? Well, to put it bluntly, I want answers.”

“To…what?”

“To questions obviously,” Kabuto replied as he quickly finished attending to the kunoichi. He then grabbed her leg and stood as he began dragging her towards her fellow Anbu. Not receiving a reply, he looked back over his shoulder and saw Yuugao was staring daggers at him. He chuckled, before turning away as he stated, “Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Suffice it to say, there are too many questions to go into as we are probably running short on our time together. But as I can understand just how frustrating it can be to have questions, but no answers. How would you like to know who murdered the man you loved?”

“Nothing you say interests me,” Yuugao replied trying to sound defiant and disinterested, although to her own ears, she sounded quite unconvincing.

Which she suspected was why Kabuto almost immediately stated, “Now that’s a lie.” Kabuto reached the other Anbu that he had already treated, and so let go the leg of the woman he had been dragging. As he began to line the squad up, his snake let Yuugao down on the ground where she slumped weakly to her knees once its jaws released her. Finishing up, Kabuto began to approach her as he stated, “Still, I suppose I can understand why you felt the need to lie. After all, you’ve labeled me as the enemy to the peace that Naruto and his little band has been trying to build in the shadows these last few years.” Although, still wearing her cat mask, and the venom that she had been injected with had muted her body’s reaction to his words, she felt Kabuto had no problem detecting her reaction to them. Particularly as he crouched before her to state calmly, “Oh don’t worry, I have no plans to out you all to the public. After all, if I did, I long ago would have announced how the woman currently pretending to be a bodyguard codenamed Mito is in fact the actual Mito Uzumaki that was married to the first Hokage. Not to mention, I’d have debunked the stories being offered for how Haku or Karura have miraculously returned.”

“W..why…”

“Why am I telling you this?” Kabuto finished for Yuugao as the weakness with which she asked wasn’t entirely due to the toxin. “Well, after I placed that bounty for a certain Uzumaki’s capture, which Sasuke topped while asking for his death. I noticed in the aftermath that a certain Anbu Captain began hitting the Bounty offices located throughout the Land of Fire with quite a bit of zeal. So, I began to question why. But…well knowing how…loyal… Naruto tends to make people, and your sharing a roof, it was easy to imagine that you took it a tad personally. You do know a thing or two about loss after all, which begs the question of just how close are you two?” Not receiving an answer as Yuugao’s entire demeanor became unreadable in order to protect her secrets, Kabuto simply shrugged before continuing, “Or perhaps your question is, why have I remained silent. Well that’s because when Orochimaru first attacked this village, he claimed that it was because the Third Hokage’s peace had made the world too static, and so wished to be the wind of change that set events in motion again. In many ways, we are all just leaves being blown by that wind still, and I wish to see what happens next. Councilor Baki of the Sand Village was the one that murdered Hayate after we had noticed him eavesdropping on a conversation between us in regards to our alliance.” Yuugao gasped as if she had been struck, and cursed how Kabuto had simply revealed the information with little preamble as if to deny her a chance to reject it. “I offered to do it naturally, but Baki was quite insistent that he could easily handle it. I’m afraid I didn’t stick around, so can’t tell you exactly how he sliced him to…”

“Shut up,” Yuugao said fiercely as she felt as if her anger was burning some of the venom from her system. Although truthfully, she knew this wasn’t the case as she moved as if to strike the smirking bastard, but was only able to barely prevent herself from falling face first into the dirt. She felt equal amounts of grief and fury as she felt like a porcelain doll being torn in half by two squabbling children, with all the cracks appearing around the hole that Hayate’s death had left her with, and although she had felt her time with Naruto had filled it, currently it felt as if it hadn’t reached far enough as the anguish and hate that she had tried to bury down began to pour forth through the cracks. Although she was looking at the ground, she wasn’t really focusing on it as her mind raced at what to do with the information she had been given.

But that all came to a halt as a vial was tossed in front of her, at which point Kabuto stated, “That should erase any lingering effects of the venom in your system. I’m curious to see what you do, Captain Uzuki.” Kabuto stood and began walking away, but then suddenly stopped as he said, “Oh, I almost forgot. I’ve also brought Hayate back to settle the score with his killer. In fact, he’s already on his way to the Sand Village as we speak.”

With that, Kabuto shunshined from sight. For a moment, Yuugao was tempted to smash the vial as although she could feel the venom’s effects weakening. She hoped they wouldn’t completely fade before someone came to check on her and her squad, at which point she could reveal what had happened to Tsunade and let her handle how best to deal with situation Kabuto was creating. However, believing that his mentioning how their time was coming to a close had meant that he had arranged some sort distraction within the village caused her to snatch it up and down its contents. Feeling her strength returning, she dropped the privacy barrier and saw the smoke raising up from the outskirts of the village. Recognizing that Kabuto had likely tried to get his hands on more remains of Konoha’s heroes, Yuugao took off to lend her assistance in repelling the attack.

Yet, she had arrived just as it appeared Tsunade had unlocked the Mouton abilities that she had been striving for. Watching the Hokage, who despite having been one of the strongest kunoichi alive and perhaps ever, even before becoming one of Naruto lover’s, grow stronger still due to the love she had for the Uzumaki made Yuugao suddenly feel like a fraud. Particularly as despite her being one of the first women Naruto had added to his ever-growing Family, her chakra made it seem as if her relationship with him had never truly evolved. Thinking of Tsunade’s words back when she had first become his lover of how Naruto would give her everything that she gave him and more, especially as she was witnessing another such moment through the Hokage’s own growth; Yuugao felt that she had never truly given Naruto anything more than her body, and in return had received incredible happiness and joy. Yet, deep within her heart there had been a core that his feelings hadn’t truly penetrated and thus prevented her from truly giving it to him. A core of hatred and anger which would lash out at anything which she perceived as a danger to her current source of happiness, further distancing her from the man who sought to unify the shinobi world.

After Tsunade had managed to contain the explosion, Yuugao had tensed when she saw that the Hokage had noticed her presence, yet she had then quickly directed her attention to Gai in order to bust open the dome she had created. In that moment, Yuugao felt the core of darkness which had threatened to spill out before finally break free thanks in part to the tug of war that she had felt since she had learned who had taken Hayate from her. With the darkness set free, a switch took place with the woman that she had become since becoming a member of Naruto’s Family and with it a cold detachment came over her, similar to how she had been during the years prior to her joining him and the others.

Yuugao shunshined away as she decided that the reason her feelings for Naruto had never advanced was because she had always known that what she truly desired was revenge. So, finally armed with the name of her lover’s killer, it was only right that she act on the information that she had been given. After all, while Kabuto may have released Hayate to seek his own vengeance out. For all she knew he was being controlled against his will. But more specifically for her, the world belonged to the living and as such, it was her duty to deliver the deathblow to his killer so she could meet Hayate again knowing she had avenged him. Especially as she accepted that she likely wouldn’t survive much longer then Baki, and so would be reunited with Hayate in death.

Yuugao returned to the present as she looked up from her hands towards a dresser with a mirror sitting across from her. Seeing her reflection, she didn’t see the conviction that had been there when she had just left Konoha as although the darkness that had escaped seemed to be controlling her actions, now there was a core of light trapped within her screaming at her to stop her current destructive path. However, while it had grown louder over the three days she had traveled to Suna, Yuugao simply ignored it as she found she didn’t really have to engage it since for the most part, she was simply acting out a plan that she had begun putting into place while the ink of the reestablished treaty between Suna and Konoha was still wet. The first part of which Yuugao had begun by visiting Suna several times over the three-year period Naruto had been away from the village as she had always suspected Hayate’s killer had called the Sand village home. During those visits, she had established the identity that she had used to rent her current room and had in fact requested the same one every time she had stayed in Suna. Her hope had been that when she did finally have proof of who had murdered Hayate, the multiple visits would have allowed her to enter the village with a minimal of fuss. For the most part, her plan had gone smoothly although she had felt a pang of regret when the guard had wondered why there had been an almost four-year gap since her last visit. Naturally, the feeling had originated from the spark of light that reminded her that gap was mostly tied to her relationship with the Uzumaki. Fortunately, the gap and her answer for it hadn’t appeared to raise any major flags. But she had again been reminded of it by the woman working the front desk, to check in for the reservation she had made from a village along her route to Suna.

Yuugao stood and approached the dresser, which she then pulled away from the wall. After kneeling where the dresser had been, she paused for a moment as the light portion within her prayed that she’d pull the molding from the wall away to find that at some point someone had discovered the alcove that she had made in it, and removed what laid within. However, it wasn’t to be as she pulled out a plastic bag which contained the Anbu uniform and oni mask of the Sand Village, along with the pouch filled with the weapons that she had slowly smuggled into Suna during her previous trips. Feeling as if her course was now set, Yuugao set about getting dressed. However, just before placing the mask on, she paused to look at her reflection in the mirror again. She frowned as she could see the confliction within her was etched on her face, which was why she felt it was a perfect metaphor once she put the mask on and trapped the woman that she had been since she had joined Naruto behind the porcelain mask of a scowling demon.

****

A naked Kurenai was kneeling on a bed with her face buried within a just as nude Hinata’s spread thighs, while her tongue lapped at her former student’s silken folds. Hinata’s cries of pleasure drove her on as she switched to using her tongue to probe inside the younger woman.

“Mmmm, yes, you’re so good…so good,” Hinata moaned as one hand handled one of her breasts, while the other was tangled in her former sensei hair.

Kurenai felt a sense of amusement at the compliment, since it reflected how much her life had changed. It also served as a welcome change of pace from the melancholy she had been feeling since her unborn daughter’s grave had been desecrated. Or, the worry that she had felt over Yuugao’s disappearance, although if she was being honest with herself, she hadn’t directed much thought to it as her reopened emotional wound had taken precedence.

However, unlike before where she had tried to wall herself off from getting too close to others. She was currently being quite amorous, something Hinata was quite happily benefiting from, although she was still showing herself some attention as she currently had two fingers buried inside her pussy as she enjoyed the moaning Hyuuga’s snatch.

Hinata’s hips began to raise off the bed due to her trying to get the tongue fucking her deeper within, and Kurenai imagined that much like her, she was finding that there was an itch within that just couldn’t be scratched without the Kunoichi Impaler that they’ve both grown accustomed to. Still, Kurenai was able to grant her student some relief as she withdrew her tongue, to suck on Hinata’s clit causing her former student’s hips to shoot up in the air as she cried out in orgasmic bliss. Kurenai continued to lick at Hinata’s folds until she began to settle down and began to stare up at the ceiling of their hotel room with eyes that saw everything and nothing. Withdrawing her fingers from herself, she sucked her juices off of them and moaned softly as her flavor mixed with that which she had enjoyed from the naked panting Hyuuga.

Kurenai then crawled from the bed and moved to a sliding door which she opened to look out on the private Hot Spring the room they rented came with. She leaned against the doorway as she considered taking another soak, since she imagined it would be a spartan few days as they would be crossing into the Land of Rice paddies, and doubted that they would be enjoying much in the way of such amenities until they reached the capital. Mostly due to the fact that Rice Paddy Country had suffered extensively under the mismanagement of its previous Daimyo, who having apparently not learned his lesson from how Orochimaru had screwed him over, had then in turn aligned himself with Sasuke, who when the Uchiha had betrayed him after the scheme to pilfer supplies from people traveling through the country had been uncovered had then promptly sent someone to execute him.

Although the murdered Daimyo had no heirs of his own, scholars did determine that a distant relative existed. This member of the ruling caste’s name was Chiyo, who was the former princess of the Land of This. A small city-state which had been destroyed by Akatsuki during Pein’s tenor as the leader, and although officially the reason why wasn’t known, through Naruto’s relationship with Konan, they had learned that the group had been hired by a fellow city-state and neighbor the Land of That. The use of the third-party had then allowed The Land of That to take over its neighbor’s lands, while appearing to be offering aid and protection. Which they had also extended to the Land of This’s now displaced princess.

Yet, truthfully Kurenai suspected that it was to hold her as a hostage to restrain the nobles of the Land of This who would have resisted That’s takeover of their lands. She imagined the Daimyo of That also found some satisfaction in taking his old neighbor’s daughter hostage due to the reversal of the relationship which had existed for his son who had been one in This, to guard against That’s expansive tendencies. She imagined that That’s Daimyo must have felt like he had won a lottery when it was announced that Chiyo was to become the Land of Rice Paddies new ruler. Especially, as his son Shu was set to marry her, an act which would have solidified his ownership of This’s lands, but now would give him a claim to the many times larger Land of Rice Paddies.

Kurenai wondered if perhaps Chiyo was also pleased by it as well, since it may have offered her a way out from the That Daimyo’s thumb. Of course, she imagined that the Daimyo would have to consider this a possibility so may have safeguards in place in case Chiyo did try to assert her independence.

But, trusting her former student, and fellow lover of a certain Uzumaki had already considered such matters began to focus on her own issues. Namely, just what she intended to do with her life. In a way, Kurenai was grateful for the injuries Naruto had sustained during the Battle of Ame. Not due to any malice, but because of the isolation it had brought from him. Mainly since when Naruto was around, he had a way of making her feel loved and cherished, but he also tended to have her focusing on the moment. Which considering how she had been stuck in the past after the loss of Asuma, and her unborn daughter, was definitely a marked improvement. But, without Naruto’s presence, she had begun to ask herself if there was perhaps more out there for her. Which, she took as a good sign of her healing due to the relationship that she had started with him. But, was a question that truthfully, she hadn’t yet been able to answer.

She felt that was perhaps why the destruction of her daughter’s final resting place had hit her so hard as it had been the answer to that question which had previously been taken from her. A part of her felt that it was a sign from on high, but whether it was to embrace the happiness that she currently enjoyed by letting go of the last vestiges of her old life, or if the reopening of the old emotional wound had been meant to convey to her that her current life while certainly entertaining, and oh so sexually gratifying, was also lacking in other ways. She sighed and for a moment felt envious of Hinata as she had gone from a shy young girl, who was perhaps too fixated on a certain blond, and matured into a young woman that she was sure would lead the Hyuuga into a new age, and was now taking the first steps to secure it. While she felt that all she had be able to achieve was to be able to smile again. Which, she gave herself was progress, but as she was the older of the two felt that she should perhaps be further along on her own path, especially as she currently had no idea of what that path was to be, while Hinata seemed like she was willing hers into existence.

She sighed again, and nearly jumped out of her skin as the woman she was comparing herself to asked, “Are you okay Kurenai-sensei?” Turning to rest her back against the doorway to look at the younger woman, Kurenai replied with a simple nod. She noticed a slight downturn of Hinata’s lips, before she asked, “It isn’t about Yuugao is it? I would have understood if you preferred to have joined Kakashi-sensei’s team in searching for her.”

A part of Kurenai felt a little guilty at not being more worried about her friend’s disappearance. But, as it had been confirmed that she had left the training field where Kabuto had ambushed her and her team under her own power, Kurenai felt it was something her friend needed to see through on her own. Although, having been in a similar place, Kurenai felt that necessary wouldn’t remain the case as the women of the Family proved to be an incredible support mechanism in its own right. As such, she replied, “No, while I would be lying if I didn’t say that I find Yuugao’s…withdrawal… concerning. I believe that whatever she is up to, she feels that she must handle it alone. In a strange way, I almost find that to be a relief.” Hinata gave her a confused look prompting her to explain, “If she’s distancing herself, then I believe it is only because she thinks she couldn’t act otherwise. But, deep in her heart, I’m sure she knows what is waiting for her.” Kurenai smiled as she pulled Hinata towards her adding, “She introduced me to it after all.”

Hinata smiled before kissing her former teacher as her hand reached between her legs. Kurenai pulled back and rested her head against the doorway as she moaned from the Hyuuga’s fingers sliding over her pussy which quickly began to remind her that she hadn’t cum yet. Hinata began to kiss her neck, but stop to whisper, “If that isn’t what you are worried about, then is it because of…Ahhh”

Hinata’s question was silenced due to Kurenai taking hold of one of her breasts and teasing her nipple to the point it could cut glass. As it had caused her to pull her head away from her neck, she quickly drew her into another passionate kiss. When the need to breathe became too much, she pulled back to stare into her ex-pupil’s eyes which showed the concern had been replaced with lust, she stated, “It doesn’t matter. It’s a concern about the future, and right now I just want to enjoy the moment.”

