Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 121-A "Summons"

Patron Release: 2020.07.13

"Is everything alright, Naruto?" Orochimaru fell into step behind him as his long strides propelled him through the hallways of the apartment. "What did she have to say?"

"Nothing of much value. I've given them a chance to prove their worth."

Orochimaru paused at that, unable to both walk and process those words at the same time. Sasuke's body then jerked back into movement, awkwardly trying to catch back up to Naruto who hadn't hesitated in the slightest. For all the Snake Sage knew he hadn't even been aware that his godfather had fallen behind at all.

"Do you mean to say you've directly challenged Aū's children?" He tried to sound less nervous than he felt. Orochimaru was the Snake Sage and that, technically, put him under Au's domain. To be fair, anything the Sun touched was Au's domain but as a summoner of his seed there was a contract between the two and Orochimaru really didn't want to be put at odds with his godson.

Of course, if it ever came to that he would happily surrender his contract with the Snake Clan to avoid coming into conflict with his prince. If he didn that, however, he would be a lot less useful to him. Orochimaru really didn't like that idea.

There was also the fact that by taking a position where he was demanding something of Au's children - in this case that they prove themselves to him- he was risking Au's wrath. Orochimaru could do a surprising amount to protect him from any enemies he made throughout the elemental nations but there was very little he could do to protect Naruto from a deity.

"I have." Naruto nodded despite the fact that his godfather was behind him. "If they can't be of use to me I won't waste my time on them."

He understood that and agreed completely but he did worry that he wasn't considering all the possible ramifications of his actions. He had to be very careful with his next words because while he needed to ensure Naruto was made aware he didn't want it to seem like he disagreed or, worse, opposed him.

"How do you think Au will react?"

Naruto did pause at that, mid step. His head tilted to the side while he spent a second contemplating the question. "He may approve," He decided as he resumed his movement. "As serpents we should all know better than to trust blindly. But perhaps he will resent me for it." His shoulders gave an uncaring shrug. "Perhaps this will cost me his favor or even earn me his hate."

He stopped in the hallway and turned to look down at Orochimaru. "It's too late to worry about it now. Either we will have his children as our allies, we will separate from them completely, or they will be our enemies. It makes no difference to me."

"He's the god of the sun." Orochimaru stressed, hoping his words could convey the absolute importance of that fact. "I'm not sure how you would even fight against that if things go poorly."

Naruto could recognize the worry in his godfather's eyes- or in Sasuke's eyes that his godfather happened to be borrowing at the moment- and knew he didn't mean anything against him. Truly, that was a foe to be wary of but what's done was done. He couldn't even call upon the serpents to rescind his challenge if he wanted to and, to be perfectly honest, he didn't.

He didn't need them, they had always been more of a convenience than anything else. Regular summons, his Wolves, or even a regular courier could be utilized to accomplish the same. If they managed to succeed in the task he had just set for them, however, he would know that there was a lot more he could be using them for.

It would also go to show just how serious they were about serving him as their father's High-Priest.

"I'm Tsukuyomi, godfather." Naruto met his eyes again for a second before continuing on his way. "Should he become an enemy we shall simply devour him, as we have every enemy to come before him."

Orochimaru stopped walking then, watching his godson's back as he proceeded down the hall. Those words made him slightly uneasy because he couldn't quite tell if Naruto was being completely serious and really thought he could slay a god. At the same time he knew that if anyone could do it Naruto would be the one to actually accomplish decide against the Golden Serpent God of the Sun.

Still, did Naruto actually consider himself the legitimate god of the moon? Did he really believe he was already on equal footing with a deity?

His lips pulled into a deep frown. If things did go that way he was going to have to find a way to ensure that his godson's confidence was warranted. With a spin on his heel he started in the opposite direction.

He needed to figure out how they could kill a god.

"So…" The door had only just clicked behind Haku when Asuma turned to his father expectantly. "You knew he was Tsukuyomi already?"

"I knew he was the one in charge of the Wolves, yes. Like I said, Danzou informed me."

"Then why didn't you-"

"Tell you? To what end?" Hiruzen's risen brow almost seemed condescending. "I wanted you to stop antagonizing the House of Wolves, not give you a high-ranking target to go after."

Asuma scowled but he could see the wisdom there. From Hiruzen's point of view, at least. It did cause him to pause long enough to ponder what he would have done with such information and he found himself hitting a brick wall. He didn't even know what he was going to do with that information now, how was he supposed to know what his reaction would have been back when he first ascended- unwillingly- to the position of Hokage?

With how busy he had been dealing with Hi no Kuni's occupation of Kaze no Kuni- which had been a logistics nightmare- he probably wouldn't have been able to do much more with that information than keep a closer eye on the former Uzumaki. Realistically nothing would have changed that he could think of. Maybe he would have been aware of Narutos' departure from Konoha to "help" Yagura against the Bloodline Rebellion and maybe he could have stopped it either by assigning team seven something to keep him from being able to go or by being more overt and simply intercepting and detaining him.

Even then, the Wolves had already been in Mizu no Kuni so he doubted much would have changed with that. So far it looked as though his father had made the right call- or at least one that hadn't done any harm- because he wasn't seeing anything he could have done with that information to help Konoha or negate some of her troubles.

"Fine, how did Elder Shimura know?"

"Oh?" Hiruzen leaned back into his seat, pulling out a pipe he must have prepared while Asuam wasn't looking and lighting it despite knowing how much Asuma hated it when he smoked in his office. Even Asuma went to the roof when he needed a smoke break, the least he could do was respect that. "Danzou and Naruto have a surprisingly good relationship, I'd say. You could probably get away with calling them friends." Hiruzen's face twisted into a strange expression somewhere between disbelief, confusion, and perhaps a slight hint of bitterness. Asuma was definitely feeling the first two.

"So when he noticed some ROOT prospects that he hadn't been able to condition to his liking wearing new uniforms and answering to Naruto he figured it out." He paused to take and release a long drag, a cloud of smoke floating up to the yellowing ceiling. They were probably going to have to have that redone at some point. "Of course, the fact that the ROOT seals on them had been completely negated probably tipped him off, too."

Asuma narrowed his eyes at that, recalling a piece from their earlier conversation. "You mentioned sealing earlier too, how only he could have pulled off certain feats of Fuinjutsu."

"Ah, yes." The Sandaime gave a few small nods as he continued to take short draws from his pipe and release them all together. "When it comes to Fuinjutsu there isn't anything Naruto can't do, I suspect."

"Why?" Fuinjutsu was an obscure art- somewhat ironic considering how commonly certain matrixes were used- and the mastery of it took many more years than Naruto had even been alive for. As it was, Konoha had a single Master-level fuinjutsu user in Jiraiya, a Journeyman-level in Kushina, and a handful of Apprentice-level users who dabbled in it. One of those wasn't even a Shinobi, just an elderly man who did it as a hobby. "Is it an Uzumaki thing?"

Scoffing Hiruzen shook his head, a trail of smoke following his pipe. "No, not in the slightest. The credit- or maybe blame- for that belongs squarely with Namikaze Minato."

"'I fail to see how the late Yondaime-sama has anything to do with Naruto's ability now."

"If you did I wouldn't have to tell you." Came Hiruzens' dry response. "I haven't told you because it really hasn't been relevant, but Kishina-san was the Yondaime's wife and, as you can probably extrapolate from that….."

"Naruto is his son."

"Yes," Hiruzen nodded. "Good. Naruto is the son of the Yondaime. Unrelated to this, that's another reason not to tell you Naruto is Tsukuyomi. If you had targeted him and then Konoha had found out he was the eldest child of their beloved Yondaime they would have ripped you to shreds in a heartbeat. That information shouldn't get out, of course, but that's the problem with secrets- someone's always looking for them, even if they don't know what it is or the harm it could do."

With a shake of his head the Sandaime banished the thought from his head. Kushina was more likely to announce it than anyone else was to discover the fact and release it. Considering she had managed to keep it under wraps for this long, that seemed entirely unlikely unless she was waiting for them to reach a certain age or...claim the Namikaze half of their inheritance. His lips pulled into a slight frown at that, he had completely forgotten of the Namikaze holdings and the fact that both heirs were adults now.

Being the eldest and with the Uzumaki clan looking like it was going to be going solely to Naruko, Hiruzen wouldn't be surprised if Naruto did decide to claim the Namikaze half.

The questions then were if he even knew about it and, if he did, why hadn't he already done so?

He could think about that later, though.

"Back to Fuinjutsu, Minato had been working on a very special seal up until his untimely demise- a masterpiece that would put all other matrices to shame. Not long before the Kyuubi was released he managed to finish it." Memories glazed over his eyes. "'Sealkeeper' he had been calling it then. The last name on a long list of working titles." He gave a humored snort. "He never was very good with naming things, even his children weren't spared from that."

"What does it do?"

His head didn't move but his eyes slowly turned to meet his son's, the rest of his face losing its humor to become completely serious. "Everything."

"What?"

"Everything. He managed to create a seal with the sole purpose of being able to create any other seal you could possibly want. It didn't stop there, either." He gave another snort, this one not quite as humored. "He couldn't have just left it at that, no, he had to make it so it could recognize other seals and modify them- even those currently active."

"...Like those holding Biju."

"Exactly. It would appear that young Naruto understands it well enough to be able to make use of it during combat." Hiruzen paused, wondering if he should really bring it up. Ultimately he decided it was better for his son to know, if only because it might help him temper any future actions he may or may not have been considering taking. "But I'm familiar enough with Naruto to know that he would not have tried to do it in the middle of a fight- one involving two Kage-level individuals, no less- without having some experience in the matter."

It took Asuma a second to realize where his father was going with that.

"You mean…." He had to steel himself to actually put it into words. "He's already unsealed a Biju?" Just hearing himself saying the words sounded wrong. He was supposed to be a Genin for Gods' sake, what sort of Genin was going around unsealing Biju and-

Black eyes widened in sudden realization and he felt a wave of horror shiver its way down his spine to settle in a cold pool in his stomach.

Closing his eyes Hiruzen nodded slowly once. "That's right, he would have sealed that one into himself as well. Normally impossible at his age, he's made himself a Jinchuriki." He took another pull from his pipe. "But like his father, the impossible wasn't good enough for him. From Haku we know he has the Sanbi but I have reason to believe he has also sealed the Ichibi within himself." Either that or into a new tea kettle but like he had said, he knew Naruto. There was no way the young man would have passed up that sort of opportunity and kept a Biju in an inanimate object someone could easily steal or accidentally break.

Two Biju. Asuma's eyes stared blankly at nothing. Entire countries would have two Biju. In the case of Konoha, Suna, and Taki there was a single Biju. Naruto had two of them within him at this very moment. Disregarding how the hell that would even work should he try to use them both at the same time, just possessing them meant his country of Nami no Kuni- one Asuma had yet to hear of possessing any sort of hidden village- was comparable to some of the major villages.

If that knowledge became public, it could elevate Nami no Kuni as the fifth major country now that Kaze no Kuni was under the control of Hi no Kuni.

That wasn't the scary part though, he cared far less about the political ramifications of such a thing. No, what had Asuma worried was the fact that if he had already managed to get two of the Biju within himself- what was to keep him from collecting more?