Hinata took the hint, and so began to kiss down the older woman’s body, until she was kneeling before her. She nearly came on the spot, finding the sight of the naked and kneeling Hyuuga highly erotic, especially due to how hungrily she was eyeing her now dripping snatch. Kurenai moaned deeply as Hinata surged forward and began licking at her folds, before then plunging her tongue inside.

Kurenai began to fondle one of her tits, as she raised a leg and rested it over the Hyuuga’s shoulder. Who cooed appreciatively as it opened her up more, allowing Hinata’s tongue to probe just that much further inside her. Staring down into Hinata’s eyes made Kurenai all the more confident that everything with Yuugao would turn out okay, as it wasn’t just Naruto that made the Family special. So, believed one way or another, she’d find herself unable to completely escape its influence or her desire for it, as the women of the Family tended to be just as keen about each other as they were for Naruto. Although, as she began to flood Hinata’s mouth with more of her essence as she began to climax, she was forced to admit that wasn’t exactly the case for everyone bound to the Uzumaki.

*****

Sakura yawned tiredly as she was nearing the end of her shift which outside of a few naps had lasted several days and so felt as if she hadn’t really had a moment to herself in forever. Which was depressingly true, since she had nearly run almost the entire way to Konoha as they had been alerted of Kabuto’s latest attack shortly after having left Ame. Thankfully, there had been no casualties, but since a good portion of Konoha’s trauma related medical resources had been stationed at Ame to tend to the aftermath of the battle. The fact that no one had died had put more of a strain on the few that had stayed behind since the dead typically didn’t require much in the way of those kind of resources.

As such, from the moment that she had entered the village, Tsunade had pressed her into taking over the treatment of the Anbu Kabuto had injured, which to her surprise upon reading their files showed that they had received first aid even before the first medics had arrived. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the shinobi that had confronted the resurrected Deidara, and as such had required far more in the way of treatment. Her task was made somewhat harder since while Tsunade had done a masterful job of getting the trauma ward set up. She hadn’t been able to give running it her full attention due to her needing to focus on her duties as Hokage, and Shizune had been unable to help since she had been assigned a mission to gather medical herbs and supplies which between the battle of Ame and Kabuto’s attack, had been dangerously depleted.

Due in part to her practically living in her office since arriving, she had not been able to check in on her mother personally. But she had pulled her file and found that while she had been gone, her mother had taken nothing but B ranked mission, or higher. But somewhat distressingly to her, it appeared that it wasn’t so much the ranking that mattered to her mother’s selection of what mission to go on, but the likelihood that there would be combat involved as each one she had chosen had ended in a battle. Thankfully, her mother hadn’t taken any noticeable injuries, but the commanders of the missions had all noted that she had displayed an eagerness for combat. Which, on the surface didn’t mean much. After all, she imagined her lover’s file would have the same note. But those commanders also noted that while her mother didn’t exactly lose her ability to take orders or coordinate during a battle. She would insist on attacking directly, thus giving her comrades opportunities to capitalize on the enemy focusing on her and would grow disgruntled if used in any other capacity that took her away from the fight. Which coupled with how it had also been pointed out by those commanders that very few of those who faced her tended to survive the encounter only served to compound the concerns that Sakura harbored that she was losing herself to her hate and grief.

Thankfully, Sakura felt she would soon be able to restart the Naruto treatment that she had originally prescribed through the weekly meals they had all enjoyed together. Although, with a few enhancements that would hopefully in time give her mother a more pleasurable lens with which to view life.

Despite her concerns, Sakura felt like smiling at the thought, but almost immediately felt the urge vanish as she neared her office to see that someone was waiting for her. Someone, whose image caused her to want to act in a similar manner that she feared her mother would if presented with a Sasuke who was incapable of defending himself.

“Suzume,” she said, struggling to keep the scorn that she felt from her voice. Something, she found harder to do as the woman looked as if she had come directly from her classroom, which only served to remind her that she had betrayed Moegi’s trust in her as a teacher, “What can I do for you?”

“D…do you… think… we can speak in your office?” she said, at times struggling to get the words out. Realizing it was likely a result of restrictions put on her through commands issued using the Voice, Sakura nodded before stepping inside, and was quickly followed by Suzume.

She then activated a privacy barrier on the corner of her desk that she used when informing patients of their medical diagnosis, or when being fucked silly on her desk by Naruto, and then began to state, “It should be safe to…”

“I demand that whatever you…urk!”

Before the woman could finish her sentence, Sakura had rounded on her and grabbed her by the throat silencing her, and stated dangerously, “You’re not in a position to demand anything! Believe me, it is taking almost everything I have not to cave your face in right now.” She pushed the woman back away from her, and then moved to sit behind her desk before asking in a professional manner, “What can I do for you?”

Suzume rubbed her abused throat and considered mumbling something disparaging about those of Sakura’s ilk. Especially, as she had made an appointment to see Shizune a few weeks earlier. Partially to confirm the woman was another of Naruto’s thralls, and if so, was hopeful one that saw him for what he truly was. Although, she was able to confirm Shizune’s state as someone bound to Naruto as she found that once she had been admitted into her office, she had been able to speak freely about the Uzumaki. Unfortunately, Suzume quickly learned that Shizune also appeared to be quite happy in her status as one of Naruto’s lovers, as she managed to get about as many words out, although they hadn’t been as harsh, with her as she had with Sakura before being cut off. Which had not been done as roughly as Sakura had. But, it had been infinitely scarier as Shizune upon coming to believe that the woman had not sought her out for medical reasons, had quickly invited her to leave, or she’d find herself the victim of a poison which would make the one that she had given Naruto seem downright pleasant. The calm and cold way Shizune had addressed her which had seemed to almost drain the room itself of warmth, quickly had her taking the woman’s advice, even though confirming her suspicions about her status had been a secondary concern.

Taking a calming breath which only partially succeeded in achieving its purpose, Suzume replied in a tone tittering between politeness and anger, “I would appreciate it if you would remove whatever command it is that you’ve given me which makes me unable to climax.”

Sakura looked confused, before asking, “What are you talking about?”

“Stop playing stupid,” Suzume said quickly losing her cool, “I haven’t had a fucking orgasm since that night.”

“The night you tried to kill my lover,” Sakura replied with a cold hard edge in her voice. Suzume didn’t react, showing her that she probably still didn’t feel any guilt over it. Seeing a lack of regret, she nearly told the woman to get out of her sight, but considering her status as a doctor, not to mention the man whom she loved was trying to build bridges between people, said, “The only restrictions placed on you are those that keep you from spilling our secrets. So, I’m not sure why you would be unable to achieve release. A guilty conscious perhaps.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me,” Suzume snapped growing almost frantic, “Do you know how torturous it is to feel close, but to fall flat each time.”

“No,” Sakura said while allowing a wide pleased grin to appear, “That’s never been a problem for me while riding his… Big. Fat. Cock.”

Sakura felt a moment of satisfaction as Suzume shivered, likely recalling her own experience doing the same. But it didn’t last long, especially as she began to notice that while Suzume was dressed up, or more accurately dressed down in the outfit that she wore while teaching, there were elements of disheveledness to her appearance that she couldn’t recall being present when she had taken her class. With that observation, Sakura began to feel some sympathy for her, since it was apparent that it was possibly affecting her wellbeing. Not to mention, she imagined that it had been difficult for the woman to approach her in the first place or more worrisome, desperation drove her to it. With that concern in mind, she said, “Take a seat.” Once Suzume had done as she requested, she said, “As I stated before, we haven’t placed any restrictions on you. So, if you’re unable to climax, then my guess is that it may be a negative reaction to that jutsu you used.” Sakura felt the desire to add, “when you sexually tortured my boyfriend,” but refrained.

Which proved beneficial as otherwise Suzume would have spoken over her, and possibly earned a fist to the face as she immediately leapt back to her feet stating, “That’s not possible. I tested the jutsu several times before I used it.”

Being reminded that the woman had premeditatedly sought out to trap and kill Naruto, wasn’t doing Sakura any favors in holding onto her just discovered empathy. But she managed not to send the older woman through her wall, as she said, “Perhaps, but I don’t think you experienced the same resistance that you encountered when you tried to use it on Naruto, now did you?”

“N…no,” Suzume said retaking her seat, “They barely lasted a handful of seconds before I released it.”

Unable to hold back the boastfulness that she felt on her lover’s behalf, Sakura stated, “But with Naruto, he pushed you to the point where you were the one begging for mercy, which he granted before you still ended up cumming all over his cock.” Suzume seemed to shiver again, and she also noticed that a small flicker of guilt appeared which she attributed to the woman having to admit that even when nearly driven made with a need for release, he had answered her pleas for him to stop. Taking note of the woman’s reaction, she also began to formulate a few scenarios which she shared. “With that being the case, I see two possible reasons for your current issues. The first is the jutsu was only meant to be used for short bursts, and your needing to hold it against Naruto resulted in some sort of nerve or possibly even cell related damage. As you can imagine there are very few treatments available for such injuries.”

Suzume looked almost horrorstricken, and sounded shaky as she asked, “W…what would the other be?”

Sakura collect her thoughts for a few moments, since the theory was based less on medical knowledge although she tried to put it in such terms as she explained, “Well, as you can imagine considering the recent attack, quite a few of our shinobi have suffered hearing damage. Which is due to the damage sustained to the small hairs inside the ear canal, which can be harmed by sudden or reoccurring loud noises such as explosions. Which, if we’re going to consider the climax you experienced to be similar to an explosion, it might just mean that you’re currently desensitized. The good case for you would be that unlike when the hairs are damaged, there is no reason to believe you might not eventually recover if it is just a case of overexposure.”

Suzume did look somewhat hopeful, but worry began to creep back into her face and tone as she asked, “When will I have some idea?”

Sakura shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“Would there be a way to test?”

Sakura thought for a moment, before stating, “Take off your pants.”

“I beg your pardon,” Suzume said not quite sure she had heard the woman correctly.

“I said take off your pants,” Sakura repeated as she sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “I want you to begin masturbating and try to give yourself an orgasm.”

“You don’t think I have?”

“Humor me,” Sakura replied in a dispassionate manner.

Suzume frowned, especially considering how often she had tried, both with a partner and alone. But, deciding it couldn’t hurt, especially since it did seem that Sakura was willing to help her, she began by stepping out of her sandals, and then undid the clasp of the baggy red pants that she wore which she let drop to the floor.

Sakura had to admit that Suzume seemed to be committed to her frumpy teacher aesthetic as rather than revealing some sexy lingerie underneath, she was instead wearing unflattering almost oversize panties. Once they hit the floor though, Sakura suddenly flashed to an image that she’d seen in a commercial once where several people stood on the screen with a black bar separating along the waist and due to the clothes not matching, not to mention some tops were larger or smaller than the bottoms, it was apparent the legs belonged to someone else. Which, almost seemed to be the case as the shapely legs and hips which seemed to belong to a model, disappeared into the baggy pink kimono blouse that Suzume was still wearing.

Suzume sat back down in the chair, and despite herself, Sakura found the sight arousing as she raised her legs up, before spreading and resting them on the arms of the chair so that her sock covered feet dangled over the sides. She then ran her hand down the front of her body, and through the neatly trimmed triangle patch of hair right above her pussy.

Sakura found herself fighting the need to rub her legs together as Suzume began to rub her finger along her slit. The woman let out a soft sigh, which indicated she had felt something, but as her finger began to move faster and more urgently, it became apparent that there didn’t appear to be much pleasure being generated. Still, Sakura noticed that Suzume’s did appear to be growing more aroused as her breathing became shallower, and she began to grow wetter. Something which she imagined must have been increasingly frustrating to Suzume, as she began rubbing her pussy in circles, while her other hand began fondling her tit through the kimono and mesh shirt that she wore.

Sakura’s own arousal began to fade as she began trying to solve the problem as she asked, “I can see your body is reacting normally, so are you feeling any pleasure.”

“Y…yes,” Suzume said as she began pinching her nipple, “It still feels good. B…But…”

“There doesn’t appear to be any build up,” Sakura interjected causing Suzume to nod her head. As a result of the answer that she received, the pink-haired kunoichi suspected that perhaps her initial statement of Suzume suffering from a guilty conscious was perhaps not just the barb that she had intended it to be. Still, she suspected it might be a minor factor, if any. So asked, “Does it feel as good as it normally would?”

Suzume bit her lip as she pushed two of her fingers inside her, before answering, “I…I’m not sure… It still just feels good…while normally I’d be fighting back from cumming already.”

The answer did cause Sakura some concern as it pointed out that Suzume may just have been previously blessed with being rather sensitive and so hadn’t required much in the way of stimulation before. The reason for her concern was due to it leading her back to the possibility that there may have been some kind of damage done. Of course, her overexposure theory was still just as valid, so seeking some further clarification she said, “Suzume, I want you to experience a powerful and enjoyable climax.”

Suzume’s eyes went wide although it seemed more in panic then pleasure as her body carried out the command that it had been given. Sakura observed as the teacher pulled her legs in towards her core as she tensed for several seconds, before just relaxing as she slouched down in the chair. Still looking spent, Suzume asked, “W…what the hell was that?”

“I used the Voice to command you to climax and your body did as it was told,” Sakura stated.

“That wasn’t cumming… it…it was…”

“Artificial,” Sakura suggested seeing the woman struggling for a word to describe what she had just experienced. “I guess that would be the case,” she said after a moment, “The Binding probably couldn’t simulate all the little things that would contribute to a real enjoyable climax. Similar to why receiving one from a person would be way better than a toy. Did it feel good at all?”

Suzume frowned, for a moment as she tried to put it into words, before stating, “There was some relief at the end. But, it felt… distant… like my body was just going through the mechanical motions.”

Sakura nodded, “That makes sense since the Binding primarily affects one’s body. So, while we could command you to forget something. We couldn’t make you feel anything.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Suzume said suddenly.

“Of course it does,” Sakura stated, “If I tell you to forget something, then all I’m doing is telling your body to block access to a particular memory. That isn’t the same as telling you how to feel about something, which can change based on almost too many factors to even come up with an accurate method. Heck, a person can have the exact same event happen to them, such as being bumped into, and how they react would change based on factors like who it was doing the bumping, was it the first time, or even if they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. With the Binding, I could perhaps tell you not to hit said person, or to react calmly, but I couldn’t control you feeling like you wanted to. Therefore, while I can tell you to have a powerful climax. I couldn’t command you to have an enjoyable one, likely in this case because there was not true buildup of pleasure. But admittedly the mental aspects of the Binding are not an area that we’ve dedicated much time or efforts to researching.”

“Then why not just command for me to forget about the truth of you all?”

Sakura shrugged before answering, “Well to begin with, it is something that we’ve only done once really, and only for a short period of time.” She noticed Suzume’s interest seemed to pique for a moment and imagined that the woman suspected whoever they had would be a potential ally. “So truthfully we couldn’t be sure what would happen if long term inconsistencies began popping up. Such as in your case, you’d likely begin wondering what happened to your secret stash of books.” She noticed Suzume scowl at the reminder they had taken the records of past women, who had hunted those that used the Binding, but ignored it as she continued, “In time, those inconsistencies could lead to problems, not to mention we’d have to go back to when you first began to suspect Naruto. Besides, this method has proven effective in the past so there is no reason to deviate from it.”

Suzume frowned, but finding herself curious asked, “Still, you’d think he’d be interested in knowing just how thoroughly he could control someone’s mind?”