A feeling of dread settled over his shoulders like a heavy blanket and threatened to smother him. Even if he only collected half the Biju- Ha! 'Only' half? The fact that he had collected any at all was already mind-boggling- then the global power scales would shift drastically and without knowing which Biju he might go for there was no way to tell how things would change.

They could be good for Konoha if they still had Naruko with the Kyuubi and some of their traditional rivals lost their own, but the opposite could hold true as well. If they lost the Kyuubi or even if their allies lost their Biju- that was only Taki and one more from Kirigakure now that he thought about it- then they would find themselves at a massive disadvantage.

Konoha's position with a perpetual upper hand had diverted more conflicts than it had won, the thought of it being reversed so easily by a single individual- one whose Noble House he had been antagonizing, even- turned his stomach.

It was quite possible he had made a far from insignificant series of mistakes.

Though...Asuma hadn't been aware he was frowning to begin with but suddenly felt his lips pull further down as a new thought occurred to him. Both Kumo and Iwa put a lot of military value on their Jinchuriki- though only Kumo bothered to reflect that with how it treated its Jinchuriki- so if every village was to lose them then it would drastically reduce any eagerness for conflict from either of them.

The fact that they had two Jinchuriki to Konoha's one was often the only thing to give them enough confidence to make any sort of aggressive move. Taking that away was sure to make it much harder for them to gather their courage.

His frown managed to surprise him again as it grew deeper yet. Just the fact that he was even considering any part of this potentially beneficial was putting him in a sour mood.

"I don't suppose you'd have any idea why he's going about collecting Biju and sealing them within himself, would you?" He didn't look towards his father as he asked but he didn't need to see Hiruzen's expression to know the answer to his question.

"Other than because he can, no. Your guess is as good as mine." Not strictly true, Hiruzen knew Naruto a bit better than Asuma did and was less likely to assume the worse, but when it came to figuring out the motives of the Lord of Wolves both had no idea where to start.

Again, that wasn't completely true either. They knew he loved both his Wolves and Konoha herself, so they had that to go off of at least. There was also the fact that he was a Daimyo of a country so one might reasonably assume he cared about it at least to some degree.

Probably.

Even if he didn't care at an emotional level, he should- based on what Asuma knew- care from a tactical one. Nami no Kuni was one hell of a resource and you would have to have something seriously wrong with you- beyond even whatever the hell the Wolves had wrong with them, at that- to be able to discard it without hesitation.

He couldn't help but think the person capable of such would be a frightening opponent indeed. Just imagining Naruto with two Biju and the ability to just throw away the things he had did not make for a pleasant thought.

"I suppose in that case I might just have to ask him directly."

Hiruzens' eyes widened in surprise and his head snapped over to fully face his son. "Asuma," His tone lacked not in warning. "Don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, I'm just going to talk."

The Sandaime's surprised look became grave. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"You!" Akishi pointed at the first Wolf she met in the hallway, soft bronzed "skin" shimmering slightly under the dim lights of the High-Priest's den. "Naruto-sama has given me a task, I require quarters I can work from. Something with easy access out of this den."

The Wolf froze, staring in disbelief at the talking snake-woman pointing at him. After a minute or so- and because she had mentioned Tsukuyomi by his personal name- he eventually just filed it away as another impossible thing surrounding the young man.

"We should have empty rooms near the door." He answered as evenly as he could. "What sort of thing do you need to do for Tsukuyomi-sama in it?"

"That matter doesn't concern you," She crossed her arms- which was a weird sensation but felt all too natural - with a huff. "If he wanted you to know he would inform you."

The Wolf cocked his head to the side. She had a point, but that really hadn't been why he was asking.

"That is correct." He agreed. "But what purposes do you need it to fulfill? If it's a task from Tsukuyomi we want to ensure you have what you need to accomplish it properly."

That was a fair point too, Akishi could admit, but what did she actually need to take over an entire country using only subterfuge? She had to admit, she'd never attempted anything like it before. There really hadn't been a need.

"For now, just a place I can plan." Her crimson eyes darted down to the vase clutched carefully to her chest by her left hand. She would need somewhere to store such a precious material, too, but she felt that telling this Wolf that she was currently holding a piece of pottery filled with his lord's blood probably wouldn't go over too well. "And where I can store things as we prepare. A table would be helpful but not entirely necessary."

"Yes, I think that can be arranged without too much trouble." He nodded.

"And I'll need something capable of safely storing liquids."

His eyes moved towards the vase and narrowed slightly in suspicion but he didn't comment on it. "Of course, I'll see what I can procure. Anything else?"

"A window would be best but anything that will allow some measure of sunlight to enter the room would suffice."

He frowned at that, trying to remember if they had a room that matched those requirements. "We might have something. Come, we'll check the southwest corner." He spun on his heel and began walking without a glance to ensure she was following but the soft sound of shifting scales against the wooden floors gave him a pretty good idea that she was indeed trailing behind.

Even knowing it was another strange occurrence centered around Tsukuyomi couldn't completely rid him of his unease. Such a creature simply wasn't natural and it set him on edge just knowing it existed.

Hopefully once he had given her a place to work from he'd never have to interact with her again.

"Haku!" Naruko answered the door with a grin, standing aside to allow her friend from Kirigakure to enter the Uzumaki compound. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

Haku returned the smile as best she could, trying to set aside the knowledge of what she had come here to do temporarily so she could enjoy this time spent around Naruko. Unfortunately she was all too aware of the news she brought with her and she was more than a little concerned how it would affect the two Uzumaki women she had grown quite fond of.