“Why, waste time on developing or learning aspects of the jutsu that he has no interest in?” Sakura asked genuinely confused. “The truth is, there is a lot we don’t know about this jutsu. Not to mention, there is much about the way it affects us and him that we cannot prove are exclusively the result of the jutsu or perhaps unique to the user. I mean for example, Ino stated to me that when she was first bound to Naruto, she believed it served to dampen any negative feelings that she might have felt towards him. But subsequent events proved that probably was not the case as he once made her angry enough to slap him. Which while hardly conclusive perhaps, does tend to leave me believing that Ino was genuinely pleased to find herself the target of his affections, even if it was so he could test out this jutsu, and to remove a rival for me in regard to Sasuke’s affections.”

Suzume found herself surprised on several fronts, most notably that Naruto had tried to clear away a rival for Sakura, when considering his own well professed designs on wooing her. Perhaps less so was the almost naked hatred with which the kunoichi had spoken of the man that she had once professed to caring for, not that she had been alone in that regard during her time in the academy, especially when compared to how glowingly she had spoken Naruto’s name. As such, she wasn’t so quick to dismiss the idea that the jutsu was not perhaps bending the women’s feelings towards him on a subconscious level. Although, she was forced to admit this didn’t seem to be case, especially as her own feelings about Naruto and his lovers had only grown worse due to her belief that they had been behind her inability to experience any sexual relief.

Which lead her to the realization that she was still naked from the waist down, and so she began dressing as she asked, “What do you mean about it being an affect brought about by the jutsu or the user?”

Sakura was rather pleased by Suzume’s curiosity, since she reasoned it was a step in the right direction so explained, “Take my situation for example. A jutsu that was designed to control women, in its later stages rescinds that control. Now, one may argue that perhaps, I’ve just reached a point where such controls are no longer necessary to keep me under his thumb. I’ve essentially truly been converted.”

Having finished pulling up her pants, Suzume crossed her arms and with a fair amount of snark stated, “I would certainly say that is the case.”

Sakura fists clenched tightly as her desire to reach out to the woman vanished to be replaced with one that would have her fixing a massive hole in her office’s wall. Suzume seemed to recognize the danger her mouth was putting her in as she quickly said, “Forgive my interruption. You were saying.”

Sakura took a calming breath before continuing, “But in truth, would removing his ability to control us truly be that beneficial, even for the truly converted? For example, say I decide to brutally murder a bitch that tried to poison him, even if it is his desire that we leave her alone.” Pausing, to enjoy the nearly audible gulp she heard from Suzume, she then gave a sickly-sweet smile before continuing, “Now, even as one of his truly converted, perhaps I decide that he is being too lenient in this case. That it is in his own best interest to remove this threat. There is nothing to stop me from acting against his stated will, even though I know I would be disobeying him. Yet, because my feelings for him are the same, I don’t believe he would be able restrict my actions.”

Although, Suzume could argue that Sakura’s feelings for Naruto would act as the brake on her acting against his wishes in the scenario that she had just laid out. She suspected that she understood what the ultimate point would be so concluded, “What you’re saying is there is no reason for the jutsu to remove those restriction even at such a stage of conversion.” Receiving a nod, but seeing a flaw in the pink-haired woman’s logic, Suzume stated with a sense of elation as the idea that perhaps the women while corrupted more subtly then she had originally thought, had no the less been corrupted into subservience, “Perhaps the reason he can no longer control you, is tied to how you can control other women not as far along. As you have reached a point where your devotion to him is without question. Thus, the jutsu makes it so you cannot be controlled by this Voice as you call it, because you’re working on the same wavelength or something, and if you could be controlled, it would in turn mean he could be as well.”

Suzume expected Sakura to have quickly rejected the point out of principle and to protect her worldview that she was an equal. Since, she would then be able argue that the woman was still just a puppet to Naruto’s desires. However, instead she was the one forced to consider her own idea on the matter when after a moment of reflection, Sakura stated, “That is actually pretty plausible. I’ll be sure to pass it along.”

Suzume hid the frown that threatened to appear at what appeared to be a short-lived victory in confirming her view that Naruto’s control over the women whether overt or not, was still turning them into subservient puppets. Feeling her desire to continue the conversation all but disappear as a result, she asked, “Anyway, getting back to what actually brought me here.”

“Yes,” Sakura said as she tried not to bask in Suzume’s sudden drop in mood as she guessed what it was related to. “Truthfully, I cannot rule out that there wasn’t any actual damage done. For now, I would refrain from any sexual activity, and after a few weeks perhaps see if things have gone back to normal.”

“Isn’t there anyway for you to check?”

“Not without using a lab, and truthfully I don’t want use official channels…”

“Please,” Suzume said sounding desperate, “It’s already been months. I need to know if I’m going to be like this for the rest of my life.”

Sakura stared at the woman for a moment, and while a part of her definitely felt that she deserved what she was current going through. She could also understand some of the desperation the woman was showing, since she could only imagine how torturous it would be not to able to experience the joy of release with her lover. As such, after a few moments of silence, she sighed before stating, “Fine, but you’re still going to have to wait a bit.”

“Why?”

“Because, I’m not going to go through the official channels, and so I need to use a lab that won’t have anyone at the hospital asking any questions,” Sakura said nervously.

“But what would be the hold up?” Suzume asked unsure why the young woman appeared so nervous all the sudden.

“Well, I’m going to have to sneak you past quite a few women that want to use you as a kunai cushion, and not all of them are women that the voice would necessarily stop.” Suzume recalling the dark look that Shizune had given her as she had promised not to even be that gentle, found she had her answer for Sakura’s concern. Although that concern melted a moment later to be replaced by an amused smirk as the pink haired kunoichi stated, “Therefore, you’re going to have to wait until I can be sure most of them would be properly…distracted. Luckily for you, we are quickly approaching a point where the distraction in question is coming off the injured reserve list.”

****

Rock Lee could tell something was off within Suna as the shinobi on duty at the main entrance seemed rather tense as they inspected or questioned the various travelers trying to gain entry. He focused on Kakashi as the jounin was explaining to a Sand-nin their purpose for visiting. Lee held back a frown that threatened to appear, since their reason for heading to Suna was anything but clear to him. Particularly, as after first discovering Yuugao trail, they had taken off heading west from Konoha and both Tsume and her daughter had seemed rather confident they were hot on her heels. Yet, shortly after crossing a swift moving river, Tsume had called a halt stating the trail had grown cold and sent Hana along with her nin-dogs off on their own for a bit. When they had returned, Hana had reported that she hadn’t found anything, although her nin-dogs had seemed to be whining more insistently. It had left him with the feeling that the three nin-dogs were giving their own report, which had seemed strange to him since he figured Hana would just have reported what they had discovered herself. Although, he had chalked it up to the Inuzuka seeing their canine partners as more than just beasts of burden and thus were more than capable of reporting what they had found themselves.

Still, despite Tsume not mentioning if they had reported anything differently than her daughter, she had still felt confident enough to claim it was likely they had been following a fake trail. A revelation, which although Lee could tell it confused his mentor Gai, it didn’t seem to be such a surprising development to the jounin his teacher considered a rival. As after a moment, Kakashi stated they would turn south and head towards Suna. Although, when Gai had questioned him as to why, the one-eyed jounin had simply shrugged while stating that he had a hunch. Which, picking up on the tension the Suna-nin were giving off, Lee believed it may have been an accurate one.

Kakashi finished speaking with the shinobi that had overseen the inspection of their group and waved towards them to follow him. After passing through the gate, Gai moved up besides his friend and rival to ask, “Did he mention what has them on edge, Kakashi?”

“Yeah,” the jounin replied as he pulled out a book which on the back cover had a woman who looked like a female version of Naruto minus the whisker marks on it. “Apparently, a few days ago someone set off several smoke tags within the Kazekage mansion which at first blush had made them think that a fire had started. They suspect it was a ruse to get the building evacuated so that an enemy village could steal some file or artifact.”

“Hmm,” Gai said, “That definitely explains why the looking over that we received was so brief, considering how on edge they were.”

Lee wasn’t sure what his teacher meant by that as he felt it had been rather through. Yet, rather than asking tried to puzzle it out himself. After a moment, he came to the conclusion that Suna had likely let them into the village, despite the heightened security such an incident would raise, in the hopes that the thieves were working with another group who would smuggle whatever was taken out of the village. Looking back towards the gate, he received some confirmation that his theory was plausible as he noticed the guards seemed far more critical of the people leaving the village.

“Kakashi-sensei, do you think it possible this event is related to…”

“I’d rather not speculate at the moment,” Kakashi said as he cut Lee off while turning a page in his book. “The man I talked to didn’t say it outright, but it sounded like the tags that released the smoke had been in place for years. There are too many unknowns here to form an accurate theory. I’m not an Oracle after all.” Lee thought he noticed a small smirk appear on both Tsume and Hana’s faces at the word oracle, but didn’t understand what they would find f about his reply.

“Then perhaps it is time for you to fill us in on why you felt Yuugao would head to Suna,” Gai said sounding more serious then Lee ever remembered his teacher sounding when addressing the jounin.

Kakashi looked up from his book for a moment, likely taking note of his fellow Jounin’s tone. But he quickly returned his attention to it before, stating, “I don’t recall stating I felt Yuugao was coming here. I merely said I had a hunch that we should head to Suna.”

Gai frowned as he said, “Which since you stated as much after we lost her trail would lead one to suspect…”

“That is why you shouldn’t speculate or make assumptions,” Kakashi interjected causing Gai’s frown to deepen despite the playful tone the One-eyed jounin used. “The truth is that once we lost Yuugao’s trail, it would be almost completely pointless in trying to pick it up again. Therefore, our best hope of determining what happened to her, is to try and get ahead of the game that Kabuto is playing.”

Even Tsume, who didn’t seem bothered by the idea that Kakashi had led them on a such a long journey on a what seemed to be a whim, appeared confused as she asked, “What do you mean? If we knew what he was up to, we probably would have some idea of where Yuugao is heading.”

Kakashi only chuckled in reply as he seemed to be leading them somewhere with a clear destination in mind. After turning another page in his book, he finally stated, “Are you sure? If you ask me, Yuugao would only be a move that Kabuto made, not the endgame in and of itself.”

Lee noticed that Tsume didn’t find much clarity in Kakashi’s reply at first. However, a moment later the wind shifted, and she noticeably perked up as a little color entered her cheeks while her eyes sought out the scent that she had picked up. When they zeroed in on the target, a look of desire appeared on her face, which he also noticed was etched onto her daughter’s.

Lee followed their gaze and allowed a scowl to appear on his face as he noticed a shirtless Naruto apparently lurching about almost drunkenly on a training field near a large round residential building. The Blond was coated in sweat while stumbling towards a pair of women who appeared somewhat familiar to Lee, but he couldn’t place why. Based on the small crowd surrounding the field, and on how the two women he began to charge, after his first few lurching steps, effortless dodged him caused Lee to jump to the conclusion that Naruto unable to face his disastrous loss against Sasuke had turned to drinking and was now harassing a few local women. Unwilling to allow the Leaf to be embarrassed in such a manner, he took off towards him as he shouted, “Naruto, such behavior in public is unbecoming a shinobi of the Konoha.”

Naruto stumbled several steps as he had trouble arresting his momentum in his unsuccessful attempt to catch either Nel or Cyan, along with being caught off guard at hearing the familiar voice. Straightening, his eyes went wide as he noticed Lee charging towards him, and tried to caution him, “Lee, hold up do…”

Unfortunately, the speed with which the chunin clad in green closed the distance caused him to hit the training field before he could warn him. Upon crossing a white line that surrounded the rubber coated ground, Lee almost immediately face planted as he was pulled down to the earth at six times normal gravity. “Shit,” Naruto cursed, as Cyan quickly moved to the control panel near the field and channeled chakra into the seal which had increased the gravity.

“Lee,” Gai shouted as he closed the distance in a flash and began cradling his prized student whose head moved about woozily like he was following little cartoon birds.

Naruto noticing Kakashi, along with Hana and Tsume began to get a sick feeling in his stomach, but ignored it in favor of asking, “Is he going to be okay?”

Gai appeared too distressed to answer, so Kakashi after a brief once over said, “He should be fine. But what hit him?”

“Gravity,” Naruto answered, “Since I’ve been unable to use chakra, I figured training under increased gravity would be even more beneficial then just adding weights to my chest or legs.”

“Can’t fault that logic,” his teacher said with a smile, “I’m guessing the reason your friends were moving so well was due to their using chakra to help nullify it, like why we can jump higher than standard civilians.”

Naruto nodded, but before he could ask what brought them to Suna, Nel said, “Thanks for the good time, Naruto. However, Cyan and I need to head into the office so we can meet up with the supply caravan heading to Ame.”

“Thanks for helping me with my training,” Naruto said turning to face the two.

“It was our pleasure,” Cyan said while trying to sound dispassionate, and not disappointed at the other Leaf-nin’s arrival. Although a little hint of yearning entered her tone as she added, “Although, I hope we can arrange for a more intense workout when you get back to Konoha.”

Gai helping Lee to his feet, said, “If you are looking for intense, you ladies are more than welcome to join me and Lee…”

“Was I addressing you, insect? How dare you interject yourself into…” Cyan said angrily as her chakra began to flare.

Nel quickly flicked her ear, as she said, “Don’t make me tell on you to Tier. He was only trying to be nice.”

Cyan calmed and paled a little, before simply turning on her heel and began walking away, “He had no business speaking to me as if we are equals.” Despite her icy demeanor it thawed noticeably as she said, “Take care Naruto.”

As Naruto waved at her retreating form, Nel said to Gai, “Sorry about that. She’s still a little rough around the edges, but she’s gotten much better.” Directing her attention to the blond Uzumaki, she said, “Well, I should get going as well. But make sure to look me up when you get back to Konoha. I’m looking forward to showing off the results of my training when you’re at your best.”

Naruto gave her a pleased smile before she turned away and as she walked away, he replied, “I’m looking forward to it as well.” He then turned towards Kakashi and the others, and noticed that Lee seemed to have most recovered from the bump he took so asked, “Are you okay?”

“I am fine,” Lee replied briskly with a fair amount of embarrassment in his tone. However, what Naruto found more worrisome was the feeling of envy that he felt that he was recipient of from the green-clad chunin. Particularly as Gai said teasingly, “My Naruto, you’ve become quite the lady’s man. I’m not sure Sakura would approve.”

Naruto had to fight down the urge to puff out his chest, and to instead act embarrassed as he replied, “Ah, come on Gai-sensei. It was just a little training. Sakura wouldn’t get jealous over that.”

“I don’t know,” Gai said as he continued to watch Nel leave and had noticed that she looked back towards the blond several times, “I don’t think those ladies are truly hoping that you’ll come calling on them just for more training.”

Holding back a frown, Naruto was about to plead ignorance again when Kakashi stepped in, “Anyhow! We didn’t come all this way to see Naruto just to question him about his love life.”

Naruto felt a deep sense of concern as his fellow Leaf-nin grew serious, particularly as Tsume and Hana appeared the most troubled and so asked with no small amount of dread, “What happened?”

*****

Tsunade sat in the Den’s War Room along with several other members of the Family, as well as a few that were not bound to the Uzumaki. She was currently sitting off by herself and watched as the gathered women talked amongst themselves. She frowned as noticeably absent were women from Suna, particularly Temari, although the reason for her absence was a decision made by her and was due to a concern related to Yuugao that Yoshino had brought up to her privately and was tied to Naruto’s current proximity, rather than a commentary on the current difficulties between their lover and Gaara. She suspected that she would be in for quite the tongue lashing from her fellow blonde kunoichi when she learned of the meeting, but hoped she would understand, particularly should the worst-case scenario unfold.

Tsunade’s attention shifted towards an unoccupied spot of the room, and for a moment she was unsure why. But she then began to notice a weird distortion rather similar to the effect given off when looking down a street on a blazing hot day. An instant later Mabui blinked into existence as she used her jutsu, which had been improved by Kiyomi and her grandmother so that people could also be teleported. With the last of the women she had anticipated joining them, she said, “Ladies, lets get this meeting underway.”

“Where the fuck is Temari?” Tayuya asked as she took a seat at the large round table next to Koyuki. “It ain’t like her to miss gatherings like this. Especially, ones as urgent as this one seems to be considering how little head’s up you gave. She too busy taking advantage of Naruto being stationary for a change and couldn’t pull herself off of his dick?”

There were a few giggles and snorts of amusement, although she noticed a few of the women shifted about a little in their seats as if a certain part of their anatomy had tingled at the mention of how Temari and Naruto could be spending their time together, and it reminded them of how long it had been since they had such an opportunity. Although, she imagined that was the case for even those women that she hadn’t seen react, as she had also needed to suppress the urge.

Yet, it hadn’t been a woman bound to Naruto who had the most severe reaction to Tayuya’s statement. As that honor had belonged to Toki, whose face had gone beat red, and was staring down into her lap while also shifting about in her chair. Tsunade smirked internally at the woman’s reaction, since it was apparent that despite rumors suggesting that she had been romantically linked to several nobles since her meeting with and rejection of Naruto at the Whirling Tides Hotel during its reopening, she definitely had an interest in what the Uzumaki had to offer.

Still, despite being amused by Tayuya’s statement herself, Tsunade didn’t let it show as she stated, “Actually, I didn’t extend an invitation.” She could see several surprised faces and expecting a barrage of inquires as to why so quickly added, “Please hold off on questions. I’ll explain my reasoning in a moment.” Taking a few seconds to gather her thoughts, she stated, “There are several reasons for this gathering, and the most pressing is that if you haven’t heard it from other sources yet, Kabuto has turned up again as he recently made an attempt at robbing more graves. At least that is what we are official reporting. In truth though, we suspect his actual target of interest was Yuugao.”

“Why?” Hanare asked with a note of concern, “Is that who Kakashi is currently chasing after?”

“Yes,” Tsunade answered feeling conflicted about including the woman in the discussion, since she suspected she would react the most negatively once her reasons for excluding Temari and the other Suna kunoichi was out in the open. “While we were battling the two shinobi that Kabuto resurrected to distract us. He had sought out Yuugao, where he apparently disabled her team and had a brief altercation with her. Yet, whatever was said during it has caused Yuugao to go off the grid as it were.”

“Do you have any idea as to why?” the woman at the head of the Alliance’s intelligence network asked.

“Nothing confirmed mind you,” Tsunade said cautiously, “But, we believe that it is possible that she is targeting the person that murdered her fiancé Hayate.”

Koyuki spoke up as she asked, “Where did that theory come from? That seems to be quite the leap of logic since it doesn’t sound like she made her intentions known.”

“It came from me,” Yoshino replied from her seat next to Tsunade. “It may seem to be a leap of logic, but in truth I feel it is the most likely scenario.” Yoshino sat forward as she began to make her case, “First, we can eliminate that Kabuto is posing a danger to Naruto this time around, at least not directly.”

“How the fuck do you figure that?” Tayuya said sounding incredulous, “The slimy fucker wants to get his paws on Naruto more than anything. Probably so he can bring Orochimaru back and be his number one ass kisser again.”

“It is possible this is a step to achieving that,” Yoshino conceded, “But, not necessarily an overt attempt.”

“So, you’re saying it is a fact-finding mission of some sort,” Kiyomi suggested from where she sat between her sister Tier, and Mito. She smirked as she enjoyed the moment of surprise Yoshino showed, likely believing that she’d need to lay out more of a case before someone would arrive to such a conclusion.

Getting over her surprise, Yoshino said, “Yes, I believe so. Would you mind explaining what led you to that conclusion? It may help solidify or debunk my own reasoning.”

“Not at all,” Kiyomi replied before sitting back in her chair almost regally. “I think it prudent to begin by stating that it is a possibility that on some level Kabuto knows Naruto is tied to one or more of us. More to the point, his ties to the Great Tree Shipping Company. Particularly since he knows the truth behind Mito and Fuka’s return to the world of the living.”

“Okay, sure,” Tayuya said not exactly seeing how it connected to Yuugao, “Maybe he realizes the woman pretending to be Mito is the real deal since Fuka also found a home in the company. But, why target Yuugao. Where’s the link?”

“Namely that we own the building that she lives in,” Kiyomi replied causing the red head to mutter a curse. “Which admittedly, while we own several such in Konoha, one in particular would undoubtedly catch his eye.”

“Because Naruto also lives there,” Tayuya stated catching on. “So, are you saying the test is to see how Naruto reacts?” She then turned to Tsunade as she asked with a hint of accusation, “Is that why you’re keeping Temari in the dark, so she doesn’t need to lie to him?”

“Partly,” Tsunade admitted, “But mostly because Kakashi’s last report from the field stated he was playing a hunch and is currently on the way to Suna.”

Mabui, though at first had been concerned that her link to Naruto may have similarly been uncovered due to her working with the company, relaxed some upon hearing the belief that Kabuto’s insight may have appeared been tied to the fact they shared a home. So rather than pressing on that asked, “When you say playing a hunch, do you mean he’s lost her trail. She’s actively discouraging pursuit.”

“Yes,” Tsunade answered, “Apparently, she used an old trick where she had a shadow clone wear her clothes, while she used the scent remover the Inuzuka create to mask hers. At some point she dispelled the clone over a river which carried the clothes away. Tsume suspected as much and so sent Hana to investigate who found her pants caught up on some rocks a few miles down. Since the team has some of those not aware of the truth, she reported that she didn’t find anything. Although Tsume did inform them they were following a fake trail, she didn’t inform them of who created it.”

Toki interjected as she asked, “Pardon my ignorance. But, I’m still unclear as to why Kabuto would target this woman. Granted, it sounds like he has enough superficial evidence to perhaps suspect a link between her, Naruto and individuals tied to the Great Tree Shipping Company. But, surely not enough to suspect either Naruto or Yuugao would dance to his tune. Nothing revealed thus far would point to her having any kind of emotional connection to him.”

“Obviously you don’t know fucking Naruto then,” Tayuya said dismissively.

Not sure why she felt so offend, Toki nevertheless said, “I beg your pardon.”

Before Tayuya could respond, Yoshino stated, “To be fair, there are a few details that Lady Toki is unaware of.” Hoping to elaborate the Nara explained, “After the incident that saw Fuka consuming Naruto’s chakra, thanks in part to Kabuto’s machinations. Well let’s just say that when we learned how Fuka and her allies were hired to target him…Yuugao’s retaliation efforts against the bounty offices within the Land of Fire were… passionate.”

“In the extreme,” Tsunade added recalling Ibiki’s repeated reminders that prisoners with working jaws tended to be able to answer questions better, not to mention those still breathing.

“Yes,” Yoshino said, “Especially as they had not only accepted Kabuto’s contract to kidnap him. But, had also apparently accepted Sasuke’s to terminate him. So, I suppose we can all understand her exuberance. Unfortunately, I believe Kabuto also may have noticed it, which in conjunction with the other links might lead him to suspect there is more going on between them then they are just living under the same roof. Which would perhaps then extend to the other women within the Hidden Eddy Inn, or tied to the G.T.S.C.”

Konan deciding to get involved focused on Tsunade as she asked, “As it sounds like Kakashi is not completely in the loop with what you suspect is motivating Kabuto. Would it not be prudent to have him avoid going to Suna? It sounds like you didn’t want Temari to know because you want to keep Naruto in the dark. Would Kakashi not immediately get him involved?”

“I do want Naruto kept in the dark,” the Senju replied, “At least until Kakashi and his team inform him of what happened. I don’t want it to appear like he had advanced warning due to Rock and Gai’s inclusion on the team. But I’m not opposed to Naruto getting involved. Yuugao is one of us after all.”

Toki although she noticed that Hanare didn’t join in, felt extremely left out at the self-satisfied smiles the other women around the table wore as a result of the Hokage’s statement. As such, she was rather pleased Hanare wiped them off as she asked, “While that’s nice and all. If you believe she is going after the man that killed her previous lover, wouldn’t it be best to have Kakashi focus on who her target is. You could do that without arising too much suspicion… unless he is someone inside Suna. In which case you’re killing two birds with one stone by letting Kakashi head there.”

Tsunade nodded gravely as she stated, “We can only guess at this point. But, as Hayate was murdered during the Chunin Exams before the Sound invasion. It stands to reason he came to suspect one of the teams was up to something and was discovered. If that is indeed the case, then chances are it could be a shinobi of Suna.”

Tayuya frowned, “Couldn’t it just as easily be someone from Sound? Hell, it could be the fuckstick who started all this for all we know. He was Orchimaru’s inside man for the operation.”

“True,” Tsunade admitted, “But, it is just as likely that position was why Kabuto would know who the culprit is. Which, while I wouldn’t put it past him to lie. However, with Hayate’s DNA being one of the ones that he already stole it would be easy for Yuugao to call his bluff.”

Hanare’s frown deepened as she stated, “I hope you’re including me in this discussion, doesn’t also mean you’re going to ask me to sit on this information. If someone in Suna is going to be targeted for assassination then I need to inform them.”

“I understand,” Tsunade said fighting to keep a frown from her face, as she began to regret suggesting the woman for the position she now held. Although, she admitted her feeling such about it proved why she was actually doing a good job. “I just ask that you… phrase it vaguely and please keep Yuugao’s name out of it. We are just currently guessing here after all. Not to mention, while we can’t be sure how much of a head start Yuugao bought herself. It is likely that she has already reached Suna and has been there for a few days at least.”

Hanare cast a critical eye towards Tsunade as she considered the possibility that the Hokage may have waited so long to share the information just so she could make such a statement. Although she reasoned the Hokage would know that she was playing a dangerous game, especially since if Yuugao had been armed with the murderer’s name, and was willing to throw everything away, she wouldn’t need much time to prepare. Unless the person was targeting someone relatively well protected. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, as she asked, “Do you know who the killer is?”

“No,” Tsunade replied, “But, we do have a few suspects. Most notably among them would be Councilor Baki, as he served as the Sensei for the Kazekage’s children, and so would be the most likely person to serve as Suna’s contact with Kabuto. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that we’re completely missing the mark here, but it does feel like we’re on the right track.”

Hanare couldn’t sense any deception so after a moment said, “I’ll phrase it gently. I’ll make it sound like some chatter that was picked up about some bitter Leaf-nin wanting revenge due to it nearing the anniversary of Suna’s betrayal. I’ll provide Suna with a list of potential targets to keep an eye on.”

“Thank you,” Tsunade said with an appreciative nod of her head, “I’ll see that you get a list of possible targets once this meeting is over.”

She was about to change to another matter when Hanare asked, “Assuming that someone in Suna was behind the murder, and Yuugao’s disappearance isn’t so much to murder him but to apprehend him. How do you plan to handle that fallout?”

Hanare frowned at the surprise she saw appear on the faces of the women bound to Naruto as it was apparent that they hadn’t really considered it to be a possibility. Especially as the Hokage said, “I’m not sure what you mean, the treaty between Suna and Konoha states that all grievances committed between the villages during the invasion were forgiven.”

“True,” Hanare admitted, “But, it is that word during which could prove problematic here. Since, I think a case can be made that a murder committed a full month before the actual invasion would technically be something outside the scope of happening during it, even if it was to protect knowledge of an impending attack.”

“So, are you asking if the Leaf would pursue the prosecution of a possible Council member should Yuugao apprehend him?” Tsuande asked.

“Yes,” Hanare replied immediately, before adding with a little harshness, “I want to know if you’re going to further destabilize this alliance again simply for the sake of who she is sleeping with.”

Tsunade frowned before stating, “No, it wouldn’t be due to who she is sleeping with. But I would proceed with the prosecution if she managed to apprehend him.”

“What!” Hanare said angrily, “A moment ago you were just theorizing that she intends to murder the one who killed her lover. Now, you’re telling me that even if it proves to be a member of their council, you’d still insist on moving forward with a prosecution.”

Tsunade nodded before explaining in a calm manner, “That is correct, and I must admit that I feel rather guilty for only considering the possibility that she’s going after the killer to murder them. But you raise an interesting legal question, and so it is worth answering honestly. Just as I would understand if Suna were to decide that Yuugao deserved punishment for murdering a member of their village, so to do I understand the need to see justice done for Hayate.”

“Many people will not see it that way,” Hanare replied with a tinge of annoyance, “Particularly since many people were and still are asked to let go of their hatred towards Suna for the violence they instigated during the invasion.”

“That is certainly true,” Tsunade conceded with a small nod of her head. “But you pointed it out yourself that the circumstances here are not exactly the same. Therefore, I’d at least be willing to allow the matter to be settled in a court of law, rather than arbitrary deciding to sweep the matter under the rug to avoid unwanted repercussions. Just as would be the case if Suna decides to pursue charges against Yuugao depending on how she goes about achieving her aims, regardless of what they are.”

Hanare didn’t look any happier about the matter as she sat back in her chair, but admitted to herself that she was at least pleased that it appeared Yuugao would also face a similar fate if she acted on her worst desires.

With the matter closed for the moment, Tsunade asked, “Are there any other matters that any of you wish to discuss?”

Toki raised her hand, before stating, “I was hoping that perhaps Konan would be open to sending a few members of Akatsuki to investigate the One King Movement attacks in Bear Country. If we can prove that they are being backed by Iwa, it may help motivate the other minor countries to joining the alliance that I proposed.”

“Unfortunately, as things stand that is not possible,” Konan said apologetically as Toki’s face did little to hide her disappointment. “Unless the Mikado invites us into Bear Country, I cannot intervene. Currently, distrust against Akatsuki is still extremely high, and while in time I hope our actions in Bird, along with the others that have given us permission to deal with threats in their countries will earn us the people’s good will. I cannot be seen as circumnavigating the will of the rulers within country’s that have not given us permission as it will lead to them asking, how is Akatsuki any different under my leadership then when under Tobi’s?”

“Even if by doing so you may earn the Mikado’s gratitude?” Toki asked concerned that her efforts of an Alliance comprised of the minor countries was otherwise doomed to failure. Particularly as although the previous meeting had only resulted in the countries agreeing to meet again to discuss the matter at a later date that was fast approaching. Without any current evidence of Iwa’s continuing to undermine the rule of minor countries along its western border, many of the rulers who had previously pledged to attend the upcoming meeting were beginning to signal a change of heart.

“I could just as easily earn his ire,” Konan stated rather pointedly. “What if we investigate only to find that the One King Movement is being supported by the Mikado as a means to weaken the Hidden Star village.”

“Nothing I’ve heard indicates that would be the case,” Toki countered as a frustration bled into her voice and wondered if she would receive such pushback if she had become one of Naruto’s women. “He has given his complete support to the Hidden Star village, and the One King’s movement has been targeting civilians in their attempts to sow discontentment within the Land of Bears.”

Konan inclined her head, but countered, “True, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone of the political class gave their support to someone even as they were stabbing them in the back.” Tayuya let out a snort of amusement, which the blue-haired woman ignored as she continued, “As you may or may not be aware, of all the smaller hidden villages founded after Konoha that never achieved the prominence of the major five, only Hidden Star tried to state they had a shinobi worthy of the title Kage. Do you know what this means?”

“It the title given to the leader of a shinobi village,” Toki stated dismissively. “What of it?”

Tsunade leaned forward in her seat as she said, “It isn’t quite that cut and dry. You see, in theory it was a title given to the founders of the Major Shinobi villages to show that they were viewed as equals of the Daimyo, and were meant to signify they held equal power to them. Now, in practice this is rarely, if ever, the case and truth be told the Daimyo just give lip service to it. In truth, the only place where you could say it was actually the case would probably be the Land of Water during the previous Mizukage’s tenure.”

“So,” Toki said in a griping manner, not seeing the point of the history lesson.

Tsunade felt a flash of annoyance at the woman’s tone, but Konan stepped in to say, “So, if you knew anything of the previous Mizukage’s history, you would know that the man was considered to be a tyrant who instilled a deep hatred against bloodlines within the Land of Water and instigated bloody purges while the Daimyo was powerless to stop him. The man that laid claim to the title of Hoshikage, wasn’t exactly a tyrant, but he used the power of the star that his shinobi clan had discovered a few centuries earlier to force the Mikado to bestow the title upon him. A title he was able to hold as he and his shinobi succeeded in pushing Iwa out of the Land of Bears during an offensive that took place during the First Shinobi World War, which some say the Mikado of the era asked the Land of Earth for himself. The First Hoshikage ended up dying soon after, likely as a result of the meteors poisonous’ nature. But as you can imagine the Second Hoshikage wasn’t exactly keen on giving up the title or the power his predecessor had accrued.”