"Mei had things she needed to send back to your Godaime," Haku was able to offer a faint but genuine smile. She was always happy to see Naruko, she just wished it had been under better circumstances. "Unfortunately I won't be able to stay very long because she already had a mission planned for me in Namihime."

Naruko frowned at the last Yuki. "She sure does have a lot of work for you, doesn't she? If she already had a mission for you why would she send you here?" The opposite would also hold true, now that she thought about it, and she suddenly realized how that might have been taken. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Haku-chan," Naruko quickly clarified. "It just seems kind of mean for her to send you all this way when you already need to turn back for another mission. I'm sure someone else could have delivered things to the Godaime or they probably could have done whatever your next mission is while you made your way here..."

"It's fine. The mission in Namihime looks like it's going to be long term and this lets me stop in to visit you before I start it." Haku's lips twitched into the slightest of frowns. "I really do need to talk to you about something serious, though. Is your mother home? I'd rather talk to you about it in private."

Naruko quickly came to share in Haku's frown. "She's over at the Yamanaka clan compound at the moment, but we can talk in my room in case she gets back early today. What's wrong?"

"Erm," Haku hesitated and not just because she was both wary of the repercussions or because they were still rather exposed in their current position. "It's not...Wrong...per se….." It simply was, really. It just wasn't something that she thought the Uzumaki would be happy to hear about.

"Come on then,"" Naruko grabbed Haku's hand and pulled her towards the main house that dominated the Uzumaki compound "You can tell me inside."

As the Uzumaki gates clicked shut behind them Haku couldn't help but think there was a weight to them she hadn't witnessed before, as if like them the future was being sealed.

She really hoped this wasn't a mistake.

A solid rap on the door summoned forth the head of a Wolf who peaked out from the Den of Tsukuyomi. They stared at the similarly masked face, wondering what a rabbit was doing provoking Wolves.

"Godaime Hokage Sarutobi Asuma-Sama requests the presence of Genin Naruto of Konohagakure in his office, I must see to it that Genin Naruto is made aware immediately."

The Wolf stared for another few seconds before dipping his head in understanding. "I will see if he can be disturbed. Please wait here." They didn't wait for any sort of confirmation before closing the door and engaging the various locks.

Behind their mask Usagi frowned but held his position. His orders were to deliver summons to Genin Naruto so that's what he'd do.

He just hoped they didn't keep him waiting too long, he had food on the stove back at headquarters.

"Naruto-sama, there's an ANBU at the door for you. He says the Godaime would like to speak with you." Naruto looked up from Orochimaru's desk where he had moved his work. He didn't know if Akishi was still in his office- though he sort of doubted it- and he didn't feel like dealing with the blood that he had spilt over his desk- though there was a good chance a Wolf had already cleaned it up- so he had retreated into Orochimaru's private quarters.

That was another thing he hadn't known about until just recently. Apparently Orochimaru hadn't just claimed a guest bedroom for himself but had instead managed to hide himself both an office and a small laboratory within the apartment. That really just meant three guest bedrooms had been connected- with a kitchen and a bathroom for good measure, essentially giving him his own little suite- but the fact that it had been hidden from Naruto all this time made him wonder if he should start touring his own home more often just to avoid future surprises.

It looked as though that would have to wait, apparently the Godaime wished for an audience.

Placing his pen gently on the desk he returned the papers back into their folder and slid it into the desk drawer. He was actually going to have to get dressed this time, he thought, though he was certainly tempted to show up to the Hokage's office as he was just because it would be an...interesting...first impression.

He never really had met Hiruzen's son personally as far as he could recall and now that he considered it that fact seemed unsettlingly strange. He was quickly able to brush the thought from his mind when he was reminded that he'd hardly met any of Konoha's Shinobi outside of those he had been in the academy with.

In fact, he probably knew as many Shinobi outside the village as he did inside if he was to be perfectly honest. That was a bit sad, actually, he really should be getting to know his comrades better but he didn't really have the time and he had already learned his lesson about trusting those "comrades" too quickly.

With a sigh he pushed himself up from the desk- he was going to be up late again getting all this done but at least he should be able to return to his office to finish it- and made his way to his own chambers. Unsurprisingly the area Orochimaru had chosen was not far from his own in any sense and within a dozen steps he was at his own door.

Shaking his head- or course it was- he went straight for his closet to find a shirt to toss on. Orochimaru still had his furs and so his furs they would keep for the foreseeable future which meant he had to find something else. He narrowed it down to a plain black top or a set of purple robes Mai had obtained for him when he became a Daimyo.

The ease of throwing on the black top was overshone by the fact that this was going to be his first time meeting the Godaime and certain levels of propriety needed to be maintained. He went with the silk robes in the end, a deep purple accented by delicate golden embroidery on a white sash.

They weren't the practical comfort he preferred but images needed to be maintained.

Part of him questioned what images, as far as he was aware Asuma only knew him as a Genin with ties to the Wolves but that alone- a connection to the Imperial House of Wolves- was enough to warrant a good first impression.

It didn't help that Naruto hadn't any idea why the man wanted to meet him in the first place. For all he knew he might be given an assignment for a mission- not exceedingly common, but it happened every now and again when a mission required a particular skillset or requested a Shinobi by name- and would be arriving without his Shinobi gear.

Purple eyes looked down at the silks currently adorning his body.

Bah, he'd already gone through the trouble of changing. If he had a mission he'd either swing back to grab his things or do it in what he was already wearing. He went to leave his room but paused as something in the closet caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

Those weren't normally part of this outfit but he did think it would be quite a nice touch.

Slipping on the bone gauntlets he had been gifted by Orochimaru he also reached for Moryo's tooth and strapped it in place across his lower back. Perhaps a little more armed then he initially intended, but he thought it was a good balance between a political meeting and being summoned for a mission as a Konoha Shinobi.

Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 121-B "Gone"

Patron Release 2020.07.31

It was a small, simple room but it would suit her purposes just perfectly for the time being. Light wooden floors and walls that had been left an unpainted white reflected the light that spilled forth from the window that dominated the largest wall in the room.

A bed she had no intentions of utilizing had been pushed from the middle of the floor and tucked into a corner while the table that had rested beside it had been moved to stand directly against the middle of the window as a makeshift altar.

The servant of the High-Priest- and she would hold onto that title as it was the only outcome that would be acceptable to the father- who had brought her to this room had been able to find a desk nearby and had placed it near the door for her use before taking a hasty retreat from her presence.

She would like to be able to say it was out of respect to leave her alone with her work but she knew it was most likely due to her unique form. She had no doubts that to humans who had long since strode past misty forests of the old-world spirits her visage was an unsettling reminder of things the soul knew but the mind had never witnessed.

If nothing else, it did convince her that these servants of his were lacking if they would shy so easily away from the glory of Au's light. Regardless of what he said, it was obvious he did require the children of Au if he was ever to meet his goals and the goals of the Father.

The two should be one in the same- it was only proper- but she also realized now that someone chosen by Au was bound to be ambitious in their own right. Why else would Au accept them as his High-Priest? He wasn't looking for someone who had no drive, he needed someone who would push forward and do whatever it took to fulfill Au's plans.

Even if that meant some of Au's glorious light might be wasted accomplishing the priest's lesser, mortal goals. Akishi had a suspicion that in the cases of most past High-Priests their goals had mostly reached just by being chosen. Power, wealth, and flesh- they were all predictable desires when it came to humans.

It was the great High-Priests, now that she thought about it, who had strove for more respectable goals and in doing so helped further the influence of Au.

She didn't like the idea of a High-Priest's number one priority not being serving Au but if that's what it took to get the best results she would have to accept it.

It wasn't like she really had any say in the matter anyway. If the Father was going to reward is chosen by fulfilling their other desires then that's what was going to happen. She was just really hoping that she wasn't going to have to be helping with them even though she knew as a personal summon that was most likely going to be the case. All she wanted to do was fix this mess Ashun had made and go home, though she could admit the opportunity to interact with humans again could be...interesting...for a while.

It would grow old- and probably pretty quickly considering it was going to be more out of necessity than any choice on her part- but there was at least some entertainment to be had.

Entertainment, however, was the least of her worries at the moment.

Her copper scales slid across the wooden floor to the rather pathetic altar she had managed to put together. There hadn't been much in the room in the first place and certainly nothing suitable for an Altar of Au so she was making do with a clean wooden side table placed in the middle of the window so as to catch as much sunlight as it could.

From the bed in the corner she had taken the red sheets and draped them over the table to help it look just a little more proper but it was still a far cry from what it should be. She should have asked if the High-Priest already had an altar set up but it had slipped her mind earlier and she was fairly certain after speaking with him that he did not.

How would he have even known to make one if he had yet to hear the father's voice? Ashun sure as hell wasn't around back when they were common in the mortal world and if he had neglected most of his other duties she held little confidence that he would have passed on something like that.

On the off chance that he had made one on his own when he first received the amulet she knew the chances of it being correct were slim and the chances of it surviving when his faith in Au's children had not was even less so. Of course, with her luck he was dismantling one at this very moment now that he knew he wasn't' actually the High-Priest and thus was not bound to the will of Au.

Everything was bound to the will of Au, there wasn't anything in the world touched by his light that wasn't under his domain, but without a High-Priest there was no voice to that will and it would never be fulfilled.

Purposely, at least.

Reaching under the sheets she pulled out Au's amulet and a small covered pot that the servant of the High-Priest had been able to find for her. Like this they could remain at the altar but were hidden from view so as not to tempt anyone who might catch a glimpse. Hopefully no one would be coming in this room at all, especially now that it had been claimed, but this was not her domain nor was it a temple of Au so the goings-on she held no sway over.

It also possessed a window she fully intended to keep open so the light of Au could shine onto the humble altar whenever the buildings of the village permitted it. It wasn't nearly as much as she'd like, but even if the light wasn't direct for the majority of the time father's brilliance still managed to spill into the room for a majority of the day. It was the best she could do at the moment, so it would have to suffice.

Placing the amulet gently atop the altar she delicately opened the jar containing the High-Priest's blood. She was not so foolish as to think he would be further generous to provide any more so what she had managed to collect was going to have to last her until she managed to fulfil his challenge.

If that was possible at all, that is, and even assuming it was it was something that could honestly take decades to pull off depending on what help she could get from the Father or what she could arrange using- her scales dimmed at the very thought- humans. Just thinking the word in relation to her task brought with it an overwhelming desire to regurgitate her last meal and a wave of nausea spread through her.

That was going to have to be the final resort because as much as she had enjoyed manipulating the little mortals in the past working with them now would be a nightmare. Not only would she have to trust in whatever passed for skills for their kind but she would have to do so when Au's influence was nonexistent upon the mortal world and she was in a form that would keep most from being willing to follow her. Of course, the opposite should still hold true to a lesser degree. This form of hers was likely to attract some humans but those would be the outliers and chances were high that the outliers were not going to be the best humans had to offer, so she would most likely be in an even worse spot with them than just trying to do everything herself.

Unless the Daimyo of Yu no Kuni she was supposed to replace was that sort, then things might be significantly more easy. She knew quite well she was nowhere near that lucky and she wasn't willing to trust what little luck she had to shield her from the consequences of revealing herself in her current form in hopes it was.