Toki frowned as she stated, “But isn’t the title something that fell out of use after the Fourth Hoshikage’s crimes were exposed by Naruto and some other Leaf-nin?”

Tsunade smirked internally that Toki apparently knew of Naruto’s involvement while regulating the rest of Team Gai as being just some Konoha-nin, although she imagined Tenten in particular wouldn’t find it as amusing. “That is true,” she stated, “A young man named Sumaru took over the village soon after Team Gai and Naruto left as he was one of its most talented shinobi having completed more of the star training than anyone else. But, without the star’s power to rely on, he wisely decided not to call himself a Kage less it provoke the wrong people.”

“You mean the Mikado,” Toki asked hesitantly.

“Or possibly Iwa should some future hostility erupt,” Tsunade replied before explaining, “After all, the current Tsuchikage has been around long enough to have served under both his predecessors, and may still harbor some resentment that a minor village embarrassed his during the First Shinobi war. It may be why if Earth Country is behind the current chaos afflicting the Land of Bears, he’d go along with it. The man isn’t known as the fence sitter for his willingness to take bold decisive action, even through such underhanded methods. So truthfully, I imagine in most cases he’d actually be quite against this type of underhanded expansion Earth has been practicing. He knows better than most how such tactics and behavior can snowball into a war. Which was why we saw a sudden decrease in such rabble rousing all across the Land of Earth’s western border after Naruto caught them red-handed, everywhere but the Land of Bears that was. So, either discrediting the Hidden Star village is personal for the Third Tsuchikage or…”

“Or, it is a genuine cell of the One King’s movement, which the Mikado is possibly using as a means to strip power from the Hidden Star Village since that is the movement’s goal and it no longer has the meteor,” Toki said feeling disheartened although she now better understood Konan’s hesitance to intercede without the Mikado’s approval. Receiving a pair of nods from the two women, the Land of Bird’s daimyo sank back into her seat as she said disappointedly, “So that’s it then. The Minor Country Alliance will just consist of Bird, Vegetable, and Demon then.”

Although, Tsunade admitted that she could be reading more into the woman’s tone then was there. She felt in Toki’s mind, her statement was more along the lines of the alliance consisting of a woman who had slept with Naruto, one who was on the edge of doing so, and one who wanted to but claimed otherwise. Although, she doubted the Bird Daimyo was being that honest about her own desires. Still, Tsunade feeling somewhat sympathetic stated, “Well, if the Mikado is just being stubborn and truly hasn’t asked for help because he doesn’t wish outside interference in what he views as an internal matter, then perhaps we may be able to establish another means of getting some insight into Iwagakure’s subversive activity.”

Tsunade sent a look towards Koyuki as Toki did perk up some, although it didn’t last as Tayuya said, “Sorry, we ain’t got shit for you. The fucker that calls himself a Daimyo isn’t budging on letting Koyuki film in the Land of Earth.”

Despite Tayuya’s announcement, Koyuki did sound somewhat amused and hopeful as she said, “While the Daimyo has proven to be rather resilient to the pressures of the embargo that I’ve placed on Spring’s resources heading to Earth Country. I have noticed an increased amount of papers reporting on my heartless behavior both in my own country and in the Land of Fire.”

“And you consider this a good thing,” Toki said sounding rather scandalized at her fellow daimyo’s dismissal of the apparent negative press.

Yoshino mirrored the daimyo’s amused tone as she stated, “I imagine if you investigated those papers revenue streams, you’d notice one or two that originated from the Land of Earth. Although, likely hidden behind some shell company which is purchasing advertising, but never seems to get any ads printed.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Koyuki said flashing a smile which had charmed the hearts of millions, “Which just shows that the Daimyo is beginning to feel the pressure, and so is trying to turn public opinion against me by claiming my actions are hurting the less fortunate of Earth Country due to the resource shortages they are experiencing.”

“But how do you justify the suffering that the people of Earth Country may be experiencing for what appears to be such a petty reason?” Toki asked concerned.

Koyuki shrugged dismissively as she replied, “Well to begin, I have no obligation to the people of Earth Country. Particularly, when its leader agreed to a deal that included my being allowed to shoot a picture in his country only to back out when it came time to deliver on his end. Considering that another part of the deal our countries struck was that the resources I provided were not to be used towards propagating hostile actions against Earth’s neighboring countries, how can I trust that he is being forthright in regards to such a major clause, if I cannot trust the Earth Daimyo to deliver on what you consider the petty one that I included?” Toki did find herself unable to really push her fellow Daimyo on the matter, especially after she stated, “Besides, two can play such games, and I imagine the Earth Daimyo finds his efforts to smear me in such a manner difficult, when rival papers which may or may not have a few revenue streams that lead back to Spring are posting pictorials of the lavish parties the Earth Daimyo enjoys next to the pictures showcasing his people suffering.”

Yoshino although aware such a propaganda war had been taking place took the opportunity to ask, “However are you getting those pictures though? Generally speaking, Earth’s Department of Information tends to be pretty good about letting such things slip by.”

Koyuki smirked as she said, “True, although if a man is going document the excesses that he enjoys while also claiming that his people are suffering. Then he should probably pay the photographers that he hires more so they don’t end up snapping a few shots which don’t end up in the portfolio that they send in.”

Yoshino gave an impressed nod, before stating, “Still, if the Earth Daimyo is expanding his efforts to exert such pressure on you, it would seem to suggest he is feeling a considerable amount as well.”

“Agreed,” Koyuki said while hoping her efforts soon bore some results, “and if so, I imagine we’ll have an opportunity to get eyes into Iwa sooner, rather than later since I can’t imagine we’ll be allowed into Earth Country without a shinobi escort.”

Although Toki was pleased to hear that they may soon have some insights into how the Land of Earth was troubling its neighbors. A part of her wondered how her fellow Daimyo and the other women present could sound and look so nonchalant about it, especially considering how it would mean that they’d likely end up sharing the man that they supposedly cared for with yet another woman.

Tsunade figuring the issues related to Land to Bear Country had been discussed to a conclusion asked, “Are there any other matters anyone wishes to bring up?”

“I’m curious if you’ve had a chance to draw any conclusions from the notes that I sent you in regards to the Persona Project,” Mabui asked as she had recently used her teleportation technique, which Kiyomi and Mito had improved, to infiltrate the Vault. Which sadly, she still had no idea where it was as she had only appeared within a documents room as she had slipped a seal with a stack of documents on the Raikage’s desk which had been earmarked to be sent there.

“Yes,” Tsunade replied with a hint of concern since she knew the individuals that had been a part of it were scheduled to appear in the Chunin Exams and may end up targeting their shared lover. “Based on what you were able to recall and transcribe from the files that you read, although incomplete, it leads me to believe the project was intended to either create individuals with abilities similar to the Gold and Silver Brothers, or to create an entirely new Bijuu, perhaps something along the lines of those Zero Tails that appeared recently.”

“That would seem to be quite the divergence in outcomes,” Tier stated with a frown at the thought of somewhat trying to artificially create Bijuu.

“True,” Tsunade replied, “But as I imagine that Mabui was crunched for time, she was only able to read a fraction of the information related to the project.”

The Kumo-nin nodded as she explained, “Unfortunately, the room the files were kept in was temperature controlled and would set off an alarm if a person lingered too long.”

“Which would be my guess as to why she wisely switched her focus to the personnel files of some of those who took part in the project,” Tsunade stated earning a pleased smile from dark-skinned woman. “Those, in conjunction with the outline of what took place led me to draw the conclusions that I have.”

“Well don’t leave us all in fucking suspense,” Tayuya said as the silence stretched on while Tsunade gathered her thoughts. “Which of those threats is Naruto going to be fucking faced with during the exams.”

Tsunade held back a scowl at the red-head snapping at her, as it was easy to hear the concern the red-head felt over their lover facing such potentially powerful opponents. “In truth it appears to be neither,” the Senju stated, causing Tayuya to scowl at her as the other women looked confused. “I stated that I believed that was the result that they were shooting for, not what they necessarily achieved. In truth, whoever was behind this experiment likely viewed it as a failure.”

“Fucking tease,” Tayuya said crossing her arms in annoyance.

Tsunade gave a playful smile, before stating, “What the experiment did succeed in creating would be more along the lines of the Ido creature that Sky-nin Shinno created through his experiments on Yakumo. Hence why it probably ended up being called Project Persona, as from what I could derive from the personnel files seemed to suggest these individuals are able to manifest chakra creatures that seem rooted somewhat in suppressed aspects of the person’s personalities.”

“Is that why you believe the actual desired results were to create something along lines of the Zero tails?” Kiyomi asked before clarifying further, “I’m speaking in regards to the link that would exist because of that Shinno’s involvement.”

“Not just that,” Tsunade replied, “Although it certainly factors in. While the person or persons behind the experiment took great pains to make sure their identities were not tied to it from what I saw. I believe they were aware of Shinno’s experiment on Yakumo, but misunderstood the purpose of it. I believe they saw it as a step in creating the zero tails, rather than a test of its potential after spending time in a host.”

“What leads you to that conclusion?” Tier asked.

“A while back Sakura theorized that the Ido was a precursor to the Zero Tails,” Tsunade stated recalling the discussion around the time Danzou was trying to force Yakumo off of the council. “I believe she made the same mistake those behind the experiment in Kumo made.”

“Because of how weak the Zero’s tails were in Ame,” Tier said suddenly believing she understood where the Hokage was going.

“Correct,” Tsunade replied with a nod, “When Sakura was developing her theory, the only Zero Tails that we had encountered was in the aftermath of the Sky-nin air raid. That creature was far stronger, which I now believe was because it was specifically generated to gather Dark Chakra from its host, as opposed to the ones we encountered during the attack on Ame. While the Ido was meant to gather data about the abilities of the Zero Tails to absorb chakra, and perhaps more specifically Dark Chakra.”

“You determined this how?” Kiyomi asked not quite sharing in her sister’s insights mostly as her sister had done some research on the creatures after Ame because of her finding them to be an abomination due to their stealing life in order to grow stronger.

Tier showcased some of that knowledge as she explained, “Because of the one Kukaku encountered in Ame. Unlike the one Naruto fought previously which had a kanji for zero on its mask. The one she encountered had a number and continued to increase with the more chakra it absorbed.” Focusing on the Hokage, the blonde Bijuu stated, “You believe the Dark Chakra didn’t register in the same manner as Bijuu or even regular chakra.”

“Precisely,” Tsunade stated, “It is likely the Zero Tails were meant to act as a replacement for you Bijuu to be sealed in the statue, and so the kanji on the mask were meant to act as a gauge of sorts.”

Kiyomi beginning to catch on said, “So they would know when they had gathered enough chakra to replace us, and dark chakra didn’t register because it would be like a pressure gauge that didn’t go negative trying to read a vacuum.” Receiving a nod from the Hokage, she began to puzzle the rest out, “Okay, so our mysterious scientist knows that creating the zero tails is possible but doesn’t know the method in detail. Then whoever it is, must have been aware that Shinno got his hands on the scroll with the secrets of their creation somehow, and was likely keeping tabs on him. As such, he becomes aware of his encounter with Yakumo and believes the Ido entity is what exactly… an early stage of the process? Some sort of gestation process?” Kiyomi’s gaze met Tsunade’s again, who nodded so the Bijuu knowing she was on the right track continued, “But it wasn’t…instead it was some test in how strong one could become over time. But why didn’t the Ido look like the zero tails?”

“I believe that is due to the method of implantation, or more specifically how the Zero tails were hooked into the chakra network,” Tsunade stated causing the Bijuu to once more focus on her.

The Senju could see that Kiyomi instantly understood what she meant, “I see, you’re saying the experiment on top of determining how strong a zero tails could become, was also to determine the best method for Shinno to seal it into his apprentice.”

“Exactly,” Tsunade replied, before frowning as Tayuya let out an exasperated sigh.

“Can somebody get to the fucking point?” she groaned as she sank into her chair, “We get it, you’re both big brained bitches. What does it matter how the fuck these things were sealed away? The question is are they a threat?”

Mito couldn’t keep from sounding amused due to how both Kiyomi and Tsunade were staring daggers towards the younger woman. But, understanding why it mattered she explained, “The reason it matters is because based on the method of how the bijuu was sealed, it could have profound effects on either the host, or in this case, on the Zero’s themselves.” Although Tayuya didn’t seem any happier about the discussion dragging on, she sat up while the Uzumaki began explaining, “Take Naruto for example, a jinchuriki is set up essentially by creating a pocket dimension of sorts within the host which stores a Bijuu. Essentially, creating a separate power source for the host to tap into in times of need. Now, this still tends to affect the host as they develop, since the Bijuu chakra bleeds out either over time or as the Bijuu try to escape. This tends to result in the hosts not being affected by the negative properties that were usually associated with contact with Bijuu chakra. But, also leads to things like secondary traits associated with the bijuu such as Naruto’s whisker marks, and large chakra reserves. This is also why children tend to make the best hosts, so they can grow accustomed to these changes over time. When I became the first jinchuriki that held Kiyomi, I was bedridden for months as my chakra coils nearly burst, but I was also being poisoned by her chakra.”

Tayuya sat up straight as her eyes grew wide with understanding, “So wait, you’re saying it’s the opposite here, and these Zero tails were being effected by the hosts.”

“Now she gets it,” Tsunade said in a teasing manner earning her a scowl from the red-head, which gave way to a smirk of playfulness.

Mito let the moment playout before continuing, “Yes, as the Zero Tails are essentially blank slates. They begin to become imprinted by their hosts. In this case, I believe they take on traits of their personalities. The Ido for example, was probably born and became so negative due to the pressure Yakumo felt as someone that supposedly developed the Kurama Bloodline, even though it never truly existed. It became even more so after she felt betrayed by Kurenai when they tried to seal her abilities away.”

Tayuya found the explanation a little lacking as she asked, “But, wouldn’t they recognize the zero tails as a Bijuu that was sealed within her.”

“Not necessarily,” Tsunade answered, “In fact, at first they believed it was just an aspect of her powers giving form to her Id. This is because the zero tails that became Ido wasn’t sealed in Yakumo in a traditional fashion. Rather than being sealed in a pocket within Yakumo, it was sealed directly into her chakra network.”

Tayuya began to look lost again so Mito added, “A true Bijuu needs to be sealed away from the hosts chakra network, so that over time the two can meld. Like roots of two different plants growing into each other. Hence why Naruto’s seal often takes the shape of a boiler room in his mindscape, slowly but surely his chakra network connected to this new power source.” Tayuya gave a slow nod that she was following along, so the Uzumaki continued, “Now in Yakumo’s case, it would be like installing a filter directly into a waterline.”

Toki, who also had found the conversation difficult to follow since she had almost no knowledge of how chakra worked, suddenly erupted excitedly, “So the Bijuu began absorbing not just her chakra, but aspects of her wants and desires as well and became shaped by them.”

“Very much so,” the red-head Uzumaki said with a pleased nod as it appeared everyone was on the same page. “From this experiment, I believe Shinno devised a sealing method that worked along the same lines of generating a pocket when sealing a Bijuu, but it acted in reverse in the sense that the Bijuu would begin storing Dark Chakra as it was generated with the pocket acting as a filter from regular chakra, thus preventing it from being corrupted by the host’s personality. As the Zero Tail’s within Shinno’s apprentice became more powerful with Dark Chakra, it began to erode the barrier to escape signaling to him that it was time to put his plans in motion.”

“I see,” Mabui said, “Then whoever it was that tried to replicate this experiment in Kumo succeeded in a fashion, just not in achieving the goal of creating these blank Zero tails.”