She gingerly dipped a single ginger into the pot, coating it with only enough to meet her needs before immediately securing the pot again. Slipping it beneath the altar with her dexterous tail, her attention remained fixated on the gold of Au's amulet as the High-Priest's blood was slowly traced over it.

As soon as the blood had completed the circle it flashed an urgent red quickly followed by vast rays of gold. It was clear to her that Au had waited ready for the amulet to be invoked and had answered its call personally to see to it everything would be put right. It was unfortunate that she would have to disappoint him.

"Oh Father, Great Au, know that with the blood of the high-Priest, freely given-" Technically. "I have called for your aid."

"Akishi." The disappointment in his voice had been expected but it hit no less harshly. "What of the High-Priest? Why does he not yet call upon my light?" He should know this, not only had it been beneath the domain of the heavens but Au was always more alert during the day when his light shone brightest upon the world. That meant that either he was purposefully remaining oblivious- perhaps as some sign of respect for the High-Priest or so that he would not be tempted to interfere as his daughter attempted the task he had bestowed upon her- or he was testing her in some way.

What that would be escaped her at the moment but it didn't really matter. So long as she focused on ensuring his will came to be she would be fine. Besides, she already had another test to worry about. She was sure the Father would understand- and approve- if she focused on the High-Priest's first.

"He has set for me a task, Great Au, and only should I prove successful will he take up the mantle of your most honored priest."

The was silence for a moment before Au's voice once again stirred, crashing through the room and no doubt spilling forth from its crevices like a great tide of an endless golden sea. "And what task has he set for you that is so great you have already called for my aid?"

That stung more than the initial disappointment and Akishi was only barely able to suppress a physical wince at his words. Despite that, she knew he would be well aware of how those words had hit her.

"He has declared that the Children of Au must infiltrate the palace of Yu no Kunis' Daimyo, removing the man and his family, and then impersonate them to grant his Wolves control of Yu no Kuni without the rest of the mortal world being aware." She swore she could feel the gears of his mind turning and she was glad to have spread the responsibility of this monumental task to the entirety of his descendants rather than saying it had been a challenge for her alone.

It wasn't untrue, the High-priest had been giving her a task to prove that Au's children were valuable enough for him to actually become the High-Priest properly, though from his words one probably had a greater argument that it had indeed been just for her to prove the skill and use of all Au's children.

She really hoped her Father wouldn't see it that way.

"Then so be it, this Daimyo of Yu no Kuni will be replaced." She couldn't see him but within her mind she could hear the shifting of his brilliant scales. "I would hope you are capable of removing a few humans on your own, Akishi."

"Yes, Great Au. Even in this form I believe I could get rid of them, but I have no way to impersonate them. They would also have to be removed at the same time, to avoid suspicion, and it will take time to learn to copy their mannerisms too." The shifting scales filled her mind again and there was the faintest hint of agitation to them. It was clear he wasn't pleased that there would be further delay but they both knew it couldn't be helped.

"Very well, what is it you need to accomplish this then?"

"For now just some of my siblings to help me keep watch over this Daimyo and his family, I'm still trying to figure out how to arrange everything else."

"So be it. He has allowed you to use the amulet, at least. His cooperation speaks well for his acceptance of his role. The amulet will require more blood for your siblings."

"I-I don't have very much, but I don't really have a choice."

There was a heavy pause.

"...What…?" The shifting grew in speed and agitation. "You have a...collection...of his blood?"

"Yes, father. He provided it when I told him your amulet required it. I do not suspect he will feel as generous a second time should I ask for more."

"How much did he provide?"

"More than I was able to collect, I'm afraid. I was forced to gather it from the desk and floors of his office. He.." She hesitated slightly. "He was not pleased with my sudden appearance or my attempts to convince him of the benefits of our assistance."

"Then it must not be wasted. Provide the blood, I will send siblings to aid you."

Carefully retrieving the jar she dipped into it and ran a bloodied finger over the glowing amulet five times, a sudden burst of Au's glory accompanying each one. Five serpents of varying sizes appeared around Akishi's makeshift altar, none of which seemed to know what was going on.

"You have your aid, do not call for me until you have news of your success."

"Yes, great Au. Your will be done."

"No." Corrected the Golden Serpent. "The High-Priest's will be done."

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Naruko sat cross-legged on her bed, arms outstretched behind her to support her reclining lean. Not a position that tended to be comfortable for long but Haku realized that was probably the least likely thing about to induce discomfort upon the Uzumaki heiress.

Haku had positioned herself near the doorway, leaving against the doorway with a shoulder touching the doorframe. Her lips, despite her best effort, were drawn into a small, concerned frown. "I-" She took a deep breath. "I don't even know how to start." She offered a shaky smile that quickly faded.

Another breath helped her gather her thoughts. "I guess I'll start by asking you a question, Naruko-chan."

"What is it?" The Blonde's head tilted slightly to the side, a small frown of her own the only sign that she was bothered with the way Haku was acting and worried about what it could mean.

"How much do you know about your brother?" Haku quickly realized how that sounded and clarified. "I mean, how much do you know about the things he gets up to?" Haku couldn't even entertain the hope that Naruko and Kushina might be aware of Naruto's status and all her own worrying about breaking it to them was for nothing.

Naruko's frown deepened but with a small shrug from her otherwise stationary shoulders she couldn't offer much towards the question. "I don't know, he has to be training on his own, I guess. He shows up to team training every so often-" They still hadn't had a session lately but she had seen Kakashi around Konoha. It didn't take a genius to know the lazy bastard was avoiding his team so he wouldn't actually have to spend any time helping them train. "And he's there if we have a mission. I know he used to go on missions with Jounin back before he was placed in team seven, so he might be doing that still."

"And...anything...anything with the Wolves?" Prompted Haku. Naruko's brows scrunched up in either confusion or suspicion, Haku couldn't quite tell. With her father's luck, it was probably both.

"I know he usually has some Wolves around him. They seem to really like him." Pushing herself up into more of a slump she lazily dropped her arms onto her knees. Looking to either side of the room as if to identify someone trying to listen in she continued slightly hushed. "Sometimes I think he's probably one of them, it only makes sense that he would join if he's on such good terms, but I make sure not to voice that around Kaa-san."

"Would...would she be upset if he was a Wolf?"

"With herself, mostly, I think." Naruko tilted her head in brief contemplation. "She's spent so much time thinking of the Wolves poorly that she tends to ignore the good they've done in being there to support Naruto. If she learns that one of the people she's been hating so much is actually Naruto she probably wouldn't take it very well."

"Then it's probably best for her to not hear this."

"Hmm? Is Naruto-Nii benign a Wolf what you wanted to tell me?" Narukpo gave a short, relieved laugh. "That's not that big of a deal-"

"No, he's not a Wolf. He's Tsukuyomi."

Naruko paused, blinking slowly a few times as she processed the words that had reached her ears from across the room.

"He's what now?"

"Your brother is Tsukuyomi. He's not just a Wolf, he's their leader and the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni."

"How the hell would you know that?!"

"He-" Haku had to avert her eyes from the piercing blue of Naruko's. "He was involved in the last battle of the Bloodline Rebellion personally." She paused again. "He wasn't on our side, either."

"What?!" Naruko rocketed off the bed and onto her feet. "You're telling me he was working with Yagura?!"

"For a time, yes."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Accusing blue eyes whipped to Haku's coal orbs. "You were here right after the Rebellion ended, why didn't you tell me?"

"We knew but we didn't know." Naruko didn't understand exactly what that meant but it was enough to calm her down.

"What does that mean?"

"I met him while he was fighting off Zabuza and Hoshigaki Kisame. He recognized your name when it came up-" Haku really hoped to not have to explain that part just yet. The fact that her brother was a Daimyo was enough, she could leave the fact that he was the Jinchuriki for multiple Biju for after everything else had been given plenty of time to be digested. "-And he ended up telling us that he was your brother. I knew you had a brother, you mentioned it back in Nami before you headed back to Konoha, but I didn't know anything about him. Mei-sama saw his face after he stabbed Yagura in the back-" Some silver lining, she supposed. Working with someone like that but betraying them was….less bad? It was hurting the bad person, at least, not that Tsukuyomi's following actions were exactly something anyone should be proud of.

"So we had a face and knew he claimed to be connected to you. When I was here last time I was to request a copy of his file from your Hokage so we could see if it was the same person. I asked him for the file of a male Uzumaki with ties to the Wolves."

"And he gave you Naruto's."

"He gave us Naruto's." Haku confirmed with a nod. "We didn't need the whole thing but I took it all back to Kirigakure where Mei confirmed it was him. It didn't really feel right to tell you through a letter and Mei-sama wanted me to return the file anyway, so I decided I would be able to tell you in person."

"So he really is…."

"Yes, we now know for a fact that Naruto is Tsukuyomi. It was only right to make sure you knew, though I was understandably hesitant in letting your mother know."

"Yeah….." Naruko's eyes had moved to the far wall where they stared blankly out into space. "She wouldn't want to believe that, she would probably just end up angry with you." She had been upset when Naruko had started speaking with Ino and believed what the former Yamanaka heiress had been telling her, there was no way in hell she would react any better to this and Naruko would hate for Haku's second time meeting her mother to be tainted by that. It would, very likely, be the last time the last Yuki ever stepped foot into the Uzumaki compound.

"You can ask your Hokage to confirm, if you like. He gave me permission to let you know, not that it would have stopped me, so he shouldn't be surprised if you verify it with him." Haku frowned slightly. "The Sandaime also seemed to know he was Tsukuyomi before I met with the Godaime, so you could ask him too."

"He...Knew..?"

"You have to admit, it makes more sense than thinking he had been able to hide it from the entire world. It was inevitable someone would figure out who he was. Who better to learn so than the Sandaime Hokage himself?

That was fair, Naruko had to admit, she just had trouble understanding why he would have allowed things to continue if he had known. She quickly caught her thoughts. What was there for him to stop? Unless he had known exactly what Naruto was doing all the man would have known was that he was a Daimyo of a forign nation. Technically there was no law saying you couldn't be, just because the whole idea was absurd. Daimyoships were hereditary, it was rare indeed for someone to rise to that position without royal blood. In this case it was only really allowed because everyone knew Nami no Kuni had no royal members left and as a minor country it hadn't exactly been hard for someone to establish themselves as the new first member of a dynasty.

The fact that Hi no Kuni's Daimyo supported it- for his own benefit, without a doubt- had legitimized what would otherwise be a mockery of the system. To some degree it probably still was but no one was going to be going against the word of Hi no Kuni's Daimyo when he now had Kaze no Kuni under his control. From what Naruko understood he had been the one to allow Konoha's aid of the Bloodline Rebellion and they had been made very well aware of that fact. With nami also allied with him, there were some serious repercussions to be had for opposing him.

Might makes right, and all that. It was very hard to deny the financial, political, and military might Hi no Kuni now possessed.

Still ,she didn't understand why something like that would be kept a secret- surely you would want people to be aware that they were interacting with a foreign Daimyo on good terms with their own- but Naruko didn't' really see any benefit to it aside from avoiding accidental political incidents. She hadn't heard of any so she guessed it really hadn't been much of a concern.