“I’m confused about something,” Tier said focusing on the Hokage, “You mentioned two potential goals as being the reasons for the experiment conducted in Kumo. But, thus far everything mentioned would suggest that creating a zero tails was the goal. But what would make you believe a goal was to recreate pseudo-jinchuriki similar to the Gold and Silver Brothers? Am I missing something?”

“No,” Tsunade stated with a quick shake of her head, “The reason for that being a possible outcome given the data we have, was because of what the experiment entailed.” For the sake of Toki and Koyuki in particular, the Senju explained, “For those of you unfamiliar with who the Gold and Silver Brothers were. They were a pair of traitors in Kumo that derailed the peace talks between my Uncle and the Second Raikage. These men, at one point tried to capture Kiyomi for Kumo, but she ate them.” Kiyomi grimaced partially due to the looks that she was the recipient of, but also due to the memories of the indigestion that she had suffered through for the two weeks they had lived inside her stomach. “According to legend, they survived off of her flesh, and when she finally regurgitated them, they had been changed by the encounter. In essence, they inherited the ability to generate a beast cloak of at least six tails. In fact, it was through this legend that Kazuma came up with the method of creating the Black Kyuubi and creating the pseudo-jinchuriki that is Sora. Our mysterious scientist in Kumo also drew inspiration from this legend. However, whereas Kazuma poisoned people with food tainted with the chakra flesh of a Bijuu until he found someone with an immunity to it, and then sealed chakra siphoned from that same flesh he had gathered into Sora until a new Bijuu developed. Our scientist in Kumo, laced food with far smaller amounts of Bijuu flesh, probably gathered and stored during one of the eight-tails’ rampages. The idea being that unlike with what Kazuma hoped to achieve, which was basically looking for what could be considered fertile soil, a possible descendant of the Sage of the Six paths as the Gold and Silver Brothers were rumored to be, in which to plant Bijuu chakra to nurture it as it developed into a fully formed Bijuu. In Kumo, the idea was to turn regular people into that soil, by slowly feeding them tainted food until they built up an immunity to the poisonous nature of it. While this method worked for the most part, it failed in the sense that that almost like ingesting a parasite from undercooked food, new chakra creatures quickly developed within these hosts and as they were exposed directly to their hosts’ chakra were in fact shaped by their personalities. By the time they realized this, it was too late as the hosts and these chakra beings had developed a symbiotic relationship and you couldn’t do anything to one without harming the other. I’m guessing that at this point, our scientist probably deemed the experiment a failure for his purposes, although he probably sold it to the Raikage as a minor success, at which point it became known as the Persona Project since the experiment was conducted within one of Kumo’s smaller academies.”

“So how dangerous are they?” Tayuya asked. “What kind of abilities do they possess?”

“That is hard to say,” Tsunade answered with a frown, “They haven’t truly been tested, outside of some basic missions, and the overall outline of their abilities wasn’t included in the files Mabui was able to recreate. From what I could gleam from the personnel files, it appears each of them developed a unique creature which when they manifest act somewhat similar to an independent chakra puppet. These creatures are what are called Persona’s. It sounds like some of the people in the experiment may dress rather flashily since it helps them better manifest their Persona, so they should be easy enough to spot. At least once the exams start.”

“That’s something I suppose,” Tayuya said sounding disappointed. Focusing on Mabui, she asked, “Do you think you can bust in again to get the rest of the details?”

“Not likely,” Mabui said sounding disappointed that perhaps some of the most important information required to determine the threat they may pose to their lover was not present. “There is little doubt that they detected my infiltration, and even if they write it off as being a sensor malfunctioned. Chances are they will act with increased caution, so they will probably inspect everything incoming for signs of tampering or teleportation seals for the time being. They may even add a detection barrier, or one meant to block teleportation jutsu, although that is least likely since those may alert people as to the Vault’s location.”

Tsunade seeing that Mabui was rather disappointed in what she had managed to bring them stated, “I wouldn’t be too disappointed in what information you grabbed. While perhaps not enlightening in the immediate sense of telling us how capable these individuals would be. I think the information is far more useful in telling us something dangerous is afoot within Kumo.”

“What do you mean?” Mabui asked concerned, “I’ll admit that I’m disgusted at the thought that the Raikage signed off on this experiment which despite the low doses used to taint the food, was still being performed on unaware children. Luckily, they didn’t seem to be harmed in the long run.”

“I believe what Tsunade is alluding to isn’t tied to the idea that the Raikage is permitting such testing,” Yoshino stated flatly before her tone became much graver as she added, “But, that we should be concerned in regards to what would be the purpose of the Zero Tails that Kumo hoped to develop.” Giving those presents a few moments to consider it, she continued, “If we are correct in assuming that the Zero Tails that were encountered in Ame were created by Shinno at some point. Then that points to a link between him, and the Black Zetsu creature that appears to be manipulating events from the shadows.” Focusing on Hanare, the Nara stated, “I believe it will be most informative to see just how Shinno was spending the years since his encounter with Yakumo.” Receiving a slight nod of agreement from the woman that was in charge of the J.A.I.N., Yoshino continued, “We can also surmise that at some point in time, Kumo may have had possession of the scroll which detailed the method for creating the Zero Tails, making them aware of the possibility, but perhaps not long enough to determine the method.”

“What does that tell us?” Toki asked beginning to feel lost again.

Rather than Yoshino, it was Hanare who answered as she stated, “It tells us that whatever Kumo wants the Zero Tails for, it likely isn’t tied to the Black Zetsu or it schemes. Otherwise, it would probably just be working with them through some intermediary.”

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing though?” Toki asked, not quite understanding what the women found so concerning. “It at least shows us that the Black Zetsu hasn’t infiltrated Kumo and may have even scuttled one of Kumo’s schemes if it was behind the village losing the scroll so it could enact is own.”

“True,” Tsunade said, “But, it does point to Kumo having an underground weapons program. One that is most likely geared to removing the balance my grandfather tried to establish by handing the Bijuu out to the other villages.”

The two Bijuu present scowled at how Tsunade described her grandfather’s actions, but Toki laughed derisively as she said, “Balance, your grandfather’s precious balance didn’t stop your villages from using our homes as your battlegrounds.”

“I know,” Tsunade replied calmly, “It was perhaps naïve of him to believe that giving the other villages a means to create jinchuriki would keep them from going to war. I imagine the idea was that with such powerful shinobi in each villages’ roster, they’d be more hesitant to fight one another. And while we could probably spend all day and night debating if it actually worked to some extent or not at all. I for one have little doubt that if Kumo discovers a means of mass-producing shinobi on par with a jinchuriki, it will prompt the Raikage to go to war again, if only to get the most use out of them before any other village can develop a counter.”

Mabui felt a wave of depression sweep over her at the fact that she couldn’t really fault the Hokage for believing such about a man that she had once been so proud to serve. The feeling also made her begin to doubt the plan that she was putting into place which could see her lose her position as the Raikage’s assistant when the time inevitably came that she would be forced to publicly disavow the Alliance and what it stood for. Although she had planned to refuse, and to step fully into her role as the head of the Great Tree Shipping Company’s Kumo Branch. She now began to wonder if her lover wouldn’t be better served by her appearing to go along with the anti-Alliance sentiment in order to remain in her current position.

Although, not sure of which path to take, she let the matter drop for the time being as Tayuya stated, “Aren’t we getting a little worked up over nothing though? I mean this experiment has to be a few years old at this point if they dosed a bunch of school kids, and they are only just now taking the chunin exams. I can’t imagine the Raikage found these Persona users to be too fucking impressive. And, it doesn’t appear that they have any idea about how to make the Zero Tails.”

“I don’t think so,” Mabui stated sad at the fact that for most of her life, she had lived with the belief that her village had been the one dedicated to peace and had been derailed by the machinations of its rivals, while it appeared the opposite was the case. “During the attack on Ame, several Anbu, a jounin, and member of Kumo’s Barrier Division all disappeared. It was written off as a training accident. But I do not believe this was the case.”

“Why,” Tsunade asked getting a bad feeling that if her luck still worked the way it did before becoming Naruto’s lover, she’d be starting a winning streak.

“The timing for one,” Mabui said, “It’s pretty obvious that they were likely meant to help with extracting Yugito after the Raikage subdued her. A member of the barrier team would definitely be required, especially if the Raikage had been forced to critically injure her. Also, Kumo’s head jounin Darui also left the village at the same time as them, but only he and a few of the Anbu assigned to the same training mission turned up with the inured Raikage.”

“Yeah, but Yugito ended up kicking the Raikage’s ass, and from what I heard, she didn’t mention running into any reinforcements from Kumo, outside of the host of the eight-tails” Tayuya stated.

Tsunade though having attended the ceremony suddenly understood the source of her bad feeling said, “But, his brother didn’t infiltrate the village until after the battle had already begun, while the Raikage attended the ceremony with the head of Kumo’s Anbu, and its medical department. Which begs the question of, why didn’t they engage in the fight against Yugito?”

“Precisely,” Mabui said as she took note of the concern beginning to appear on the other women’s faces. “Kaname Tosen and Sosuke Aizen’s actions during the battle are unaccounted for. But, both turned up some time after the Raikage, and I don’t think it is a stretch of the imagination to believe that the Head of Kumo’s medical department may have had a hand in the experiment that resulted in these Personas being created. Which could potentially mean he was probably quite aware of and interested in getting his hands on at least one of the Zero Tails that appeared.”

Koyuki tried to sound optimistic as she said, “Okay, so even if Kumo got their hands on one or two of them and were able to quickly use them to make shinobi on par with jinchuriki. Wouldn’t that just put them back to where they were before Yugito defected and the eight-tail’s host disappeared?”

“It depends on if you would need one Zero tails per a shinobi to achieve such results or if the Zero tail is just some sort of catalyst to do it and one can be used to effect a change in multiple shinobi,” Yoshino said. “Based on this new information, I would favor that the true goal of the experiment which created the Personas was definitely to create a or multiple Zero Tails.” Tsunade nodded along in agreement so the Nara stated, “But from there, we have no idea as to what they would want it for, although we can assume it is meant to be weaponized in some way. So, if they did manage to get their hands on one in Ame, then we can assume that they either have everything they need to go forward with the weaponizing process, or they have to in essence reverse engineer it to try and determine the correct method towards creating more.”

“What if they got ahold of more than one?” Tayuya asked.

“Then there would be almost too many variables to hazard an accurately guess at all the potential outcomes without more information,” Yoshino replied, “For example, If they need one per a shinobi to weaponize it, and are concerned the process to learn how to create more would damage the ones they captured, then they would probably concentrate on the reverse engineering it. After all, it wouldn’t do them much good to perfect the weaponization portion of the process only to have no means of creating more. In contrast, the same can be said if they’re unsure about the weaponization side, but are confident they can reverse engineer it from the ones they have, they’ll at least wait until they have a few on hand before proceeding. The worst-case scenario assuming the weaponization process is a one to one equation, would be if they have more than one zero tails and are confident both processes do not pose a danger to them. It allows them to proceed down both avenues of research at the same time. But even these scenarios are just guesses that are assuming that the processes are far enough along that all they need to do is plug the zero tails into it regardless of the direction they take. For all we know, after the failure the Personas represented, Kumo mothballed the whole project because they lacked the crucial component to proceed. So, even if the Raikage decided to grab some upon recognizing what they were, it may just have been in order to revisit this project which they have to start from the ground up again.”

Tsunade was glad to see all the women present were aware of how grave matters appeared despite Yoshino trying to put their minds at ease. But she felt Yoshino had glossed over just how bad it could be in order to do so, and so wanting to hammer the point home said, “That isn’t even the worst-case scenario.”

“No, it isn’t,” Yoshino admitted, “The absolute worst case is a one to x equation in that only one Zero Tails is required to modify multiple shinobi at the same time. In which case, they would already have everything that they need to begin, and depending on how far along they are in the development of the process, could begin churning out something along the lines of fully realized pseudo-jinchuriki within days of undergoing the process.”

“It can’t really be that bad though right,” Tayuya said worriedly, “I mean, if that was the case, wouldn’t the Raikage just pull out of the Alliance already?”

“Not necessarily,” Yoshino said her tone as concerned as the red-head’s, “As he is demonstrating by including these Personas in the Chunin Exam, the Raikage isn’t above using the exams as a testing ground. Especially, if he wants to put them up against a fully realized jinchuriki in a battle with real stakes. It could very well be that they’ve already begun modifying some of their chunin hopefuls and will use them in their plot to capture or eliminate Naruto.”

Tsunade suddenly regretted pushing the matter as she hadn’t considered the possibility that their lover would potential come across such enhanced shinobi so soon, particularly in a situation where he would be their primary target. Having a sudden urge to place a bet, although she feared winning this time it would signify her luck had returned to how it used to be, she tried to sound upbeat as she said, “Well, as Yoshino pointed out, we really have no idea of how far along they are, or even if they have a zero tails in their possession. So, before we get too worked up about it, and if nobody has anything else to discuss, let’s call it quits here.”

The other women seemed to agree and stood to begin leaving. Although Toki, rather than heading for the entrance approached Tsunade in order to ask the Hokage, “Um, do you happen to know why Lady Haruna didn’t attend? When I received your invite, I had rather hoped she would have also, so we could discuss her hosting the summit for officially forming a minor country alliance. Even if it would just be Demon, Vegetable and Bird likely attending.”

Tsunade gave a sympathetic smile due to the disappointment Toki’s voice held at the likelihood the alliance she was trying to form wouldn’t feature more than just countries with ties to Naruto, and then informed her, “I don’t know. She just stated that she had a prior engagement.”

Yoshino surprised Tsunade as she joined them to state, “She’s busy with an operation that she and Anko are running to disrupt her abuser’s illegal activities.”

“I see,” Toki said as she followed the Hokage and Nara out of the room, “Then I will…”

“Tsunade,” an angry Temari called as she appeared from the teleportation room, “How dare you leave me out of the loop like that!”

Tsunade didn’t let out the sudden sigh that she felt as the Suna kunoichi’s ire as stormed past Mabui and Tayuya who appeared to have been discussing something. Having figured she’d be having this confrontation sooner or later, and accepting that she deserved it on a certain level she turned fully to meet the woman head on. Still, she just hoped the angry blonde didn’t signify that her winning streak in life was coming to an end, although she did take some solace in the fact that Temari’s appearance meant the man who had turned her life around was aware of Yuugao’s situation, who probably needed him now, more than ever.

*****

Haruna stood before a man in a large dark dungeon located within the bowels of her castle. She was dressed in a black leather bodysuit, which although it covered her crotch and breasts still left her feeling exposed as it was V shaped which opened up from her groin, although with a mesh covering that both hide and exposed the flesh underneath. A few straps extended away from the V shaped suit, which fastened in back to help hold it in place, while a pair of clips dangled from the straps that started from the base of the V and wrapped around her hips before disappearing behind her. These clips were attached to the sheer leggings that she wore, which then disappeared into the high-heeled boots that she wore. To add a bit of regal flare to the ensemble, she was wearing a sheer robe which was see-through except where the material turned dark and frill around the neck and shoulder area. Yet, despite her also wearing a thick leather mask which was more like a helmet as only the lower half of her face was exposed, she still felt extremely exposed and nervous even though the man that she stood before was naked and tied to a chair.

She took a breath to help calm her nerves as she noticed the man’s breathing change, which Anko had told her meant he had likely awakened from the sedative that he had been given when her Flower-nin had attacked the base of the man’s smuggling operation. A base Haruna had known of because the man who had broken her when she had been a Political Hostage in the Land of Claws had taken her there, and had her pleasure him along with his associate, the man currently tied to the chair. In fact, most of the damage inflicted by the former Watari, who now worked for her and who had taken on the mantle of Flower-nin, had been dealt because of the man’s tendency to reward his associates with her body.

Still, despite having hit several of the larger smuggling operations that she had learned of from her time as the noble Sasugaki Kunitake’s sex slave, thus far their actions hadn’t resulted in a retaliatory response. Although, this could be due to the Flower-nin under her command having conducted the raids without leaving any traces as to who was behind them. Still the fact that the smuggling operations hadn’t appeared to display any greater level of alertness on the subsequent raids was troubling. Enough so, that they had reached out to Yoshino Nara to see if she could provide a reason for the lack of response. The Nara hadn’t disappointed, as she had provided multiple theories. Although of them there had been three that she had favored most. The first of the theories was that the organizations they had hit thus far had fallen out of favor and so operated on the outskirts of Sasugaki’s criminal undertakings so losing them was no big deal to him. The next one the Nara had theorized was that Sasugaki was playing it cool, and sacrificing a few of his associates in order to bait a trap for the unseen group disrupting his operations. Which while certainly plausible from what she knew of the man, the one Haruna favored was that he was in the midst of a rather large operation which required almost all of his assets to be operating at the same time and so expected setbacks, in the form of the occasional raid. The reason Haruna favored that theory the most, and she suspected the Nara did as well, was because each of the raids they had conducted had resulted in huge windfalls in terms of weapons and other items an army would at war would require.

However, despite how successful the raids had been, they still hadn’t learned anything in regards to where the items had come from, or where they were heading. Mostly because Sasugaki set his smuggling operations up in three tiers, with them being the Packagers, who gathered the items, the Shippers who role was self-explanatory, and the Distributors, who naturally saw to it the items reached their destinations. This setup insured that even if one aspect of the operation was compromised, it would afford Sasugaki a chance to cut it loose before he was implicated. Unfortunately, when Sasugaki had taken her on his sex tours as he liked to call them, they had only visited operations related to the Shipping part of the operation. Which Haruna assumed was because it was the portion that was easiest to sacrifice, since losing a Packager could also result in the collateral damage of the source of the contraband being compromised. While on the opposite side, a Distributor getting caught could lead to a customer of Sasugaki being exposed. Still, the idea behind Anko’s operation which she had called, Chicken’s Come Home to Roost, was to hit the Shipping operations Haruna had been exposed to in order to provoke a response. Since, even if they were intended to be easily cut away, losing them in rapid succession would cause headaches as inventory started backing up at the Packagers, and Distributors had nothing to distribute. This in turn, should have resulted in some sort of response which Anko could trace to either another portion of the Operation or to Sasugaki himself. Unfortunately, this portion of the plan hadn’t gone as expected, which had led to them getting Yoshino involved. Still, even in an operation broken into cells, there were those in the know of the bigger picture, Overseers who kept tabs on all three portions of it to insure nobody was cheating the man on top, and thus were a font of information.

Information Haruna knew they weren’t getting any closer to as she just stood before the naked man who she assumed was an Overseer due to his having showed up at different portions of Sasugaki sex tour as he had broken her down, and who they had scooped up during the last raid. A man that was currently pretending to still be unconscious, and so she delivered a closefisted backhanded blow as she stated, “It’s pointless for you to continue to play possum.”

She wasn’t surprised that the man barely reacted to the blow, although as he raised his head, his eyes did widen in surprise as he took in the outfit she wore. Working his jaw around a bit, the muscular man finally replied, “This better be someone’s elaborate idea of a birthday prank.”

“Oh, is it your birthday,” Haruna replied playfully, “Let me wish you a happy one then.”

“You can make it one by dropping to your knees and swallowing my cock,” the man stated with an amused smirk. “You look like you’ve done it a time or twenty.” Haruna fueled by the anger that sprang up as she recalled being forced to do so for the man in the past, delivered another shot to the man’s jaw, which she imagined hurt her more than it did him. Particularly as he glared darkly at her while saying, “Bitch, if I wasn’t tied to this chair, I’d take you o…”

“But you are tied to that chair,” Haruna stated cutting him off. Circling around behind him, she brought her lips next to his left ear as she whispered, “This time around, I’m the only one who is going to be doing any taking around here.”

Standing she came back around and could see the confusion her words had caused etched on the man’s face. “What do you mean this time? Wait a second! I thought you sounded familiar, you’re that fucking slag Sasugaki brought around a few years back. Said he was training you or some shit. What’s the matter, our time together leave you craving for more? If so, you should know I don’t go for this S and M bullshit, unless I’m the one doing the hitting.”

Haruna raised her healed foot, and pressed it down on the man’s nuts as she began applying pressure while stating, “Oh, I remember exactly how tender you could be as you and Sasugaki took turns with me.”

“You fucking bitch. Is that what this is about? Getting some payback because Sasugaki got tired of you and traded you in for some other slut,” the man yelled as the pain grew more and more intolerable and sweat began to bead on his brow, “When I get loose, I’m going to make last time seem like a tender embrace.”

Haruna removed her foot as she felt a spike of confidence that Sasugaki would create such a story to protect his ego from the fact that she didn’t come crawling back to him. It showed in her voice as she said, “Oh, you say the sweetest things. But, I’m not in the mood to hear your fantasies right now. What I am interested in is, where did the weapons you were smuggling come from, and where were they going?”

“Fuck you bitch,” the man shouted, “Do your worst. It’ll just make it all the sweeter when I return the favor.”

Haruna gave the man a sultry smile as she stated, “My, for a man with no idea of where he is, or just how he got there. You sure do seem confident that you’re going to get a chance to have your way with me.” Moving to stand behind him, she draped her arms over his shoulders as she whispered seductively, “Confidence in a man can sure be sexy. But witless bravado just doesn’t do anything for me. Just tell me what I want to know, and this doesn’t need to be an entirely unpleasant night for you.”

“Go to hell whore,” he replied while looking over his shoulder, “I’m not telling you a fucking thing.”

Haruna sighed deeply, before focusing in front of the man as she said almost sadly but loudly enough that it was apparent she wasn’t talking to him, “Well, I guess we do things the unpleasant way then.” She began to move around towards the front of the man, although she left a hand on his shoulder, which she gave a sympathetic squeeze as she informed him, “Well, if you’re not going to talk to me, then I suppose we have no more use for you then. He’s all yours.”

Haruna walked away from the man until she disappeared into the darkness which coated the rest of the room, and took a seat within a regal looking chair. While she had been moving away, the man’s gaze focused just off to the side of her on the darkness as the sound of a cart with a squeaky wheel began approaching. As Anko emerged from the darkness, the man was tempted to make a disparaging remark due to her wearing a black leather corset which left her breasts exposed, matching leather panties and gloves which covered almost the entirety of her arms. While covering her legs were a pair of high-heeled boots which went up about mid-thigh. However, the remarks died on his tongue as he began to take in the splotches of fresh blood which covered the pale skin of her breasts which he had been gawking at. He began to grow ghostly white as his gaze traveled from her down to the cart that she was pushing which held an assortment of tools, all of which were coated in gore and viscera.

“W…what are you planning to do to me,” the man said trying to maintain his bravado, although it was easy to hear the cracks in it beginning to form.

Anko smiled sweetly as she pulled a fold out razor from her cart, and after opening it ran it across a white towel, which she tossed onto the cart in a manner that showed the red which now coated it from the blade she had just cleaned. She then folded it back up and stuck the razor into the band of her panties to hold it as she pulled a can of shaving cream from the cart. She shook the can up which caused her breasts to wiggle tantalizing, but the man was too busy worrying about what she had in store for him. So as she began to spray the can’s contents into her gloved hand he asked, “W… what’s that for.”

“Oh, just giving you a little haircut,” Anko said as she stepped behind the man, and began working the cream into his black hair, “I figured I’d dress you up a bit before dinner.” Taking the razor from her panties and opening it up, she pushed the man’s head forward forcefully so that his chin rested on his chest as she said, “Now hold still, we wouldn’t want to cut you. At least not prematurely.” He began to fight her by trying to move his head about so Anko pulled him back roughly by the hair, and placing the razor against his throat said, “I said hold still. She generally prefers her meals to be alive when she swallows them, but if you’re going to be a pain then she’s just going to have to make do with you still being warm.” She focused into the darkness as she called out, “Unless you want to just eat him now, and don’t really need me to prep him for you by bashing his teeth in and pulling out his fingernails.”

After Anko let go of his hair, the man’s eyes nearly popped from his head as the sound of something big began sliding across the floor. His eyes began searching frantically before him as due to how large whatever it was making noise seemed, it appeared to be coming from multiple places at once. From the darkness a hissing sound began which turned into words as a raspy voice called back, “I don’t mind if it isn’t alive, but I’d prefer you tenderize the prey a bit more. It tastes much better when its been marinated in fear.”

Anko gave Haruna a signal to turn up the lights which she did from her chair via a remote as the purple-haired kunoichi said, “Well, let the marinating begin.”

The man recoiled in horror and learned his chair was bolted to the floor as he tried to push himself away as the lights revealed a large violet scaled snake whose body was coiled about through the room. Its green eyes focused on the man, and began tasting the air with its tongue as if the sudden spike of fear he was displaying was proving too tantalizing. An idea it only further reinforced as it opened its mouth to reveal the fangs its mouth contained. “I think the prey is ready,” the snake said as it began to move towards the man.

“W…wait!” the man shouted desperately, “I’ll talk…I’ll talk. Most of the weapons are coming out of either the Land of Iron or the Land of Honey.”

Anko stepped in front of the man as she said, “You expect me to believe that? Those two countries are part of the Three Blade Alliance and have been neutral in every conflict that has ever taken place on the continent.”

The gaze was focused squarely on the snake’s head which was hovering just over Anko’s shoulder as it said, “Let me eat him now.”

“Hold up,” Anko said impatiently to the snake, before focusing on the man as she informed him, “If you don’t want to end up her dinner, you better stop spinning me yarns.”

“I swear it’s the truth,” the man said desperately, almost pleading for her to believe him, “They’ve been cranking out weapons for months at an incredible rate. It’s taking Sasugaki’s entire smuggling operation just to keep up with moving them.”

Anko frowned since she had little doubt that the man was telling her the truth, although she had no idea what it meant. But, switching tracks asked, “Fine, let’s say I believe you. Where are the weapons going, and why would they need to use a smuggler? If they purchased the weapons legally in those countries, they should be able to transport them free and clear.”

“I don’t know,” the man replied fearful his negative answer would end with him in the snake’s belly. “We just drop the weapons off at dead drops located all over the place. All Sasugaki says is that his clients want to prevent the wrong people from noticing what it is they are up to. Most of the dead drops I’ve been charged with setting up are in the Land of Lightning, but that might just be since that was my area of operation when we did most of our smuggling back when the embargos between Fire and Lightning were in place. I’m not seeing all the shit we’re purchasing going there.”

Anko doubted she would get much more from the man, so was about to end the charade, but stopped as Haruna approached him to ask, “What does Sasugaki stand to gain from this? He’s been quite careful in the past not to attract too much heat to his activities. But, operating at full capacity like this was bound to attract some. He must stand to gain something extremely valuable to expose himself to discovery.”

“I…I don’t know,” the man said although he tripped over his words a bit making it appear that he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Fine,” Haruna said as she turned to the snake, “He’s all yours.” She then began walking away as if she had lost all interest in the man and the fate which was about to befall him

“Yesssss,” the snake replied it pulled back dislocating its jaw as if to devour the man and chair whole.

“WAIT!!!” the man shrieked in a high-pitch scream causing Haruna to pause and look back at him. “I swear I don’t know what he’s getting,” the man said as tears began falling from his eyes, “All he’s ever said on the matter is that this operation is giving him a path towards bigger and better things.”

Haruna met Anko’s eyes and gave a slight nod that she was finished. The snake noticed it, and lunged suddenly towards the man who screamed in a manner which would put the actresses in horror movies to shame, before his eyes rolled up in his head as his consciousness left him. Anko having anticipated the snake’s treachery quickly spun around and kicked its head as it tried to surge past causing it to rear back and begin shaking its head to clear it of the bells it suddenly heard. Once it had done so, it focused on the kunoichi as it said dangerously, “You promisssed usss a sssacrafice.”

“Which you got already,” Anko said angrily while gesturing towards her bloody attire, “Or did you already forget the cow that I just butchered for you, Cubellios.”

“That’s hardly a sacrifice,” the summons said, “You people eat cows all the time. Manda was right about you. You’re weak.”

“Yeah,” Anko fired back, “And look what happened to him. He got himself sacrificed so that piece of shit Sasuke could live another day.” The snake’s eyes glared darkly at her, although it could have also been due to the Uchiha that the summons saw as a betrayer, particularly as rumor had it that he was now contracted with the Hawks who were the snake’s natural enemies. Although, most of her kin still didn’t believe it, since one of them named Aoda acted as Sasuke’s personal summons and claimed the Uchiha hadn’t betrayed them. Hoping the gaze was related to the latter reason, Anko removed one of her gloves and approaching the female snake placed her hand against its side. She then began channeling her chakra into it causing it to hiss pleasantly while stating, “You don’t get chakra this warm by following Manda’s methods. If we’re going to work together than you’re going to have to agree to do things my way.”

Anko pulled her hand away, causing the snake to relent as it said, “Fine, but I’m going to expect two cows the next time you summon me since you tempted me with a delicious meal that you didn’t let me eat.” The snake then burst into a cloud of smoke before Anko could state that she had agreed.

Haruna laughed softly as she said, “Perhaps you should have just let her eat him. It would probably be easier on your pocketbook.”

Aware that the Daimyo was joking, Anko nevertheless stated, “I can’t do that if I’m going to get the White Snake Sage to teach me Senjutsu.” She let a frustrated tone enter her voice as she added, “Stupid old hag, she goes and teaches Kabuto sage techniques, in spite of his apparently making some kind abomination using Manda’s cells, but I have to jump through all these hoops. All because she claims to have had a vision that anyone that has even partially followed the Uchiha bastard’s history would be able to guess. Which is at some point in the future, he’s not going to need them, and will betray them in favor of someone he does. Wow, how prophetic.”

Haruna nodded as she stated, “Still, what does she think you can do?”

“Apparently, my chakra feels quite nice now, and the white snake sage believes that is the key to helping them change their ways before it is too late,” Anko replied in annoyance. “Of course, she didn’t mention that the only one willing to work with me because I don’t offer up human sacrifices was a colossal pain in the ass.”

“Speaking of which, what are we going to do with him,” Haruna asked motioning towards the unconscious man still tied to his chair. “Are you sure it was a good idea for you to let him have seen your face?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Anko replied dismissively, “I’ll just have him transported to Konoha while keeping him sedated. When he wakes up next, he’ll find himself face to face with Ibiki and when he’s done with him, he’ll have no idea what was real and what was just a nightmare conjured up by his subconscious. It’ll also serve to help collaborate whether he was telling us the truth or if he was lying his ass off.”

Haruna nodded, although she was certain the man had been telling the truth, particularly since she was quite aware of the risks Sasugaki would take if it allowed him to shake off his status as a minor noble of Claw country to become one of the power players that he felt he was destined to become within the Elemental Countries. Of course, the more worrisome question that needed to be answered was who had he partnered with that he felt had the sway to make such a thing happen.

Haruna was pulled from her thoughts as Anko heading for the door said, “Hey, I’m going to go get cleaned up and then check to make sure Ibuki is doing what I told her about getting half of the shit we’ve confiscated ready for delivery to some pre-Konoha Nara safehouse. You want to join me?”

Haruna smiled as she had noticed that more and more often, Anko’s requests had been phrased as questions rather than commands, and so hoped that signified that sooner rather than later here own chakra would be found to have the same pleasant qualities the snake sage had noticed within the purple haired kunoichi’s. Licking her lips, Haruna smiled as she replied, “Sure, I’m feeling kind of dirty myself.”

*******

Naruto found sleep difficult to come by as he continued to stare up at the night’s sky so found himself thinking about the events which had happened after Kakashi had told him about what had happened in Konoha. His sensei had followed it up by asking if he had seen Yuugao, claiming he had thought she was heading to Suna since Kabuto had shown interest in getting his hands on him in the past. Naruto could tell that Gai and Lee didn’t seem entirely convinced by the argument, although he suspected it was because while Tsume and Hana had come out and said that the initial trail they had followed was a false one, they were beginning to suspect they weren’t being told the whole truth of it.