"I guess, it's just hard to believe." She said that but the fact was it wasn't hard to imagine her brother as a Daimyo. A white thrown stood tall, cold stone carved into sharp, rectangular edges. Black pillows strewn across its surface, each seam stitched with golden thread. He would lounge there, his body language lazy but his purple eyes bright and alert. His pale skin would be wrapped in the finest purple silk robes as an attendant almost reverently brushed long red hair.

No, she had no trouble at all believing he of all people would have ascended to true royalty.

She thought she saw a feminine arm slide around his shoulder in her imagining, skin far more pale than even her brothers' unnaturally untanned shade, but she was pulled from the strange daydream by Haku's voice before she could see who she had imagined as the Daimyo's wife.

Or maybe that was supposed to be some sort of concubine. How was she supposed to know what she couldn't' remember trying to imagine?

"I'm sure. I'm sorry you had to learn it from me."

"No, it's fine." Personally she didn't see anything wrong with the news itself, but with sudden clarity she realized what it meant for Haku. "Oh, gods." She sat back down on the bed, face falling into her hands. "My brother burned down Kirigakure, didn't he?"

With a wince and a grimace Haku was glad Naruko wasn't actually looking at her but turned her head away regardless. No reason for her to see that sort of expression on her friend's face, it wasn't her fault what her brother had done with his Wolves.

"He did."

There was a tense silence that filled the room.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Naruko-chan."

"I know but still…" She trailed off, peeking up from her cupped hands.

"Thank you, I appreciate the sentiment. He killed Yagura for us, so it wasn't all bad."

"He…" Naruko blinked slowly a few times before she had managed to process that information. "He what?"

The bleached bone of his gauntlet rapped twice against the aged oak of the door but he didn't wait for an invitation before opening the door himself and striding in with all the confidence a Daimyo should rightly possess.

The Godaime Hokage Sarutobi Asuma sat behind his desk, looking less than impressed that he hadn't had the chance to grant permission to enter before a visitor had let themself in. The man folded his hands together on his desk and leaned back slightly into his chair as Naruto made his way to stand before the desk, a single chain gently clicking the door shut behind him before vanishing.

"You wished to speak with me, Godaime-sama?"

Asuma's black eyes trailed over the Genin before him, wondering how the hell he hadn't seen the Daimyo in his forces before a foreign Kunoichi had brought it to his attention. Gods above, this didn't look anything like a Shinobi, though he was smart enough to know better than to assume he wasn't that as well. You didn't go against two of the Seven Swordsman and kill a Daimyo without significant skill. The fact that he could hide it so well at his age, however, was slightly unnerving and Asuma was reminded of both a young Kakashi and a young Itachi.

There was also a faint hint of Orochimaru that shone in those piercing eyes that put him on edge. Those sort of people Asuma was fairly confident were born, not made, and Naruto seemed to be of the same sort.

"I called for Genin Naruto of Konohagakure, yes, but who I really wanted to speak to was the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni, Tsukuyomi-dono." It physically pained the former Guardian Ninja to address the young man with that sort of respect but he was a Daimyo and one allied with Asuma's own Daimyo, no less. He needed to keep things as proper as possible for this first meeting, at the very least.

If he was fortunate it would also be the last.

One red brow rose slowly before the faintest of twitches tugged at Naruto's lips. Asuma couldn't quite tell if it was supposed to be hiding a smile or a grimace and even he wasn't completely sure what he would prefer. He was leaning towards grimace at the moment but he wanted to start things on a more cordial note. Essentially, if things were to dissolve between them he would much rather it be done by the young man before him so the blame wouldn't lie on his shoulders.

"I see." A chain extended to retrieve a chair and Naruto fell into a lounge without looking at it. "In that case you have his attention, Godaime-dono."

The ease with which Naruto changed from addressing him as a superior to speaking to him as an equal made Asuma's skin crawl but he pressed on. The boy was not unused to his role, it would seem.

"You're not even going to try denying it?"

Naruto scoffed, one fist supporting his cheek while the other drummed against the thin arm of the chair. "And what good would that do? I would trust that Konoha's leader is no fool, Godaime-dono, you would not have called me Tsukuyomi unless you were certain." Purple eyes pierced into Asuma's black and the Godaime found himself wondering how much they really saw. "Besides, it was bound to get out eventually. You're not the first to know that I hadn't intended to make aware, Danzou had that particular honor."

"I see." Asuma's frown only lasted a second before returning to an expression of blank neutrality. He would have preferred a bit of a stronger reaction at that revelation, he realized, but Naruto seemed intent on denying him even the small satisfaction of seeing him off guard. "I appreciate your candor, so let me reciprocate with some of my own."

Naruto's brow rose again, both question and an instruction to proceed.

"I want you out of my village."

Received this little gem in my inbox the other day from a Guest ":damn this is s***, look up fan fic authors "mr grimjaw" and "I luvgrace420" for actual GUD content, and dont talk shet on ur blog fgt". I'll go ahead and talk about it more in detail in my next commentary- or maybe even an update- but for now I'll just suggest that you go check out those two Authors. Some thirty stories between them, it's no more than maybe 35k words all together so it shouldn't take too long. Sealkeeper is apparently "popular" for all the wrong reasons so let's do some good and give those two an audience to provide feedback and constructive criticism so they can continue developing much-needed "GUD" content. And if you do leave constructive reviews for them, I would appreciate if they weren't anonymous. It's a personal peeve of mine, so I'd prefer to be able to spare other authors from the same.

When I get around to that Commentary or Update I'll probably take down the review, but for now I'll leave it up.

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