He had told everyone that he hadn’t seen her, although it had been a half-truth since while he was being honest in saying that he hadn’t seen Yuugao. In retrospect, he believed that in fact he had as during a training session that had included him facing off against Tenten, Moegi, and Yakumo. He had noticed a lone Oni masked Anbu standing among the spectators that had begun gathering around the training field whenever he practiced. The woman had only been there for a moment as his attention had quickly been pulled away. But he had recalled feeling that based on how she carried herself, that she appeared to be incredibly sad.

Naruto felt a part of the reason for his current insomnia was because he hadn’t recognized his lover despite how she had closed herself off from the Fox Mark network that connected all of them together. Particularly, as he had been aware that something was off as he had felt the spikes of concern and anxiety that told him something had happened. But he had written it off as if it had been something that involved him specifically, he had thought his lovers would have let him know, and while a part of him had been angered that Tsunade hadn’t immediately told him about Yuugao’s disappearance. Considering how suspicious Gai and Lee appeared that they were being kept in the dark about something, he had to concede it was probably for the best as he wouldn’t have waited around for Kakashi and the others to arrive if he had known. Particularly, as when he along with his other Konoha lovers had invited themselves onto the mission to find Yuugao, Kakashi had tried to dissuade him by reminding him of his, “condition.” But Naruto had waved off, claiming he was already fully healed, and had just been taking it easy due to his doctor’s recommendation. A statement that had been true enough as he could have just used his Bijuu chakra to heal himself at any time. Although, he imagined that when he returned to Suna, he would be getting an earful from Ameno as while his last checkup had shown his chakra coils had healed, she had still told him from to refrain from using chakra until just before the exams.

Still, although he imagined there would be a rather terse meeting for him in his future, a small smile still cracked on his face as he knew he wasn’t the only one that would be enjoying one, since while he had been upstairs gathering his things, Temari had arrived apparently having heard from the gate that a Team of Konoha-nin had checked in. When she had learned everything that had transpired, she had masked it well, but Naruto imagined that the door to the Hidden Oasis in hadn’t even fully closed behind them before she was teleporting to the Den to give Tsunade a piece of her mind.

The smile didn’t last long as he thought about how while he had been packing his things, he had also been trying to figure out what Yuugao was up to. Almost from the get-go, he suspected that whatever it was that Kabuto had revealed, had affected Yuugao in the same manner that she had been after Suzume’s near success in poisoning him. Which as she was not currently standing outside his door guarding him, made him confident it was related to her previous lover Hayate. A part of him found himself suddenly jealous of the man, as he wondered if he was just a stand-in for her lost fiancé. But he forced that part of himself to be silent, as he felt Yuugao’s actions whenever he had been threatened in the past showed just how much she cared for him, and accepted that a part of her still cared deeply for Hayate. As such, he believed she was of the opinion that she owed the same dedication to him. Understanding that her current actions weren’t because she didn’t value her relationship with him, but was likely born of an obligation to seeing justice done for the man that she had loved previously really made him all the more appreciative to have become someone worthy of her feelings. Thus, he figured that if he was correct, and that the Oni masked woman that he had seen had been Yuugao, which he recognized in hindsight he should have immediately known something was off since Kashike was the first and only active female Anbu in Suna, then what she may have been doing was in effect, her way of saying good-bye before acting out her plan. This he figured made her the culprit behind the smoke tags which had gone off inside the Kazekage’s mansion which had caused it to be evacuated soon after he had seen her. Of course, as nothing had been reported stolen and no one appeared to have been assassinated during the confusion, it left him feeling like there was something else that he just wasn’t seeing right in front of his face.

It soon dawned on him what that thing was, as Kashike had left on a bodyguard mission a few days earlier, and so a lone female Oni masked Anbu should have been all the more suspicious to him although he didn’t believe that was the whole of the reason that he felt he was missing something in regards to her. He also realized that the reason, Yuugao would do something which would undoubtedly put the village of Suna on high alert, was because she had likely realized that despite Tsume and Hana also having been masking their fox mark presence since discovering the trail they had been following was fake, their having done so alerted Yuugao to the fact that they had made that discovery. This had in effect started a timer for her which was based on how soon they would reach Suna if they happened to guess correctly as to her destination. With this knowledge, Naruto realized the reason Yuugao had acted in such an overt manner was because in the time that she had bought herself, she had been unable to locate her target and with the window closing must have figured that he was currently on assignment away from the village and her purpose for smoking out the Kazekage mansion had been to learn where. As all the pieces began falling into place, Naruto realized what it was that he felt had been staring him the face, although it wasn’t in regards to the masked Anbu he had seen, but that it had been related to Kashike’s reason for being out of the village as she was acting as the protection detail for Baki.

Naruto couldn’t say exactly why he was so confident that he knew Yuugao’s target was also the person Kashike had been assigned to protect. Or, why it left him with a nagging feeling that it wasn’t entirely a coincidence. But he felt with all the evidence that he had, it made the most sense that Baki would be Yuugao’s target. A finding he had shared after he had finished packing and informed Kakashi and the others of his theory. Which he grew all the more confident in, as Temari although she had appeared tempted to do so, hadn’t bothered to offer even a token defense of her sensei. Instead, she had stated that she suspected he was correct since a large part of the Invasion plan had required for Gaara to make it to the Final round of the Chunin Exams, and so it made sense that Baki, as his sensei, would be the point of contact for Kabuto, since his presence in Konoha during that time could be explained away. He could feel that Temari began to feel guilty as if she should have seen it all sooner, and so he was glad Kakashi had told Lee and Gai to secure more supplies, as it allowed him to comfort her. He imagined that her being blindsided by that information was also why she had probably been so eager to give Tsunade a piece of her mind, as well as probably to avoid the temptation of tagging along on the mission to stop Yuugao since it had so much potential to cause quite the political nightmare.

Soon thereafter, Gai and Lee had arrived with the supplies and they were on their way to a country called the Land of Ruins, which was located to the west of the Land of Wind. For Naruto, it had felt good to be heading out on a mission again and had wished it was under better circumstances. Although, he reasoned that as a shinobi even when it was “under better circumstance” it just meant that the person eating the shit sandwich wasn’t him. Still, even with everything that was at stake, there was a sense of excitement still since it would be the furthest west he had ever gone on the continent since the Land of Ruins was bordered on three sides by the Western Sea. Previously, the furthest west he had been was the Land of Swamps when he and Shion had faced the demon Mōryō. More to the point, even Kakashi and Gai seemed to know very little about the country as it typically didn’t hire shinobi. Instead, it had something called Guild Halls spread all throughout the country, where people would post job requests, with the people who answered those jobs being called adventurers. As a result, the country for the most part rarely dealt with the outside world, similarly to Land of Ruins northern neighbor a country that was called the Alvarez Empire. Still, despite how rarely it interacted with the outside world, it was said that the Land of Ruins was probably the largest source of powerful and some would say magical weapons on the continent, as even the Second Hokage’s Sword of the Thunder God was said to have been found within one of the many dungeons that were spread throughout the Land of Ruins and were the source of its name. Which he suspected was why Gaara had sent Baki on a mission to negotiate a contract with the primary guild hall to hire adventurers to find such weapons and send them to Suna. An action Temari had not been pleased by when it was announced, since she was of the opinion that Gaara was also searching for a means to keep him in line.

Finding himself heading down another avenue of concern, and not really wanting to think about it at the moment, Naruto sat up as he abandoned trying to fall asleep. He stood and moved away from the fire the others were all lying around, although he noticed Kakashi wasn’t present. He wasn’t surprised by that as it was his turn to keep watch. Moving to a nearby tree, he sat down against the trunk and said, “If you want to get a few more hours of sleep, I’ll take over for you.”

On the opposite side of the tree, Kakashi closed his book which he had actually been reading despite the darkness since he already had committed it to memory as he replied teasingly, “Oh, I don’t think I’d be able fall asleep just yet. I just finished the part where our blond protagonist melted the councilwoman’s heart and they ended up going at it like rabbits.” Naruto felt his cheeks turn red in embarrassment, since Naruko had basically transcribed his and Tsunade’s first time beat for beat for her book. Something he figured that even if Kakashi didn’t know was the case, the jounin believed there was probably a fair amount of truth laced within all the fiction. His teacher surprised him as he said, “You know I’m really looking forward to seeing how the story continues, particularly as rumors make it sound like the author might be going the harem route.” He chuckled as he added, “Ah, she truly has surpassed the master with her writing if she does indeed go that way. Her teacher often teased it in his books but lacked the commitment.”

Naruto smiled thinking of Jiraiya, as he replied, “Maybe because despite his playboy like mentality and actions, deep in his heart he only loved one woman.”

“Maybe,” Kakashi said with a smile, “Although, another of his apprentices surpassed him in that as well.” Opening his book again, Kakashi’s smile faded as he thought of the burden his student was carrying, “Still, if she does decide to introduce a harem to her work. I wonder if she is going to show the heartache and worry that can accompany having one. I can’t imagine her editors will let her focus on the bad as well as the good.”

Naruto chuckled grimly as he stated, “No, I suppose they will have her gloss over the down moments. But truthfully there is far more good, than bad. In fact, I would say the worse things he tends to experience is of his own making due to the impossible task which had him starting one in the first place. After all, what does he do if a woman he loves kills someone who is important not just to another of his lovers, but to many of the people he needs to work with if the Ambition that had him seeking out lovers in the first place is going to succeed. Does he cut her loose? Try to shelter her from the ramifications of her actions?”

“Yeah, those would definitely be some heavy questions,” Kakashi said sympathetically. “I could definitely understand why the editors would insist she just focus on the hot parts.”

Naruto laughed despite himself, before asking, “Hey Kakashi-sensei, do you remember how you told us that, in the ninja world, those who don’t follow the rules are trash. But, those who abandon their friends are even worse than trash?”

“Yeah? Why?”

“Was it really you that came up with it?” Naruto asked. “The reason I ask is because from everything Rin has told me about you from when you were teammates. I just find it hard to believe that was a principle you abided by.”

Kakashi closed his eyes, and immediately pictured his team posing to have their picture taken. For a moment, he felt a sense of fondness for the memory, before it was usurped by the feelings of betrayal and hate that he harbored for Obito. Still, he answered honestly as he said, “No, Obito told me it that when I suggested we abandon Rin in order to continue our mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge. Seeing as I thought Obito had sacrificed everything for me… well you know…”

“Yeah,” Naruto replied.

“To be honest,” Kakashi said as some heat entered his voice, “I can’t say I approve of your plans for him. I know Rin believes there is still some good in him. But he’s definitely someone that deserves to face the full brunt of his actions.”

Naruto sighed, not really in the mood to debate the matter, but figured he was the one that opened the door so said, “I know, and even would tend to agree with you.”

“Then why are you letting him keep that damn mask on, rather than exposing him to the world as the betrayer he is,” Kakashi asked angrily. “If it’s so you don’t appear to be a hypocrite if Yuugao…”

“How would I even have known about that?” Naruto snapped, before almost immediately saying, “Sorry. I can see how you might think that it is related, and maybe in some ways it is in tied to my not wanting to be a hypocrite. But, mainly now more than ever I have to hold out hope that people can change.” Feeling drained, Naruto admitted, “If you want my honest opinion Kakashi, I don’t agree with Rin that the kind boy that she remembers is still inside him. In truth, I don’t think he was ever really there. I believe he was just allowed to be kind by circumstances, such as wanting to impress Rin and when he believed she had died, those circumstances changed and a man which probably always hated or at the very least, resented the world emerged because he felt it had taken from him something he deserved. It was the same thing for Sasuke, who always was obsessed with his revenge, and while we felt that perhaps he was changing for the better. As soon as the opportunity to move closer to his goal emerged, he jumped at it.”

“Then why not just let him be hanged and be done with it,” Kakashi asked. When Naruto didn’t immediately respond, he added, “At the very least, I think it is something your father deserves. I know you don’t think as fondly of him as you once did. But, after my father… died… he stepped into that role for me. I think it is a disservice to his memory that the man who betrayed him and cost him his chance to be a father gets off free and clear.”

Naruto sat in silence for a while longer before responding, “I understand how you feel, and I’m glad he was able to be there for you. But, from my point of view my father cost himself the opportunity. I met him you know, in the past.”

“I read the report, and I was even a part of the mission, although in a supporting role,” Kakashi replied. “What your father did was…”

“Cowardly,” Naruto stated and could imagine his teacher growing upset at the claim, so he continued, “He had an opportunity to try and change things for the better and didn’t. And, while I owe him a debt of gratitude for that, as he secured my future even though it was to turn me into a weapon for a conflict he felt was destined to happen, he also sacrificed my mother’s to make it happen. That is what I find unforgiveable. After all, here I am tearing myself apart wondering what happens to the future we’re trying to build if Yuugao lets her anger take over, while he blanked his memory so he could live consequence free of the fate he handed out to all three of us.”

Kakashi had grown upset at hearing the man whom he admired more than any other talked about in such a manner but calmed as he couldn’t really fault the younger man for feeling the way he did. Particularly since many of the hardships the young Uzumaki had experienced were a result of his father’s actions. Still, he tried to defend his teacher, as he stated, “Naruto, there was no guarantee the future would have been any brighter if he acted differently.”

“I know,” Naruto replied letting the admission linger for several moments before adding, “But, there’s no guarantee the future we’re working towards now has a rosy ending either. That doesn’t mean we stop fighting for it.” When Kakashi didn’t reply, he said, “But, my plans for Obito aren’t meant as a way to get back at my dad or to let him off free and clear for Rin. They’re because whether Obito was the man Rin believes him to have been, or not. I believe that death would only be an escape from the punishment he truly deserves. Any good punishment seeks to make a person repentant for their actions, to make them strive to be better. Not just to punish them for the sake of those they have wronged. For some, no punishment would ever be enough. So, I choose to believe that keeping Obito alive and working towards undo Zetsu’s schemes will in time change him for the better. But I’ll be keeping him on a short leash.”

“I don’t know Naruto,” Kakashi said worriedly, “That just means you’ll probably be the first to get bit when he shows you that he’s rotten to the core. As you pointed out with Sasuke. Some people just can’t change.”

Naruto chuckled as he replied, “True, but then again some people can. After all, you went from someone willing to abandon a friend to complete a mission, to someone who values his companions above all else.”

Kakashi mirrored his student’s chuckle softly as well, as he said, “I suppose I did. Are you hoping that Yuugao can change as well?”

Naruto stood as he decided to take a walk, but remained still long enough to answer, “No, quite the opposite in fact. I’m hoping she remains exactly who I know her to be.”

Next Chapter: Letting Go! Part III

Author’s note: Hello everyone, I hope your staying healthy out there. To begin, and as always, let me take the time to thank everyone that left a review. I deeply appreciate it.

As for this chapter, I hope it proved to be worth the wait. It definitely looked a lot different then I initially envisioned it. Particularly, as I imagined it would definitely focus more on the actual conflict with Yuugao, but as there was a lot of traveling involve between locations, it kind of ballooned as that time allowed me to cover other plotlines. I think the biggest is that finally after 5 years, I’m actually almost in a position where I can incorporate the characters that PSaid asked for when I half-assed a contest I tried to hold which he won before I even implemented it.

For those who weren’t around, back in 2015 I was planning a contest as someone asked for a list of all the minor characters that were pulled from other sources. Well, I announced it before I really was ready, and rather than waiting for me generate the list of names which the readers would fill in like a scavenger hunt of sorts. He generated that list, and filled it in. So, with the contest over before it started he won the prize which was to include characters from the game Persona. And finally, a little under Five F-ing years later. They are just now being introduced, or at least the method for how.

Most will actually be making their debut in Mabui’s limelight chaper, which I’ve been working on along with the last several chapters as many of her recent appearances in the main story, are tied to events that will be covered in her Limelight. So, it should be readly shortly after the Letting! Go arc wraps up. PSaid, I am sorry it took so long, and hope their inclusion lives up to any expectations you have. You can find the list that was made on my deviantart page, at the end of The Sage's Corner vol XVIII.

Anyhow, I hope that chapter proves worth the wait. It is light on lemons, but moves quite a few plot threads forward. So, until next time, take care. Sincerely, The Lemon Sage.